MUSIC

Compilation of all EPs by German Melodic Death/Thrash Metal band.
CD includes remastered tracks of “Marching Towards Infinity” (MCD / 7” EP 2004), “Withered Sunlight” (Split-7” EP 2005), and “As All Beauty Starts To Fade...” (10” EP 2007).
The second and the third EPs - for the first time on CD!
Old School Thrash Metal meets Gothenburg influences!!
G.U.C., 2017 (G.U.C. 033-17). Made in Germany. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Nighttime Solitude 3:20
2. Crimson Serenade 3:00
3. Marching Towards Infinity 2:43
4. Utopia: Life 3:17
5. Bloodbrothers 3:06
6. Withered Sunlight 2:32
7. Fading Beauty 3:41
8. Hatred Is My Virtue 4:27
9. Drown In Me 3:43
10. Attitude In B-Minor 3:13
11. Razors 4:16
Total playing time: 37:20 min.

The debut full-length album by Finnish Stoner Metal/Rock band.
The Finnish foursome plays their brand of music hard and heavy focusing on the power of the riff and an aggressive vocal style from vocalist Jason.
The nine songs here are rather angry. The music of this band is melodic and full of energy, staying far from those Stoner bands that uses a dusty and raw sound quality. Some parts sound modern and abrasive, but they have also some more melodic and musically accessible parts. Here everything is clear, with very good musical arrangements, and their musical influences are not locked in the past. Very good musical arrangements and the vocals are very good, using a fine diversity of tunes; the guitars are doing an excellent work on the riffs, the rhythmic kitchen is doing a fine job, guiding the tempos and giving the band a good musical range, and this all is fused to create a fine kind of music. The band creates a riff factory of guitar lines and ensure that Pete’s Bass and Mikko’s drums are straight in your face. With simplistic song structures and the focus placed heavily on the groove, Black .44 does a nice job bringing their anger out into each track. Jason’s vocals are far from perfect, but work very effectively on No Blanks.
The sound quality they got is very, very good. Their music sound clean and heavy in the due proportions, creating something that sound aggressive and full of energy, but with clearness to understand what the band is playing.
Songs like “The Red Saint” and “The Outlaw” are ass-kickers with infectious riff work and can be compared to a more modern Metallica at least as far as the guitar licks go. The comparisons stop there though. The energetic and powerful "Overcome" (with some modern touches and very good use of vocal tunes' variations), the almost commercial song "Into The Grace", and the slow and bitter "Born Wrong" can be said as their best moments, besides the album is entirely very good.
Overall, "No Blanks" is a great debut from a band up North. This band has a future!
Inverse Records, 2015 (INV178). Made in Finland. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Overcome 03:57 
2. Hometown Murderer 03:43 
3. The Red Saint 04:47 
4. Into the Grace 03:29 
5. Born Wrong 03:56 
6. The Outlaw 03:54 
7. The Eyes Above 04:55 
8. Shit Hits the Fan 04:15 
9. From Right to Wrong 04:58 
Total playing time: 37:54 min.

2nd full-lenght opus of one-man Black Metal project from Poland.
9 possessed hymns devoted to Death, Pure Madness, Stench of Cadavers and Blasphemy.
Musically "Death Fanaticism" is redolent of Marduk's opus "Plague Angel" with a few references thrown to Ondskapt and Ofermod. You'll also hear a bombastic, groove-laden guitar line akin to the likes of early Dissection. Vocally, Shadow's cavernous roar fits between Mortuus of Marduk and the less acclaimed Nargarth of Azaghal.
CD
Odium Records,
2008 (ODIUM ART CD 005)


Tracklist:
1.The Antihuman Manifesto 06:21
2.The Dark is Coming 05:05
3.Decomposition ov Life 04:19
4.Gate to Immortality 02:11
5.Path ov Death 06:04
6.The Void 05:40
7.Widmo Smierci 05:19
8.Kingdom of Razors 04:12
9.Death Fanaticism 13:40
Total playing time: 52:51

