Black Is The New Black: Black Sabbath 13

Black is back and better than ever. Everywhere you look black is cropping up in full force, from fashion, to the newly crafted “Black Label” beers that have been recently sprouting up, to Kanye West’s recent song, “Black Skinhead”— black has never been better. But nobody does black better than the originals, Black Sabbath.
The hard rock band is back with their most anticipated studio album, titled 13 and the first with Ozzy Osbourne since 1979’s Never Say Die. The album hits hard and heavy with songs like “God is Dead?”, a nod to late philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. “Zeitgeist” harkens back to the band’s trippy “Planet Caravan” but feels fresh and relevant today. “Dear Father” has a hypnotic, rollicking riff (what else would you expect from the master himself, guitarist Tony Iommi, who’s currently battling cancer) with some blistering lyrics from bassist Geezer Butler about the recurring priest scandals. Singer Ozzy Osbourne sounds as sharp as ever and reminds us all of his vocal and melodic talents. Drummer Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine brings his own signature touch to the album and anchors the band together. Overall the album has a dark, bluesy feel that will make new fans take notice and die hard fans rejoice.
I had the pleasure of attending The Black Sabbath Town Hall, Sabbath’s record release party in New York City. It was held at the beautiful Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art, a stunning gothic synagogue built in the 1860’s. That’s right–Black Sabbath in a house of worship. Ozzy and Geezer were present in the flesh while Tony and Brad checked in via Skype to answer super fans questions.
Best of all, 13 debuted as Sabbath’s very first number one album on the U.S. Billboard charts. They had the number one album in U.K. as well as in over fifty different countries. To say the least, Black Sabbath has made it clear to music fans and critics everywhere, they are as relevant now as they were back in 1970 when they released their first and now classic album, Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath’s North American Tour will hit cities across the U.S. Check out blacksabbath.com for more information.
Image courtesy of BlackSabbath.com