MOB RULES

Second album with RJ Dio at the mike, but by now the surprise it gone, If Geezer Butler is now back fully in the fold, following some more internal problems, it is drummer Bill Ward's drug-related health problems that will cause a further line-up change. He will be replaced by the brother of Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and BBA), called Vinnie and this was to be his first high profile gig. This line-up change occurred during a tour prior to the recording of this album. Graced with a superbly evocative artwork, TMB was to be yet another strong seller on the strength of two hits, the best known being the title track.

If H&H had been a stupendous album, it was partly due to the surprise it provoked from fans that were not expecting much out of it, as Ozzy was deemed irreplaceable back then. So the comparison between the two Dio-era album must be cautious, but it relatively clear that TMB is just not as highly inspired as H&H, partly due to the fact that the songwriting was more collective than on its forerunner. Indeed, the only track that seems to bear the same kind of dramatic impact of H&H is The Sign Of The Southern Cross, which happens to be the longest rack on the album, but even then it fails to bring a blistering Iommi solo. The opening Turn Up The World is a rewrite (not litteraly) of Neon Knights while the closing Falling Off The Edge and Over & Over are slightly better than the average on this album.

Not quite as superb as its predecessor, little did we know that TMR would be the last studio album (for some 10 years) of Sabbath's Mk II line-up, even if the Live album would come a few months later.