The second full-length studio album by American Thrashing Black Metal band.
"Triumvirate"’s assault is powerful, primal, and pure; capturing and channelling the spirit of Metal’s earliest trailblazers through a 21st century urban hostility. The second album from New York trio is as churning and rage-filled as its predecessor. Their sound is very slightly cleaned up from the debut, which had almost the same falling-apart quality as the Hellhammer demos, to which they were so clearly indebted (hell, the album ended with a cover of Celtic Frost's "Dethroned Emperor"!). It's still rough, Grim Black/Death Metal, though, with the band members' Hardcore roots showing through. The music is heavier than most Old-School Black Metal, with plenty of bass and a hard, thwacking drum sound; these guys aren't concerned with retaining a lo-fi sound.
This is not a particularly ambitious album -- Black Anvil have little interest in being progressive, lyrically or musically. But when taken on its own guttural, hyperaggressive terms, it's an absolute success!  "Triumvirate" unquestionably leaves Black Anvil’s enduring, pitch-black mark on the Metal world!!
Relapse Records, 2010 (RR7090). Made in USA. First press. Comes with OBI.


Tracklist:
1. What Is Life If Not Now! 4:55
2. Crippling 1:00
3. The Evil Of All Roots 5:46
4. Ultimate Reality 3:41
5. Angels To Dust 5:03
6. We Own You 4:42
7. Scalping 4:39
8. Eliminate 1:32
9. Dead And Left 4:45
10. With Transparent Blood 5:15
Total playing time: 41:20 min.


Samples: https://blackanvil.bandcamp.com

Australian band have put self-released their own debut, a mixture of thrash and groove with some hints of melodic death with the vocals remind a lot of Phil Anselmo from Pantera.  From a technical perspective this EP is far superior to its predecessor, Black Asylum surely would be very proud of it, as they should be but the old school Thrash fan really misses the youthful gusto of their 'Path Of Solitude' release; the imperfect playing, the solos and most notably, the whining guitar tone.
Selfreleased, 2006


Tracklist:
1.The Shallowed Eye 03:54
2.Victims Of The Fall 04:34
3.This Time We Rise 04:09
Total playing time: 12:37

The second full-length album by Croatian Black Metal band.
Containing 10 songs, including Motörhead cover “Kingdom of the Worm”, it's a manifestation of the individual presence of its creators within the Black Metal scene for almost two decades. Each track is a journey into a realm of despair and darkness, mainly due to the harsh vocals and cold & dark guitar melodies that blend perfectly together.
This is not an album that anyone can just 'whack on' in the background willy nilly. It must be listened to intently and taken in like the musical drug that it is. "Cathedral Of The Black Cult" is a flawless, yet intimidating musical experience which will open a portal to another dimension to the listener who's ready to gaze into it.
Streaming melodic riffs in extended phrases form the defining character of each song with representational distinction and progressions towards tonal and rhythmic changes, communicating the purpose of hierarchical sequence observed in nature’s ferociously necessary order of operation, reflected in the substance of the inner-self, magnified in the character of spiritual striving and agonizing existential discovery.
This is pure unsaturated Black Metal in all of its cold fury! There isn’t just grim lyrics reflecting the power of Satan and the beauty of Darkness, but the album actually draws the listener into the world beyond humanity. If you truly understand the music, you will be taken to the dark endless universe!!
This is the future and the past of the Black Metal! This is a masterpiece of Black Metal and Extreme Metal in general!! Every other word and description is pointless...
For fans of: Satyricon, Emperor, Mayhem, and all Black Metal fans in general.
Another Side Records, 2016 (ASR18-125). Made in Ukraine. First press.
 

