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Rating: Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes. Merging two souls into a single creature. "Fused" is precisely the term that best represents this work. There is finally a fusion between musicians, suggesting the intent to go beyond their own inclinations. There's Bob Marlette on the keys, the same as on the solo album "Iommi," who arranges in step with the times and the musicians. The work represents what an alchemy born from a decade of experimentation can lead to. Okay, to value certain precious elements, it's necessary to test its background, but an attentive listener cannot ignore the superb performance of this latest union between legendary icons of hard rock.
The motivations and reasons, for a fan such as myself, surpass the rational. Appealing to the mirage of journalistic honesty, I will take refuge in the belief that "Fused" is, first and foremost, well-produced. The technological leap that this decade has gifted rock fits perfectly with the songwriting of the perpetual Iommi, he upon whose shoulders the burden of Black Sabbath has rested these last twenty years. The mentor of rock "in cadence" once again uses craft first, and only then class. The "doom" approach with his devilishness immediately reveals the attitude that distinguishes him the most. The penultimate track of the album, "The Spell," best represents the Birmingham guitarist's inclinations, melodic and heavy, liquefied in the heavy blues appeal of the vocals. Also over the top is the long closing track "I Go Insane". The so-called doom-ballad of this work, in its simple yet ever-changing structures, teaches us that pathos is not solely the prerogative of subdued dynamics. Even Hughes' voice (bass and vocals of Deep Purple during the funky '70s period) seems unwilling to make way for the passing time. The English singer delivers us rapier thrusts. Listen to "Wasted Again" to believe it, and I challenge any of today's self-celebrating rockstars to tackle such vocal feats. A distinctly more modern style episode is the opener "Dopamine," a track that could easily stand as a hit in today's cauldron of new American metal (and woe to call it "nu metal," which went out of fashion before it was even born). "Grace" also deserves praise, built on a classic Iommi riff and enhanced by the ensemble created by a certain play of effects and arrangements.
"Fused" is a high-school Hard Rock work, and it's also quite well assembled: the thread that should guide every good album from one track to the next is not missing. This is a group of people who have nothing to prove to anyone, and who above all do not lack class. I will make a judgment even though my heart does not allow me to give a rational evaluation. But if one feeds on a certain type of hard rock, the temptation to cry miracle is strong.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Dopamine (04:11)
I don't mind and I don't regret
And I wanted you to know
You will find, and I hope you get
Everything you need to go
It won't fade away
It gets me through the day
And I am so alive
I've told you, I've told you
It's the dopamine
That gets me high
The dopamine connects me
It's the dopamine
I can rely
The dopamine reflects me
Escalate to a better day
You can hear my soul refrain
Educate, it's the only way
Feel the blood rush to my brain
It won't fade away
It gets me through the day
And I am so alive
I've told you, I've told you
It's the dopamine
That gets me high
The dopamine connects me
It's the dopamine
I can rely
The dopamine reflects me
And if you ask me why I feel this way
I know just where I'm going
And it is just because
I have no say
And there's no way of knowing
It's the dopamine
That gets me high
The dopamine connects me
It's the dopamine
I can rely
The dopamine reflects me
04 Resolution Song (04:57)
I see there is no vision
And I feel powerless
This is my resolution
I'm waiting to regress
No I won't let this demon
Kill me, I hold my stare
So tell me where is Eden
This is my only prayer
I can feel it pull me down
Fallin' from the darkest sky
Mother Mary make a sound
Tell me that it's just a lie
I know that what I've been sayin'
It's everything that I need I'm prayin'
I'm on the ledge so wake me
It's everything that I want so take me
I cast aside my grievance
For just another day
There have been disbelievers
It's always been that way
The blood is on the parchment
From those who lost their pride
The voices of the silent
Who have been crucified
I can feel it pull me down
Fallin' from the darkest sky
Mother Mary make a sound
Tell me that it's just a lie
I know that what I've been sayin'
It's everything that I need I'm prayin'
I'm on the ledge so wake me
It's everything that I want so take me
I'm feeling powerless
I'm waiting to regress
You had me crucified
This is a resolution
I know that what I've been sayin'
It's everything that I need I'm prayin'
I'm on the ledge so wake me
It's everything that I want so take me
08 Face Your Fear (04:46)
And you're livin' with a secret
That will cut you to the bone
And you have lived in shackles
That you've worn too long
You visualize a tragedy
That you buried long ago
And you'll never know
It seems somehow, you were wrong
It's all within you
You can hear the silence
When you breakthrough
Don't regret
And you must turn and face your fear
Go beneath the skin to the child within
Turn and face your fear
You will never see what is meant to be
And you're floatin' in the darkness
And you want my sympathy
And you only hear the sound
Of a fading distant voice
You medicate yourself with somethin'
So you can explore
You've lost your mind
And soon you're gonna lose your soul
It's all within you
You can hear the silence
When you breakthrough
Don't regret
And you must turn and face your fear
Go beneath the skin to the child within
Turn and face your fear
You will never see what is meant to be
Turn and face your fear
Go beneath the skin to the child within
Turn and face your fear
You will never see what is meant to be
Turn and face your fear
Go beneath the skin to the child within you
Turn and face your fear
You will never see what is meant to be
10 I Go Insane (09:13)
I just wanna live forever
But you just made other plans
There's a changing of the weather
And my life is in your hands
I saw you in the garden
And you turned and walked away
I don't think I can take it
Can you hear me when I say?
It don't feel the same as before
I won't take the blame anymore
When you leave I go insane
I can't breathe, I go insane
And you know inside my head I go insane
I want you to forgive
Cos I don't really want to live
To live
Now I'm standing on the platform
But it must have been a dream
And I fall into a chasm
Then you pulled me from a stream
I am lifted by your spirit
And it haunts me to this day
I don't think I can take it
Can you hear me when I say?
It don't feel the same as before
I won't take the blame anymore
When you leave I go insane
I can't breathe, I go insane
And you know inside my head I go insane
I want you to forgive
Cos I don't really want to live
Every time you leave, every time I go
I don't wanna breathe, you don't wanna know
Every time I leave, every time you go
I don't wanna breathe, you don't wanna know
When you leave I go insane
I can't breathe, I go insane
And you know inside my head I go insane
I want you to forgive
Cos I don't want to live
You've gone against the grain and I will surely go insane
I want you to forgive
Cos I don't wanna live
You've gone again the grain and I just go insane
Insane
Insane
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By SIGFRIDO76
We are facing the best hard & heavy album of 2005.
"I Go Insane" is the masterpiece of the album, a literally splendid doom ballad, which combines in itself the best Sabbath with Pink Floyd-like atmospheres.
