TECHNICAL ECSTASY

In the midst of a complex panorama of comings and goings, the usual problems of drug and alcohol abuse, unthinkable financial difficulties due to the inadequate management of their managers, and on top of that the love and hatred between its members (basically Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi) for the musical direction they should take, Black Sabbath released the controversial "Technical Ecstasy" (1976), their seventh album.

Except for the galloping and consistent guitars of "Back Street Kids" and the corrosive opening riffs of "You Won't Change Me", which delve into the darker and more oppressive sonorities of the band's early days, the approach of "Technical Ecstasy" is straightforward, energetic and at times festively conventional hard rock. Both the rhythmic "Gypsy", the shy blues rock of "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)" and the therapeutic and urban "Rock 'N' Roll Doctor" do not have that powerful and disturbing aura that Iommi's characteristic riffs used to provide on previous albums, present but relegated to a lesser plane this time in favour of structures that privilege the rhythmic constructions of the Geezer Butler/Bill Ward duo supported by the correct keyboards of guest Gerald Woodroffe. Even "It's Alright", with its unexpectedly accessible beatlenian melody, departs even further from the recognisable standards of the English musicians.

The final section reserves the usual reflective moment with the desolate and orchestrated "She's Gone", and concludes with the excellent heavy prog exercise "Dirty Women", where Ozzy sings on the verge of anguish and Iommi performs an epic and distorted guitar solo, surely the best moment of the album.

"Technical Ecstasy" is a great piece of hard rock for any band in the genre, but Black Sabbath had the bar set so high, that the restrained approach ended up weighing down the overall perception of the album, as well as marking a turning point in the band's future.

3/3.5 stars

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