Tracklist:
1. Black Cathedral 05:26
2. Worship the Beast 04:43
3. Dark Matter 06:30
4. Until the Devil Takes Us 06:47
5. The Witches Dance 04:44
6. Hierophant 04:12
7. Undeath 05:14
8. Gaze of Insanity 04:36
9. Ego Te Absolvo 05:15
10. Kingdom of the Worm (Motörhead cover) 03:55
Total playing time: 51:45

 

The second full-length album by Croatian Black Metal band.
Containing 10 songs, including Motörhead cover “Kingdom of the Worm”, it's a manifestation of the individual presence of its creators within the Black Metal scene for almost two decades. Each track is a journey into a realm of despair and darkness, mainly due to the harsh vocals and cold & dark guitar melodies that blend perfectly together.
This is not an album that anyone can just 'whack on' in the background willy nilly. It must be listened to intently and taken in like the musical drug that it is. "Cathedral Of The Black Cult" is a flawless, yet intimidating musical experience which will open a portal to another dimension to the listener who's ready to gaze into it.
Streaming melodic riffs in extended phrases form the defining character of each song with representational distinction and progressions towards tonal and rhythmic changes, communicating the purpose of hierarchical sequence observed in nature’s ferociously necessary order of operation, reflected in the substance of the inner-self, magnified in the character of spiritual striving and agonizing existential discovery.
This is pure unsaturated Black Metal in all of its cold fury! There isn’t just grim lyrics reflecting the power of Satan and the beauty of Darkness, but the album actually draws the listener into the world beyond humanity. If you truly understand the music, you will be taken to the dark endless universe!!
This is the future and the past of the Black Metal! This is a masterpiece of Black Metal and Extreme Metal in general!! Every other word and description is pointless...
For fans of: Satyricon, Emperor, Mayhem, and all Black Metal fans in general.
Another Side Records, 2016 (ASR18-125). 
 

Tracklist:
1. Black Cathedral 05:26
2. Worship the Beast 04:43
3. Dark Matter 06:30
4. Until the Devil Takes Us 06:47
5. The Witches Dance 04:44
6. Hierophant 04:12
7. Undeath 05:14
8. Gaze of Insanity 04:36
9. Ego Te Absolvo 05:15
10. Kingdom of the Worm (Motörhead cover) 03:55
Total playing time: 51:45

 

The first mini-album by Mexican Black/Thrash Metal band.
Unholy Occult Black/Thrash Metal!
Beherit and Immortal meets early Slayer!!
Raw sounds from Hell!!!
Azermedoth Records/Ah Puch Records, 2011 (AZH-CD-064/APR 002). Made in Mexico. First press.


Tracklist:
1. I'm The Enemy 
2. Bulldozer Dominion 
3. Iter Criminis 
4. Kickin' Asses In Hell 
5. Nocturnal Witch (Zemial's Cover) 
6. Crossing The Black Abyss 
7. In A Winter Battle (Desaster's Cover)
Total playing time: 27:20

Third full-length album by the Swiss Black Metal band.
"Helvetica Diabolica" is the coldest album BLACK JADE. In this album the band successfully managed to weave together black metal, folk and march while not depriving the music of melody (and even symphonic) just the opposite by giving its originality and attractiveness.
Limited to 666 hand-numbered copies.
Black Tower Productions, 2007 (BT08)


Tracklist:
1.Anno 1811 02:06
2.Schnefall 06:03
3.Hail Domina Helvezia 05:23
4.Auf alten Pfaden 04:08
5.Wiedergeburt der Sonne 03:03
6.Winterwald 05:14
7.Andacht 03:21
8.Des Teufels Brucke 05:22
9.Du kampfst, du siegst 04:07
10.Anno 1961 17:10

Second official compilation album by cult American Sludge/Southern Metal band.
Black Label Society already has a previous hits collection entitled "The Kings Of Damnation" that was released a few years back. For whatever reason their previous label, Eagle Rock Entertainment, have seen fit to issue another hits compilation from America's favorite beer-bellied, scruffy, shredder Zakk Wylde. It's not an entirely bad idea as "Skullage" doubles audio collection that covers everything from "Pride & Glory" to "Shot To Hell". Everyone has a favorite Black Label Society album and chances are there will be something that gets missed.
"Skullage" highly recommended as a starter package to those who are considering enlisting in their regional chapter of the Black Label Society!
Armoury Records, 2009 (ARMCD509 GAS 0000509 AMY). Made in Germany. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Machine Gun Man     04:57 
2. Dead as Yesterday     02:51
3. All for You     04:00 
4. 13 Years of Grief     04:12
5. Bleed for Me     05:31
6. Doomsday Jesus     03:31
7. Stillborn     03:16 
8. Won't Find It Here     06:26
9. Suicide Messiah     05:47
10. In This River     03:55
11. Fire It Up     05:01 
12. New Religion     04:35
13. Slightly Amped Instrumental Intro (Acoustic)     04:58
14. The Blessed Hellride (Acoustic)     05:12 
15. Spoke in the Wheel (Acoustic)     05:03
16. Stillborn (Acoustic)     06:05
Total playing time: 01:15:20


