Thirteen Stars

As was announced several months ago that since 1978 should be a studio album of Black Sabbath in the original cast for the first time, I was completely over the moon. One can not assess large enough the importance of Black Sabbath for pop music history. Accordingly high were also the expectations of this new concoction. Meanwhile, the musicians must have been aware. How do you get this probably last chapter out right? Had Iommi, Butler, Ward and Osbourne is still on it? How much of your own self-image came from over-hyped media reports? How do you transport a more than 40-year-old feeling into today?

Before these questions could be answered, the company was doubly at risk: Drummer Bill Ward would not play on the new album. Officially contractual reasons were given for this. Among fans then was of course much speculation, in as far as the Yoko Ono Black Sabbath, were to blame with management decisions to Sharon Osbourne, if you will. In fact, it seems a pity that probably have meant old Feden and Finance that the album now could not be produced in the entire original cast. But when Brad Wilk (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave) one of the tightest today's drummer was hired as a replacement, had some reason to breathe again.

Then the blow: After visiting several doctors is diagnosed with lymphatic cancer Riffmeister Tony Iommi. From now on, the death is a constant companion in the recordings. For the musicians, the feeling is spreading that this is the last chance to make a statement. Although God apparently wants to prevent that this album does arise, resolve Sabbath, along with one of the most prestigious manufacturers in the world, Rick Rubin to cede with a bang.

And this they have managed. This album is a manifesto. Sabbath are based in fact at their roots, grab some arrangements and moods of their best songs new to, but this never act as if they copied themselves. This is the next step. The emotions of 40 years ago, filtered by the experience drawn from life men transported to the year 2013. Likewise, the sound: powerful, dynamic and for Rick Rubin unfamiliar definitely 70s-like. Playful as long no longer celebrate the Sabbath Metal, Hard Rock, Doom, blues and sometimes even jazz. The songs offer surprising arrangements and a Tony Iommi, the surprisingly often breaks out of its decades-old habits. You can tell especially the solos to the desperation that must have been well-connected to the cancer.

Nevertheless, there are currently at Ozzy's vocals extremely hopeful, almost to southern rock reminiscent, passages. Brad Wilk makes an absolutely solid job, and actually sounds like a cross between Bill Ward and Vinnie Appice. Geezer on bass acts angry. Every available gap in the wall of sound he filled with abysmal bass lines. Over the entire season Geezer and Tony have managed to reflect what it represents: As a two-headed monster fit her two instruments at a sound together, which has no equal when it comes to still punch today.

The last of the eight songs on this album ends in a way that I have not seen before. I came close to tears in his eyes as I listened to this conclusion. I realized that includes a clip to the life's work of one of the most amazing bands in music history here.

2013. Rain patters, forward remotely hear a church bell, it thunders. The end of an era. The Metal survived.