Review: Black Sabbath – ’13’

Released 10th June 2013
Produced by Rick Rubin

* John ‘Ozzy’ Osbourne     Vocals
* Tony Iommi                     Guitar
* Terrence ‘Geezer’ Butler Bass
* Brad Will                          Drums

http://open.spotify.com/album/1WLFpcTap1kwv9j2IHuqRg

TRACK LIST

End of the Beginning
God is Dead?
Loner
Zeitgeist
Age of Reason
Live Forever
Damaged Soul
Dear Father
Methademic
Peace of Mind
Pariah
Dirty Women – Live in Australia

I absolutely loved ‘God is Dead?’ when it was released earlier this year, and I’d hoped the rest of the album would be as good.

Well.

Some of it is.

Songs that stand out on first listen are the opener ‘End of the Beginning’, ‘God is Dead?’ (obviously), ‘Dear Father’, ‘Methademia’ and ‘Pariah’.
Listening to the album a second time, I found that ‘Loner’ grew on me. The other 5 songs didn’t make on impression on me either way (I’m not including Dirty Woman – only the new songs).

Overall the album is good, sounds like early Sabbath (as was intended) and has all the hallmarks of their style. Ozzy still has the most distinctive voice around; Tony Iommi’s riffs and the layered guitars are perfection. Geezer is still Geezer. Age and sickness has done nothing to dim their genius.

I know some people aren’t happy because Bill Ward isn’t a part of this album, but to be blunt, it doesn’t matter. Brad Wilk is an excellent drummer and a good fit for the band.

Mr Ward refused to sign contracts, Mr Iommi didn’t know how long he’d be able to work for and cut negotiations off so that they could get on and make the album. They got another drummer. Simple. The album that resulted is good. It’s really nothing to do with the fans and what they want; only what the band want and need.

Black Sabbath are currently touring and will be performing in the UK in December. I hope to see them in Sheffield, if I can get a ticket and the weekend off work.

Rose

Review: Airbourne ‘Black Dog Barking’

http://open.spotify.com/album/4ulIP4JbW6KegM8KNC02k5

Blame Kerrang! for me me reviewing this album. I’d never heard of Airbourne or listened to any of their music until now. I probably wouldn’t have bothered except that there was an interview with the singer, Joel O’Keeffe in a recent issue of Kerrang! (01 June 2013, Issue 1468) and I thought I’d have a listen.

‘Black Dog’ is a metaphor and euphemism for depression, most famously used by Winston Churchill, and the use of it in this album’s title suggests that the band are addressing personal problems. That ignores the rest of the album title. Together they describe the songs and overall feel of the album. It is confrontational, rather than confessional. The band have used their own personal ‘black dogs’ to fuel creativity and produced an upbeat, even fun, album.

It reminds me of Bon Jovi (don’t get mad, I mean lyrically) but heavier. Does that make any sense? They aren’t saying anything new or profound, but they’re saying it with passion. I like this album and I’ll probably try to see them play at Download*.

4/5

*Airbourne play The Zippo Encore Stage 6.15pm – 6.55pm on Sunday 16th June 2014

Review: A New Tomorrow – new single ‘Damn You’

This track was recommended to me by Spotify because I’ve got this band in my playlists. I reviewed their EP ‘Incandescent’a few weeks ago *

http://open.spotify.com/track/3JvHNU1vKQZHWzVrZ0hzUS

Compared to their earlier releases ‘Damn You’ is definitely an improvement in terms of musicianship. The guitars show new vigour and the vocal style has improved. The song is catchy an upbeat.

While these improvements in style are great, the band seem to have lost lyrical depth, like that displayed in ‘Brighter than the Sun’s and ‘What they can’t steal from you’.