Samples:  http://www.lastfm

The second full-length studio album by Italian Heavy Metal band.
Black Phantom is a melodic Metal band formed in 2014 by bassist Andrea Tito. He started while his former band, Mesmerize, went on hiatus. With this time and resolve, he and his formed group produced their first album, “Better Beware”. Now, debuting their sophomore album, it’s a high-octane Metal act that should satisfy fans of traditional Thrash and early Power Metal.
"Zero Hour Is Now" is a really spirited, lively album made in the NWBHM style of Iron Maiden.  Black Phantom is a band that is more than capable of this type of music and displays it well on this album.
These are one of those bands that has their own distinct song style. However, that’s not necessarily as bad thing, as they’re a talented band. Vocally, the operatic clarity and are on point, as are the instrumentals. The clarity of the vocals and the range of the melody are impressive. The guitar solos are all complex with intricate melodies that showcase true talent.
If you’re a fan of Billy Talent, Avenged Sevenfold or Iron Maiden, this is definitely a band you should check out! However, if you’re not a fan of same-sounding songs, still check it out!!
Punishment 18 Records, 2020 (P18R 163). Made in Italy.


Tracklist:
1. Redemption 05:44
2. Hordes of Destruction 04:53
3. Schattenjäger 03:39
4. The Road 07:55
5. Aboard the Rattling Ark 05:42
6. Either You Or Me 05:35
7. Begone! 03:53
8. Hands of Time 05:23
9. Schattenjäger (Deutsch) 03:36
Total playing time: 46:22 min.

The nineteenth full-length studio album by the legendary British Heavy Metal band.
The album was released on 10 June in Europe and 11 June in North America, via Vertigo Records and Republic Records in the US, and via Vertigo Records worldwide. It is the first studio album released by Black Sabbath since “Forbidden” (1995), and their first studio recording with original singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler since the live album “Reunion” (1998), which contained two new studio tracks. It is also the first studio album with Osbourne since “Never Say Die!” (1978), and with Butler since “Cross Purposes” (1994).
The original lineup of Black Sabbath first began work on a new studio album in 2001 with producer Rick Rubin. The album's development was delayed because Osbourne was in the middle of finishing his eighth solo album “Down to Earth”, and the rest of the band members eventually went on to pursue other projects, including GZR and Heaven & Hell. When Black Sabbath announced their reunion on 11 November 2011, the band announced that they would restart work on a new album with Rubin. In addition to original members Osbourne, Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi, they were joined at the recording sessions by drummer Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to not participate in the reunion, due to a "contractual dispute".
For the cover artwork for was created an 8-foot-tall "13" from wicker, which was then set on fire in the Buckinghamshire countryside. The flames were visible for miles. The image was shot for album's cover.
Album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart after its first week of sales. It is the band's first album to top the UK chart since “Paranoid” (1970). Osbourne was said to be "in shock" at the album's success, remarking that the band has "never had a record climb the charts so fast" before. The album also reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 charts, selling over 155,000 copies in the first week. Osbourne said, "There have been so many amazing highlights in our long career. To finally have our first #1 album in the U.S. is another incredible milestone for Black Sabbath." In its second week of release, the album fell to No. 5 in the US, selling 46,000, totaling 201,000 copies, and in its third week, 13 sold over 26,000 bringing its total sales to 227,000 copies in the US. The album also debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart with 25,000 units sold.
BS Productions/Universal Music/Vertigo, 2013 (3734957). Made in Germany. First press.


