Fused

I know I'll get stoned (by rocks not drugs) for saying this, but I never really liked Black Sabbath in the 1970's. Although I like Ozzy, I didn't like his work with Sabbath, and I didn't like the guitar tone of Iommi's guitar. It wasn't until the early 80's that I started to really enjoy Black Sabbath. Contrary to what some poeple will say, Sabbath had some great songs in the 80's as well. Since then they've had some great moments, and some truly terrible moments as well.

In the liner notes Tony talks about the chemistry that he has with singer/bassist Glen Hughes. That is certainly obvious from the start of the album. Some people find Glen's voice cheesy (he considers himself what he calls "Rock n' Soul"), but I think he's great, especially in the choruses. Tony's guitar tone is great too; heavy without sounding nu-metal. Iommi had said that this was going to be a more riff-based record (as opposed to "1996 DEP sessions"), but there is still plenty of melody to go around as well, making this a great mix of the two. The riffing is great, the singing is great, there are some great bass-lines and solos as well. What more could you want from a hard rock album? "Dopamine" sounds like a drug song, but it's really about the high that you can get that your body produced naturally. Strong song for a single and great way to kick off the album. "Grace" has the best chorus of the whole album, while "What You're Living For" has the best verses. There are no bad songs or even mediocre ones on the entire album. There is one song that pushes the album into one of my favorites of all time and that is "I Go Insane." Just the bluesy verses and the chorus are enough to make this song good, but that doesn't even include the interlude in the middle, which features 4 (!) great, heavy, catchy riffs and a bluesy guitar solo. Hughes adds some great bass-lines as well. This 9:00+ song is one of the greatest Iommi has ever written, including his stuff with Black Sabbath.

So really, you can't ask for any more from a hard rock album. Great vocals, riffs, and melodies as well as the fact that there are no real weak songs earn this album a 85%. Highly recommended.