Black Sabbath
Mob Rules

THE REVIEW

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.