The air raid siren that ushers War Pigs in is here to remind us that we have been invited onto sacred ground. And we need to treat the following 41 glorious minutes with due reverence. It would be churlish of me to break down the history and influence this band and record has had on modern Heavy metal and heavy rock. There has been many a good word written about this by much better writers than me. Instead, I am going to just concentrate on the new 50th-anniversary box set. It Contains the 2012 remix, The 1974 Quadraphonic mix that has been folded back into a stereo and two live shows Montreux and Brussels from 1970 both beautiful mastered and performed by a band at their peak.
The part of the package that had my jaw hit the ground was the folded back quadraphonic edition only briefly available back in 1974 on 8 track and LP. I thought I had heard this record in all in its heavy glory many, many times. What happened next was astounding. I had never heard this record in this way before. There has been plenty of quads mixed albums over the years and some sit just flat and some blow your mind. This one is one of those as good as hearing them live through 2 speakers, as you will ever get. Bill wards Sound free wild, hard and heavy, every hit of the skins is a master class in precision. You hear he fills his rolls his splashy jazz-inspired rhythms more clearly than ever before. Partnered by Gezzer Butler on bass, this behemoth of a rhythm section rumbles from ear to ear with a sense of Doom and tribalism that has inspired a myriad of players over the last 50 years
Two words describe Tony Iommi GOD LIKE, very few guitarists that have trod the stages in the history of Rock n Roll could and should play like Tony. His ability to write riffs has no equal. No one can fill the spaces between notes the same way he can. If you get the chance, play the original version of the album first then put on this one. Tony sounds Heavy and I mean Heavy on this version Crunchy dirty hungry trance-like.
It’s the best version of Tony I have ever heard. We come to Ozzy Osbourne many things have been said about this enigmatic pioneer. I am not here to discuss the merits of his voice or his life choices.
I am here to say that without a shadow of a doubt this is the best I have ever heard him sound. Spitting out chorus after chorus with venom and vitriol and a theatric ability that in one hand saddens you and on the other uplifts you. I said right from the start this version is so different to the original. It is in my opinion the now the definitive way to hear it. If like me you have had the privilege to see many versions of Sabbath live, then you will really get a kick out of this. It is the closest thing to seeing them live in their pomp 50 years ago, as you are ever likely to get. The last word from me and I dare say the entire music world HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and thanks for all the music you have given us…
The Greatest second album of all time by the greatest heavy metal band of all time I give this 5 stars how could I not
Release Year: 2020
Label: BMG
Category: Box Set
Country: UK
Reviewed by Tony Evans
