-- Black Sabbath - Sabotage | (Audio CD) MSRP $ 11.98 Amazon Price $ 10.99 Savings $ 0.99 | |  Release Date: 25 October, 1990, Warner Bros / Wea
TRACK LISTING - Hole In The Sky
- Don`t Start (Too Late)
- Symptom Of The Universe
- Megalomania
- The Thrill Of It All
- Supertzar
- Am I Going Insane (Radio)
- The Writ
Usually ships in 24 hours | | | Essential Classic Metal! A MUST for Any Sabbath Fan | Many people, in my opinion, either give or receive (depending on if they`re reading or writing about the album) the wrong impression of "Sabotage." Not that the fans are bashing it, in fact most classic Sab fans love this release, but they`re sort of giving false info about it. I`m here to right those wrongs. Most would agree that Black Sabbath`s experimentation SLIGHTLY began to show up on Vol. 4 (on tracks like "FX" and possibly "Supernaut", though the latter is amazing)and reached a climax on the popular "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".
However, people explore the topic further, and throw "Sabotage" in the "experimentation" group, which scares many listeners and causes them to distance themselves. In reality though, Sabotage is not a very experimental album, at all. It`s sound is very down-to-earth, hard-rocking, and is more comparable to their earlier stuff than anything else. The musical style has an appealing, very classic feel, and still manages to evolve, while adding mild and minimum effects and/or sythns (only on select tracks). Likewise, the musicianship is extraordinary and fresh, giving the listener the vintage Sabbath sound, yet delivering unique, new ideas and elements. In fact the most stand-out person here, to me anyways, is the dynamic and energized Ozzy Osbourne. Yes, Tony`s riffs are to die for, and of course Bill and Geez perform outstandingly, but the real pleasure on this CD has to be the Ozz. His voice has always been amazing and memorable (especially on early classics), but here he simply shines. He screams and bellows his way through tracks like "Hole in the Sky" and "Symptom of the Universe", but delivers chilling, almost unnatural vocals on the epic "Megalomania" as well. In short, he really surprised and amazed me when I pressed play. Truly magnificent >
Hole in the Sky: Being an appropriate and very enticing opener, this rocker really gets you pumped and leaves you thinking "Yes! This is what metal is made of!" Headbangin`, catchy, and hard-rocking, mid-tempo riff, met with heavy-hitting drums and some of those bellowing and LOUD vocals from Ozzman. Incredibly solid to say the least. 9.5/10
Don`t Start (Too Late): A pretty, talented little buffer between the opener and the killer "Symptom" that although only :49 seconds, still is a nice number.
Symptom of the Universe: Most definitely thee BEST song on the album, and one of Sabbath`s all-time best for that matter. Right when "Dont Start" ends, your ears are overwhelmed with a fast-paced, almost thrash-like riff that sets the pace for this delicious rocker. Ozzy`s voice, in particular, is in perfect form and one of his greatest performances off the album. Very obnoxious on Ozzy`s part, but good obnoxious, if you get what I mean. He just sings his soul out on here. I especially love the drums, as Bill does some terrific fills and beats. Towards the end, the song slows down considerably, and Iommi strums the acoustic while Ozzy sings some real emotional lyrics. Perfect 10/10
Megalomania: Starts off spine-chillingly haunting as Iommi delivers some real dark and gloomy riffs and Osbourne goes real low and sings from his sole rather than his soul. Geezer is also quite noteworthy on this track, cause he`s one of the reasons for the haunting atmosphere. The song really gets good, however, when Bill smacks away at the `ol cowbell, and the tempo picks up, and Ozzy really delivers his voice amazingly. The chorus is especically cathcy, and the solos are of course nothing but the goods. This epic can get no lower than a 10/10!