Tracklist:
1. End Of The Beginning 08:02
2. God Is Dead? 08:48
3. Loner 05:00
4. Zeitgeist 04:34
5. Age Of Reason 06:57
6. Live Forever 04:42
7. Damaged Soul 07:48
8. Dear Father 07:18
Total playing time: 53:09

Special Edition release of the nineteenth full-length album by the legendary British Heavy Metal band.
The album was released on 10 June in Europe and 11 June in North America, via Vertigo Records and Republic Records in the US, and via Vertigo Records worldwide. It is the first studio album released by Black Sabbath since “Forbidden” (1995), and their first studio recording with original singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler since the live album “Reunion” (1998), which contained two new studio tracks. It is also the first studio album with Osbourne since “Never Say Die!” (1978), and with Butler since “Cross Purposes” (1994).
The original lineup of Black Sabbath first began work on a new studio album in 2001 with producer Rick Rubin. The album's development was delayed because Osbourne was in the middle of finishing his eighth solo album “Down to Earth”, and the rest of the band members eventually went on to pursue other projects, including GZR and Heaven & Hell. When Black Sabbath announced their reunion on 11 November 2011, the band announced that they would restart work on a new album with Rubin. In addition to original members Osbourne, Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi, they were joined at the recording sessions by drummer Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to not participate in the reunion, due to a "contractual dispute".
For the cover artwork for was created an 8-foot-tall "13" from wicker, which was then set on fire in the Buckinghamshire countryside. The flames were visible for miles. The image was shot for album's cover.
Album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart after its first week of sales. It is the band's first album to top the UK chart since “Paranoid” (1970). Osbourne was said to be "in shock" at the album's success, remarking that the band has "never had a record climb the charts so fast" before. The album also reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 charts, selling over 155,000 copies in the first week. Osbourne said, "There have been so many amazing highlights in our long career. To finally have our first #1 album in the U.S. is another incredible milestone for Black Sabbath." In its second week of release, the album fell to No. 5 in the US, selling 46,000, totaling 201,000 copies, and in its third week, 13 sold over 26,000 bringing its total sales to 227,000 copies in the US. The album also debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart with 25,000 units sold.
Limited Special Edition Digipack contains 3D/hologram lenticular cover and second CD with three bonus tracks!
BS Productions Limited/Vertigo, 2013 (602537349586). Made in Germany. First press.


Tracklist:

CD 1:
1. End Of The Beginning     8:06 
2. God Is Dead?     8:52 
3. Loner     4:59 
4. Zeitgeist     4:37 
5. Age Of Reason     7:01 
6. Live Forever     4:46 
7. Damaged Soul     7:51 
8. Dear Father     7:20

CD 2:
1. Methademic     5:58 
2. Peace Of Mind     3:41    
3. Pariah     5:35

Total playing time: 68:46

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Remastered re-release of the fifth full-length studio album by legendary British Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band.
With this album, the band expanded upon their slow, crunching style of music by strings, keyboards and more complex orchestral arrangements. For the first time in their career, the band began to receive favorable reviews in the mainstream press, with Rolling Stone calling the album "an extraordinarily gripping affair", and "nothing less than a complete success". Later reviewers such as All Music's Eduardo Rivadavia cite the album as "a masterpiece, essential to any heavy metal collection", while also displaying "a newfound sense of finesse and maturity". The album marked the band's fifth consecutive platinum selling album in the United States. It reached number four on the UK charts and number eleven in the US. In the UK, it was the first Black Sabbath album to attain Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in February 1975.
Remastered edition made from the original source tapes and contains 16 page booklet featuring rare memorabilia and new in-depth story of the album written in conjunction with Bill Ward.
Sanctuary/Universal, 1973/2009 (2716846). Made in Germany.
 

Tracklist:
1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 05:46
2. A National Acrobat 06:15
3. Fluff 04:13
4. Sabbra Cadabra 05:58
5. Killing Yourself To Live 05:40
6. Who Are You 04:11
7. Looking For Today 04:59
8. Spiral Architect 05:29
Total playing time: 42:36 min.

Third remastered re-release of the sixth full-length studio album by legendary British Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band.
Sanctuary Records, 1975/2004 (SMRCD036) Made in UK.


