In 1982 heavy metal godfathers Black Sabbath were between a rock and a hard place once again. The band was in need of a new singer once again as Ozzy Osbourne replacement Ronnie James Dio had just left the band due to internal problems that had arisen during the mixing process of their first live album Live Evil. Not sure where to go or what to do, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler got a hold of former Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan to see if he wanted to start a project with them. Gillan agreed. Though they originally meant the project to be called something else, the record label coerced the group into releasing what would be the album Born Again in 1983 under the Black Sabbath name. In a way it makes sense because original drummer Bill Ward rejoined the band to record the album.
Born Again features a distinctly darker sound than any of Black Sabbath's previous albums; especially in tracks like Disturbing the Priest, Zero the Hero, Born Again. The production unfortunately is a bit muddy but the recent remaster did clean some of it up. Unfortunately the original tapes have been lost. Be all that as it may, Born Again does feature some of Iommi's darkest most haunting riffs and solos. The instrumental tracks like The Dark and Stone Henge are the creepiest songs you could listen to at night. Gillan does some clever lyrics and provides some absolutely fantastic screams. This album really was a match made in Heaven.
Disturbing the Priest is one of my absolute favorite heavy metal tracks of all time. It has everything: powerful riffs, spooky atmosphere that gets you looking over your shoulder at night, powerful screams to accentuate certain musical moments, well written lyrics, etc. Just be careful if you have headphones on or have your stereo turned up. After listening to the soft instrumental track Stonehenge that leads into the song the shock of this loud crashing song coming in will jolt you right up and possibly make you piss your pants. I kind of think Black Sabbath did that on purpose. I thoroughly enjoy it every time I listen to Born Again.
The title track Born Again is the real gem of the album. What is a bit remarkable is that the title track and best track of the album is a softer track; something you wouldn't think would happen on a Black Sabbath record. However, it's true. It's slow, atmospheric, and beautiful. Iommi's solos in this track are what I imagine it would be like if the electric guitar were brought into a fairy tale. Gillan's melodic and harmonized screams also add to the track's beauty. Naturally his melodic voice does well too. You can kind of feel the pain he is trying to convey through his lyrics and the way he sings them. Geezer Butler's bass effects really do add to the atmosphere and overall mood of the song. It would be lacking without them.
If you can get past the absolutely ugly album cover then you're in for one hell of a heavy metal treat. Despite what I said about Gillan's high screams most of the singing actually is melodic. The creepy atmosphere is something you don't find on a whole lot of records. Born Again is a highly under rated album that seems to have been lost to the ages because of the circumstances of its release. However, some of Black Sabbath's absolute best songs are on there; you just have to put it on and have a listen to find out for yourself. It's a shame that this line-up only lasted for one album and tour. Then again, many of Black Sabbath's line-ups post Ozzy seem to be that way.
Born Again, by Black Sabbath receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Trashed
2. Stonehenge
3. Disturbing the Priest
4. The Dark
5. Zero the Hero
6. Digital Bitch
7. Born Again
8. Hot Line
9. Keep It Warm
Buy the album on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Again-Black-Sabbath/dp/B004VQFQ2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430453462&sr=8-1&keywords=Black+Sabbath+Born+Again
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