BLACK SABBATH — Born Again (review)

BLACK SABBATH — Born Again album cover Album · 1983 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Pekka
Black Sabbath meets Deep Purple, I bet people thought at the time that this was going to be grand. Later known to be a priceless source of inspiration for a legendary Spinal Tap scene some of the stage show props were way too grand, but what came of the album? Probably one of the most Trashed metal albums of all the time, rivalled only by St. Anger and the like.

It might have been the Allmusic review of this album that said that while trying to produce the heaviest album of all time, the band produced the muddiest. Yes, the sound of the album is not good, not good at all by whatever standards the previous Sabbath albums had set. Indeed rather muddy and dominated by an overpowering hi-hat whenever one is hit, it luckily doesn't suffocate the songs, which at times are of great quality. The opener Trashed is a rather forgettable but ok straight ahead rocker, but after sitting through the brief just-as-forgettable instrumental Stonegenge we get to the first great track of the album, Disturbing the Priest. Proper heaviness, just the right chord changes in the right places, great vocals by Gillan... and some loud hi-hat.

The centerpiece of the album is the pair The Dark/Zero the Hero which has a brilliant riff - later knowingly or unknowingly borrowed and slightly modified by Guns n' Roses for Paradise City - great ominous atmosphere, great solo by mr Iommi and some more good Gillan vocal work. Digital Bitch is another straight ahead rocking tune, and just as silly as the name would suggest. The chorus of this song might just be the worst thing on the album. The title track is the third great track of the album, and the most ballad-like. Some piercing Gillan falsetto there for all children in time. The last two tracks are somewhere between the previously mentioned in quality, Hot Line being the best straightforward rock tune of the album and Keep it Warm slowing it down for a fine ending. And speeding it up for a while for a nice Iommi solo section.

Overall a very uneven collection of songs, the average being quite near the middle of the rating field.

And the cover? Brilliant. Tasteless and brilliant.
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