Tracklist:
1. Hole In The Sky
2. Don't Start (Too Late)
3. Symptom Of The Universe
4. Megalomania
5. The Thrill Of It All
6. Supertzar
7. Am I Going Insane (Radio)
8. The Writ
Total playing time: 43:44 min.

50th Anniversary re-release of the debut full-length studio album by legendary British Heavy Metal band.
Black Sabbath's debut album is the birth of Heavy Metal as we now know it. Compatriots like Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple were already setting new standards for volume and heaviness in the realms of Psychedelia, Blues Rock, and Prog Rock. Yet of these Metal pioneers, Sabbath were the only whose sound today remains instantly recognizable as Heavy Metal, even after decades of evolution in the genre.
The album is widely regarded as the first Heavy Metal album. Additionally, the opening track, "Black Sabbath", has been referred to as the first Doom Metal song. According to Black Sabbath's guitarist and founding member Tony Iommi, the album was recorded in a single twelve-hour session on 16 October 1969. Aside from the bells, thunder and rain sound effects added to the beginning of the opening track and the double-tracked guitar solos on "N.I.B." and "Sleeping Village", there were virtually no overdubs added to the album. The key to the band's new sound on the album was Iommi's distinctive playing style that he developed after an accident at a sheet metal factory where he was working at the age of 17 in which the tips of the middle fingers of his fretting hand were severed. Iommi created a pair of false fingertips using plastic from a dish detergent bottle and detuned the strings on his guitar to make it easier for him to bend the strings, creating a massive, heavy sound.
"Black Sabbath" is a revolutionary debut whose distinctive ideas merely await a bit more focus and development. Henceforth, Black Sabbath would forge ahead with a vision that was wholly theirs.
Upon release, the album reached number eight on the UK Albums Charts and number 23 on the US Billboard 200. In 1989, Kerrang! Magazine ranked "Black Sabbath" number 31 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". In 1994, it was ranked number 12 in Colin Larkin's Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums. In 2000, Q Magazine included "Black Sabbath" in their list of the "Best Metal Albums of All Time". In 2003, it was ranked number 241 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, 243 in a 2012 revised list, and 355 in a 2020 revised list. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked "Black Sabbath" number 44 in their list of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time, describing the title track as the song that "would define the sound of a thousand bands". Additionally, in 2017, the magazine ranked it 5th on their list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". The album was also included in Robert Dimery's 2005 musical reference book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Remastered re-release on 180g Heavyweight Black Vinyl.
Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company, 1970/2015 (BMGRM053LP). Made in Germany. 


Tracklist:

Side One
1. Black Sabbath 6:21
2. The Wizard 4:25
3. Behind The Wall Of Sleep 4:19
4. N.I.B. 5:25

Side Two
1. Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me) (Crow cover) 3:25
2. Sleeping Village 3:46
3. Warning (Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation cover) 10:32

Total playing time: 38:13 min.

