Befuddled and bemused by the brilliance of Black Sabbath

THIS is not a review. There is no way we here at Belfastmetalheadsreunited (and our colleagues at www.rockradni.co.uk) could ever produce an unbiased, detached review of Black Sabbath.

Ahead of Zeppelin and Purple even, Sabbath defined heavy metal. All else that went before was proto-metal, and none produced the glorious sense of evil perpetuated by that single diminished fifth on the opening track of the eponymous début album.

Thence came to an end the Californian dreams of an illusory Age of Aquarius, stomped down by Brummies who told tales of darkness, Lucifer and a doom-laden planet.

But more than 40 years on would the triumvirate from the original line-up be able to deliver the power and potency that defined a music style that refuses to die? The test was at the MCD-promoted event in Belfast's Odyssey Arena yesterday evening (12th December).

As we noted we cannot be unbiased or detached - the power, the infernal majesty, the very ridiculousness of it all beat down doubters, battered the scenester folks, kicked into submission the shoe gazers and reminded us all that this Black Fucking Sabbath, poseurs and preened pop princes and princesses need not apply.

Photo courtesy of Paul Verner

Sure there were a few moments when it seemed that Ozzy's voice was over-topped to keep it right, and sure there was a song dropped from the set-list to keep the obviously ailing frontman from collapsing, but this was a night when these were minor niggles.

Iommi was masterful, the riffmeister general, played runs and riffs that resounded with the power of a musical tsunami; Butler's bass lines flourished and flew around as his fingers slapped, rode and flayed booming runs under-scoring the sheer low-end resonance of early Sabbath material.

On the drum stool was Tommy Clufetos, who not only played the drum lines with ferocity, but played a relatively entertaining drum solo - relatively entertaining as most drum solos can be tedious.

Photo courtesy of Paul Verner

Ozzy - mad as a hatter. Although hatter's mercury may not have been the only chemical additive in his veins.

Despite the Ozman's occasional interruptions on Iommi's soloing and phrasing to once again implores all to sing, chant, clap, throw our arms in the air, Ozzy's limited mobility and obvious pain was obviated by his commitment onstage.

The set list - yes with such a back catalogue of metal monster songs there are always going to be songs that individual fans would want; but this was a set comprised mainly from the first four albums with two tracks from '13' (one previously aired was dropped from the set).

War Pigs, NIB, Fairies Wear Boots, Children of the Grave, NIB, Under The Sun, Into the Void, Age  of Reason - we're not going to list them all; you either where there for the bone crushing heavy metal, or you were not.


All of which, as we filed out of the Odyssey Arena, were pored over not as critics, not as writers, not as journalists but as fans. Befuddled, bemused here today (13th December) we sit, stand and muse that this was not a band to tick off the bucket list. This was THE band that defined our music, that still defines each generation that discovers heavy metal.

A note on support band, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats. Sabbath meet Hawkwind in a dark alley meet-up only to be mugged by Cathedral. Potential may lie within, and as one of the Belfastmetalheadsreunited team commented "not the worst support act I've seen".

Scores on the doors:
Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats - 3 out of 5.
Black Sabbath - 10 out of 5....well we did say we couldn't be unbiased!

Black Sabbath to play Belfast!

LET'S face it, there is one band that were the true founding fathers of heavy metal - Black Sabbath. From the first diminished fifth chord of the self-titled album and the self-titled song itself music would never be the same.

And now - with new album, '13', scheduled for release in June Sabbath have announced a European tour including a Belfast date on December 12th. Yes, you read that right - Black Sabbath will play in Belfast - at the Odyssey Arena.

Tickets (£55 + booking fee) go on sale this Friday coming, and with this being the only Irish date you can rest assured demand will be high.

The triumvirate of Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler are probably near as to being the perfect epitome of heavy metal. Unfortunately Bill Ward will not be joining them, but Sabbath are such an important band in the history of 20th Century music, this is a defining moment for heavy metal in the 21st Century.

Sure metal has evolved and Sabbath have been through personnel changes, but Sabbath are really something special in terms of the history of metal. And are still relevant today.

The new album has been produced by Rick Rubin, and with Iommi beating illness to record the tracks, seeing Black Sabbath on an arena tour is -and for once the hyperbole is justified - a once in a lifetime opportunity.

We here at Belfastmetalheadsreunited are probably as excited as we have ever been - junior editor (aka Zakk) has been muttering 'riffmeister general' since he heard and our graduate editor (aka Nadia) has just been telling everyone how good they were at Download last year.

War Pigs, NIB, Electric Funeral, Paranoid, Lord of This World, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Fairies Wear Boots, Snowblind etc etc etc - these were the songs that carved heavy metal, that etched it in folklore and placed it in music history.

This is heavy metal, this is Black Sabbath - see y'all there. And we'll say it one more time - Black Sabbath are playing in Belfast!