Thrill of It All: This gem starts off with a start/stop, heavy riff that turns into some incredible, extremely catchy and fiery solos. The main riff is mid-tempo and quite driving, but Ozzy is once again the main attraction. His vocals on here are well-ranged, bittersweet, and powerful. The highpoint, though, is the last few verses. They`re just fast-paced and enjoyable till the end. The long, ending solo is memorable and shredding. 9.5/10
Supertzar: Could be Sabbath`s best instrumental, even though I love "Scarlet Pimpernel" also. This song is one of the reasons "Sabotage" got thrown into the experimental club, but the choir and string arrangements add a dark and mysterious atmosphere to the song. The guitar riffs are also entertaining and add much to this masterpiece. For instrumentals this gets a 10/10.
Am I Going Insane?: This tune is another reason for the aforementioned debate of this CD being deemed experimental. The main verses are led by strings and synths, along with a louder-than-normal bass guitar keeping the rhythm. While not horrible, this song took some time getting used to, and considering it was the only song I heard prior to getting Sabotage, you could say I wasn`t looking that forward to it. Still a good number complete w/ some estranged laughter at the end. A good 8/10.
The Writ: They picked an awesome closer to this album, full of great riffs and solos by Tony, speaker-splitting vocals, and some interesting bass effects to boot. This complaint against all the record companies that screwed them over really gets you going about all the corruption throughout the music biz. Quite epic and every bit enjoyable, this 9.5/10 gets you in the balls!
Basically, if you`re into classic, 70s metal, than I don`t know why you don`t own this album. Hearing the sub par "Am I Going Insane?" off of We Sold Our Souls to Rock n Roll could have turned you away completely, but know that that track is the worst off the album, and really out of context on the CD. If you like headbangin` riffs, solid drum work, and above-average vocals that soar higher than eagles than I suggest you get this. I got this album quite a long time ago, and I still listen to and enjoy it often. It`s so good in fact, that it crept up to my top 3 Sabbath albums ever, and I`ve heard them all besides three. Just a metal masterpiece fit for kings. | | | | Epic Sabbath... | | This album usually gets forgotten about in the Sabbath catalog, but I have always really liked it. It`s worth it for two of Sabbath`s greatest epic songs, Megalomania and The Writ. Megalomania clocks in at 9 1/2 minutes, and has one of Ozzy`s most vibrant, weariest vocals ever. The Writ is another epic track, around 8:45 or so, and it`s one of those classic Sabbath song with a great riff and another great vocal by Ozzy. Ozzy could actually sing before he became a poster boy for drug abuse. The song Am I Going Insane (Radio) is really good too. Many of Sabbath tracks stretch the ears, which they are never really given credit for. Sabbath isn`t putting out complex prog rock like ELP and Yes, but it`s still pretty ambitious for a band that usually just gets lumped in by critics as a bunch of drugged out heavy metal guys. War Pigs, Hand of Doom, Solitude, Warning, and Born Again are just several examples of this epic musicianship, and I don`t think it was ever done any better than in Sabotage. The band still really had it together on this one, and started to lose it (well, let`s be honest, Ozzy was losing it mostly) on Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die. This is Sabbath`s last great album with the original lineup. We`d have to wait until Heaven and Hell for another great Sabbath album. | | | | My Favorite Black Sabbath Album | Next to "Master of Reality," "Sabotage" is quite possibly my favorite Black Sabbath album. It is the perfect marksmanship of a band who forever changed the face of music. It is the perfect blend of mysticism,and introspective dark brooding material that made Black Sabbath legends.
Far too long, fans and members of the band alike have dissed the album as being "the begining of the end." And for good reason: the band would never again capture the genius of Black Sabbath in their original line-up form after "Sabotage." Yet, despite the hovering clouds held over this album`s head, I am going to suggest that this be one of the first albums a Sabbath newcomer purchase ("Master of Reality" being the first). It is a very solid portrayal of WHO Black Sabbath is ... or was ... as a band.
Not to be missed or dissed! Buy it, it will raise the mark of everything you thought you knew about music. | | |
-- zzzz
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