The eleventh full-length studio album by legendary British Heavy Metal band.
The first and only album the band recorded with lead vocalist Ian Gillan, best known for his work with Deep Purple. It was also the last Black Sabbath album for nine years to feature original bassist Geezer Butler and the last to feature original drummer Bill Ward, though Ward did record a studio track with the band fifteen years later on their 1998 live album "Reunion".
Following the departure of vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice in 1982, Sabbath's future was in doubt. The band switched management to Don Arden (Sharon Osbourne's father) and he suggested Ian Gillan as the new vocalist. The band had considered vocalists such as Robert Plant and David Coverdale before settling on Gillan. They even received an audition tape from a then-unknown Michael Bolton. Iommi told Hit Parader Magazine in late 1983 that Gillan was the best candidate, saying: "His shriek is legendary." "Born Again" featured the return of founding member Bill Ward on drums, who was newly sober after leaving the band in 1980 to deal with his alcoholism. Ward began drinking again near the end of the sessions and returned to Los Angeles for treatment once the album was completed, and has remained sober ever since. Ward has said that he enjoyed making the album, which remains his final studio album with the band.
When the band heard the final product, they were horrified at the muffled mix. In his autobiography, Iommi explains that Gillan inadvertently blew a couple of tweeters in the studio speakers by playing the backing tracks too loud and nobody noticed. "We just thought it was a bit of a funny sound, but it went very wrong somewhere between the mix and the mastering and the pressing of that album... the sound was really dull and muffly. I didn't know about it, because we were already out on tour in Europe. By the time we heard the album, it was out and in the charts, but the sound was awful". For all his misgivings, Gillan remembers the period fondly, stating in the Black Sabbath: 1978–1992 documentary, "But by God, we had a good year...And the songs, I think, were quite good".
Following the tour supporting "Born Again", this version of Black Sabbath fell apart, with Gillan and touring drummer Bev Bevan departing. The tour was also a breaking point for Butler, who admits in the Black Sabbath: 1978–1992 documentary, "I just got totally disillusioned with the whole thing and I left some time in 1984 after the Born Again tour. I just had enough of it."
It was the first Black Sabbath album to not have any RIAA certification in the US. Despite this, it was the highest charting Black Sabbath album in the United Kingdom since "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973), reaching No. 4 in the charts, and became Top 40 hit in the United States.
Gimcastle Ltd./Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company, 1993/2004 (SMRCD075). Made in EU.


Tracklist:
1. Trashed 4:17
2. Stonehenge 1:58
3. Disturbing The Priest 5:49
4. The Dark 0:45
5. Zero The Hero 7:35
6. Digital Bitch 3:39
7. Born Again 6:34
8. Hot Line 4:53
9. Keep It Warm 5:36
Total playing time: 41:06 min.

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The sixteenth full-length studio album by legendary British Heavy/Doom Metal band.
One of Sabbath's heaviest albums and the first studio album in over a decade to feature vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice, and their first in nine years to feature original bassist Geezer Butler. Although the Sabbath lineup was the same as on 1981's "Mob Rules", the musical direction is very different, and a marked change from their previous material, particularly the preceding "Tyr". Much of the album anticipates the directions taken by Dio in his eponymous solo band's next two records, "Strange Highways" (1993) and "Angry Machines" (1996).
Black Sabbath and Dio created a monster of an album. Ronnie James Dio delivers his strongest performance since the early '80s, and hearing Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi play together after nine years is inspiring. Commercially, the album marked a resurgence for Black Sabbath. It reached the Top 40 in the UK, and peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200 chart.
I.R.S. Records/ EMI Records Ltd., 1992 (0777 713155 2 7). Made in EU.


Tracklist:
1. Computer God 6:10
2. After All (The Dead) 5:37
3. TV Crimes 3:58
4. Letters From Earth 4:12
5. Master Of Insanity 5:54
6. Time Machine 4:10
7. Sins Of The Father 4:43
8. Too Late 6:54
9. I 5:10
10. Buried Alive 4:47
Total playing time: 51:35 min.

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The third full-length studio album by legendary British Heavy Metal/Stoner band.
It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, and Sludge Metal.
The shortest album of Black Sabbath's glory years, "Master Of Reality" is also their most sonically influential work. Here Tony Iommi began to experiment with tuning his guitar down three half-steps to C#, producing a sound that was darker, deeper, and Sludgier than anything they'd yet committed to record. This trick was still being copied 25 years later by every Metal band looking to push the limits of heaviness, from trendy Nu-Metallers to Swedish Deathsters. Much more than that, "Master Of Reality" essentially created multiple Metal subgenres all by itself, laying the sonic foundations for Doom, Stoner and Sludge Metal, all in the space of just over half an hour.
The album peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and number eight on the US Billboard 200, where it achieved Gold status on advance orders alone. Negatively received by critics on release, the album is now considered one of the greatest Heavy Metal albums of all time. It was certified double Platinum after having sold over two million copies in US.
In 1994, "Master Of Reality" was ranked number 28 in Colin Larkin's Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums. In 2001, Q included it in their list of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 298 in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, 300 in a 2012 revised list, and 234 in a 2020 revised list. The same magazine also ranked the album 34th on its "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".
180g Heavyweight Black Vinyl in Embossed Cover.
Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company, 1971/2015 (BMGRM055LP). Made in Germany. 


