After his debut solo set, and the long overdue release of the 1996 Dep sessions, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi teams up with bassist Glenn Hughes again for this excellent album.
Opener “Dopamine” features a typically heavy riff, a decent tune and a couple of good solos too. Vocals a little whiney in places, but still one hell of a song.
“Wasted Again” adds a bit of Sabbath to the riffing, and the vocals are stronger; the screams fitting in well. The song is nicely structured too.
There’s a slight nu-edge to the music, but only just. It’s heavy, more reliant on riffs than speed; and the vocals and guitar solos remain clean and coherent while the riffs rattle your bowels from the depths of hell.
“Resolution” is a little slower, a tad grungy.
The vocal effects on “Grace” are thankfully brief, you wouldn’t want a whole track of that ‘spaceman’ effect. That said, the song is so heavy you have to wonder if that’s Geezer Butler himself.
“What You’re Living For” is a little up tempo and a little more trad metal, one of the highlights; guaranteed to become a live favourite.
Overall an excellent album full of modern metal. A touch of Sabbath to be expected but it’s a far far cry from the classics of old. The younger generation will love this for sure. I do too.
***** Out of this world | **** Pretty
damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly
