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Rating: Black Sabbath... A name, but not a guarantee.
Unfortunately, this extraordinary band, after the departure of the legendary Ozzy Osbourne in the distant 1978 and after the release of the awful "Never Say Die", was never the same again. The leader of the group and extraordinary guitarist Tony Iommi replaced him with the talented vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who had just left Rainbow. It seemed to be a monumental rebirth with one of the most beautiful Sabbath albums, "Heaven And Hell", but unfortunately, the new relapse came quickly with this "Mob Rules" from 1981.
The album is actually superior to many subsequent productions, but it disappoints for the simple fact that it absolutely does not hold up against "Heaven And Hell".
The opener Turn Up The Night is quite energetic, but nothing exceptional... the usual riffs from Iommi that never disappoints, but quickly becomes tiresome. Voodoo recalls the early Sabbath, those of doom, of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, with a darker sound, a sharp Iommi, but it's all been heard before.
One of the best tracks on the album is The Sign Of Southern Cross, after a ballad-like intro, the spark ignites and Butler on bass and Appice on drums hammer out an obsessive but never heavy rhythm, making the over 7 minutes fly by, with perfectly placed Iommi inserts that break the monotony of the base.
The Sabbath never change and along comes the inevitable instrumental, which actually has very little to do with the Sabbath. E5150 is 3 minutes of strange sounds and useless distortions culminating with a few notes, always distorted, that introduce us to The Mob Rules. The title track is one of the worst on the album, it wants to be energetic and captivating, but it is not at all. The usual Iommi showcases his talent with the classic central solo but nothing else from the track is redeemable. Like Voodoo, Country Girl also presents a darker and more elaborate sound, the classic of the old Sabbath, and lifts the album after the disasters of the previous 2 tracks, but this one also doesn't leave much behind.
Slipping Away is anonymous, the usual Iommi, but nothing more.
The end is also the best part of the album. The Sabbath no longer disappoint and with Falling Off The Edge Of The World they bring life to a song with a compelling rhythm that grows and culminates in the central part with a splendid solo by Iommi.
The best track on the album is also the last one. Over And Over is a moving ballad where Dio knows how to move with his unique voice, accompanied by a melody sustained by the excellent Butler and Appice and made even more special by the usual - yet another repetition - extraordinary Tony Iommi.
And perhaps this last, splendid song is the only one to justify purchasing the record. An album that remains mediocre, despite Iommi's best efforts to give Sabbath a new vital energy, while at the same time trying to maintain some of that sound from the first 5/6 albums, which made the band famous.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Turn Up the Night (03:42)
A rumble of thunder, I'm suddenly under your spell
No rhyme or reason, or time of the season, but oh well
The darkened deliver, I shake and I shiver down your soul
You know what to cover, I think for another it's a story told
So get a good hold, yeah
Regiment fooled you, you thought that you knew who you are
A simple equation, that's the relation, but that's gone too far
A time of suspicion, a special condition that we all know
So let it all go!
Turn up the night!
Turn up the night!
Turn up the night, it feels so right!
Nighttime sorrow, taken like a pain
Black will not become a white, it's all the same
Evil lurks in twilight, dances in the dark
Makes you need the movement, like a fire needs a spark to burn!
A rumble of thunder, I'm suddenly under your spell
No rhyme or reason, or time of the season, but oh well
The darkened deliver, I shake and I shiver down your soul
So get a good hold, yeah
Turn up the night!
Turn up the night!
Turn up the night, it feels so right!
Turn up the night!
Turn up the night!
If it feels right
Turn off the light!
Turn up the night!
02 Voodoo (04:33)
Say you don't know me, you'll burn
You can refuse, but you'll lose, it's by me
Say you don't want me, you'll learn
Nothin' you do will be new, 'cause I'm through
Call me a liar, you knew
You were a fool, but that's cool, it's all right
Call me the Devil, it's true
Some can't accept but I crept inside you
So if a stranger calls you
Don't let him whisper his name
'Cause it's Voodoo, oh!
Fade into shadow, you'll burn
Your fortune is free, I can see it's no good
Never look back, never turn
It's a question of time 'till your mine and you learn
So if a stranger sees you
Don't look in his eyes
'Cause he's Voodoo!
Say you don't know me, you'll burn
You can refuse, but you'll lose, it's by me
Say you don't want me, you'll learn
Nothin' you do will be new, 'cause I'm through
Voodoo!
Bring me your children, they'll burn!
Never look back, never turn!
Cry me a river, you'll learn Voodoo!!
05 The Mob Rules (03:15)
Close the city and tell the people that something's coming to call
Death and darkness are rushing forward to take a bite from the wall, oh
You've nothing to say
They're breaking away
If you listen to fools...
The Mob Rules
The Mob Rules
Kill the spirit and you'll be blinded, the end is always the same
Play with fire, you burn your fingers and lose your hold of the flame, oh
It's over, it's done
The end is begun
If you listen to fools...
The Mob Rules
You've nothing to say
Oh, They're breaking away
If you listen to fools...
Break the circle and stop the movement, the wheel is thrown to the ground
Just remember it might start rolling and take you right back around
You're all fools!
The Mob Rules!
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By R13569920
"If you don’t like this album? You don’t like Black Sabbath, I say."
"He sings truly like God, no pun intended."