3/5

[* ‘One band I like, one band I think are a bit bad mannered and two bands I’m not fussed by’ 16th May 2013]

Coming soon: Guest blog posts from my favourite Finn

This month and next month I will be publishing, on this blog, posts by my friend Satu, who will be attending three festival in Finland. She will be at Rock the Beach in Helsinki, Qstock in Oulu and at Nummirock, and has agreed to write about them. 

I thought a bit of variety might be interesting.

Got to get back to the day job now,

Bye,

Rose

I need an internet connection

I have three reviews, or at least the outline of three reviews, to put online. Unfortunately I currently I have no internet (I’m writing this from my phone) so it may be sometime before you see them. I need to add links and suchlike and that’s difficult when I use my phone. It’s frustrating but not the end of the world.

In other news I found out this morning that one if my favourite bands, Reckless Love, is doing a UK tour in October. I am going to have to see them this year, since I didn’t get to see them last year.

And finally, if anyone has any suggestions for books and music they think I should review drop me a line.

On my lust so far I have the new Science of Discworld IV and an ebook called Knot in Time to read. I would like to read The Long War and hear Black Sabbath’s album 13.

Review of several e-books

I had a bit of a foray in to Amazon the other day and found several free e-books (thanks to the freebie page at  http://www.everythingbooksandauthors.com) and read them quite quickly. Most were short stories but one,‘Georgiana Darcy’s Diary’, is probably more of a novella. Since I took the time to read to them I thought I should probably review them.

Georgiana Darcy’s diary: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Continued

Anna Elliott, with illustrations by Laura Masselos

2011

Wilton Press

It’s 1814 and the war with Napoleon is coming to an end, Elizabeth and Darcy have been married a year, Georgiana is 18 years old and still living at Pemberley with them, and their Aunt De Bourgh has organised a house party. She’s trying to marry Georgiana off too some suitable gentleman.

Georgiana feels the need to start writing a diary again, and starts writing about her life. Sick of the fawning fortune hunters, Georgiana is in love with her cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. Unfortunately rumour tells her he is engaged to someone else, and when he returns to Pemberley to recover from a wound taken at Toulouse she is determined not to give in to her feelings.

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young lady of rank and property will have packs of money- or land-hungry suitors yapping around her heels like hounds after a fox.‘

In the interests of not giving the whole plot away, all I’ll say is the denouement of the storyline is fairly obvious. I mostly liked the story but was slightly unsatisfied by it. I would be interested to read the other two books in this Pride and Prejudice Chronicles, Pemberley to Waterloo, and Kitty Bennet’s Diary.

3/5

 

Cait the Cat Burglar (55 Portobello Road)

Christine London

2013

 

Cait is a waitress, stranded in London as she tries to earn money to send home to her sick mother and sister in America. Bribed and threatened in to becoming a thief by the sinister Rothwell, Cait tries to steal the work of an Australian musician. The first time she fails miserably. There were croquet hoops involved.

At work the next day her target comes in for a meal and Cait finds herself questioning her resolve.

 

This short story is entertaining, although I found it a little too soppy for my taste and too much ‘fairy-tale ending’. I’m not sure I’d bother to read the series of books that this short story is a part of.

2/5

 

How to talk to girls at parties, A short story

Neil Gaiman

2006

Headline

Originally published 2006 and republished as an e-book 2013 with an exclusive first chapter from Neil Gaiman’s new book, ‘The ocean at the end of the lane’, due out mid-June. Vic and Enn are going to a party Vic heard about from his friend Alison, unfortunately they end up at entirely wrong party with interesting consequences. It’s a fun little story, but then I like Neil Gaiman’s work, having read a couple of his books. He’s a truly original writer.

4/5

 

A Little Bit of Everything for Dummies 20th Anniversary Edition

John Wiley & Sons, Inc

2011

This book is exactly what it says on the cover, a sample of their published work since the first …For Dummies book in 1991. Covering everything from Windows 7 to Puppies to Sex, this book is an interesting one to flip through.

3/5

 

And that’s the lot for now.

Bye,

Rose