TECHNICAL ECSTASY

Mmm, and thus Black Sabbath begin their descent into being The World's # 1 Black Sabbath tribute band. Or is that second best? Either way, we have a solid hard rock opener, with synths that should have stayed home. Sabbath have never been a band to utilize that "slick studio production", but this is something else. Back Street Kids features a worse recording and production than even the worst parts of Sabotage. This is a mediocre rocker at best. Not Sabbath at all, save for Ozzy's poor-as-usual vocal delivery.

Those keyboard moments are excellent! Did they get Wakeman, again? Hardly. These things are a complete and abject failure. You Won't Change me is alright, I suppose. And this feels like a solid, but second rate doom-laden rocker. Nothing more. Moving on...

Ozzy must have taken singing lessons from a metronome. He never seems to change tone, no matter how many times I listen. At least the guitar solo is pretty good. Not anything we haven't seen, before, but quite fierce. It's alright has Black Sabbath doing another of their so glorious hook filled ballads. This is a power ballad, hands down. And if you take the equation Black Sabbath + running out of ideas + Power Ballad + Ozzy, do you still have something that entices you? Oh, they use cheesy strings, too. Those "oooh's" are a bit painful.

Gypsy seems even more arena rock oriented. Those opening power chords are so mundane. This music has no creativity, at all. It feels so overdone and Black Sabbath are better than this, they really are. At least All Moving Parts has some funky rocking. Black Sabbath get ALIVE, with that grooving rock. Too bad the lyrics are bad. Speaking of awful lyrics...

Rock'n'Roll Doctor follows. Doesn't that name just make you leap for joy? Under-produced hard rock is more to the eloquent tune of things. They kind of sound like Foreigner or Motley Crue, though. Is that a good thing? You decide. I will decide to move onto the next song. Hey, more Keyboard work! Too bad it is uninspired and gimmicky. Oh how those strings have dated. Another power ballad? Yes. Black Sabbath have become a hair band. Well, if I judge them as a hair band, I might get to add another star or so. That might be pushing it. But this song is so absolutely terrible. And fake as hell. She's Gone is possibly the worst song here. Mainly because it lacks most of what makes a song a...song. I don't even think Ozzy's voice is real, anymore. They just took old clips of him talking and stitched them together.

Well, at least the last song has a decent melody. Not that it is very progressive. No, those days are behind the boys in black. And at least it rocks a bit. Not that I think it should, and those melody lines are a bit stale. The production is still pedestrian, and the lyrics seem to get worse over time, but nothing on the album offends, at least. Take this album for what it is. The best Black Sabbath demos album this side of what comes next...

Best Song - All Moving Parts or You Won't Change me, both are pretty bad.

Worst Song - All of it is equally filler, and most of it is not good filler. Pick your generic poison.

*1/2 stars.

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