Tracklist:

Side One
1. Sweet Leaf 5:05
2. After Forever 5:27
3. Embryo 0:28
4. Children Of The Grave 5:18

Side Two
1. Orchid 1:31
2. Lord Of This World 5:26
3. Solitude 5:02
4. Into The Void 6:12

Total playing time: 34:29 min.

40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition remastered re-release of the tenth full-length studio album by legendary British Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band.
The second and the final album to feature lead singer Ronnie James Dio until the "Mob Rules"-era line-up reunited for 1992's "Dehumanizer", and the first with drummer Vinny Appice, who had replaced original member Bill Ward in the middle of the Heaven And Hell Tour. Neither musician would appear on a Black Sabbath studio album again until the 1992 album "Dehumanizer".
After a steady decline in both inspiration, mental stability, and commercial appeal throughout the second half of the '70s, metal icons Black Sabbath were reborn with 1980s "Heaven And Hell". The album would be their first with new vocalist Ronnie James Dio, whose passionate, controlled wail broke new ground for the band and helped drive a comeback. 1981's "Mob Rules" was a quick follow-up to "Heaven And Hell", continuing the momentum of that record's energy as well as its shift away from Dark Metal to more commercial Hard Rock. Tony Iommi's signature guitar playing takes on new forms throughout the album, with Zeppelin-esque riffing on "Slipping Away", slithering Bluesy Rock playing on "Voodoo", and a strikingly different approach to soloing, shifting from the laser-focused slow burn of early Black Sabbath albums to a more frenetic, technically showy style on some tracks.
"Mob Rules" delved more into experimentation with keyboards and synthesizers, with auxiliary player Geoff Nicholls, adding cinematic synth bedding to the epic churn of "The Sign of the Southern Cross" and spacey atmosphere to "Falling Off the Edge of the World", among other synth contributions. New drummer, Vinny Appice, pushed the sound even further from the band's original sludgy approach. These changes, along with Dio's fantasy-based lyrics and a red-lined mix by producer Martin Birch, put "Mob Rules" closer in line with the emerging New Wave Of British Heavy Metal than the druggy "Devil-worshiping" Doom Metal, Black Sabbath first built their name on.
"Mob Rules"  reached #9 in the U.K. and #28 in the U.S.A., where it was also certified Platinum.
Singer Ronnie James Dio joined Black Sabbath in 1979 which resulted in two back-to-back classic albums: "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules". On those memorable albums, Dio's soaring tenor and gothic songwriting were the perfect foil for the band's bone-crushing mix of razor-sharp riffs, intense grooves, and dark imagery. Here you can find the long shadow cast by this short-lived line-up with a newly remastered version of the album expanded with rare and unreleased music!
Deluxe Edition 180g 2LP in gatefold cover-sleeve includes bonus disc with rarities & live versions.
Warner Records Inc., a Warner Music Group Company/Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company, 1981/2021 (R1 599497 / 603497850716). Made in USA. Pressed in Czech.


Tracklist:

LP One “Mob Rules” (2021 Remaster)
Side One
1. Turn Up The Night 3:42
2. Voodoo 4:32
3. Sign Of The Southern Cross 7:50
4. E5150 2:49
5. Mob Rules 3:15
Side Two
1. Country Girl 4:03
2. Slipping Away 3:46
3. Falling Off The Edge Of The World 5:03
4. Over And Over 5:31
Running time: 40:25 min.

LP Two “Bonus Tracks”
Side Three
1. The Mob Rules (Heavy Metal Soundtrack Version) 3:14
2. Die Young (Live B-Side Of The Mob Rules)* 4:04
3. The Mob Rules (New 2021 Mix)** 3:24
4. The Sign Of The Southern Cross / Heaven And Hell - Reprise (Live In Portland, OR, U.S.A., April 22, 1982)** 7:30
Side Four
“Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, U.K., December 31, 1981 - January 2, 1982”
1. Country Girl 3:59
2. Slipping Away 3:16
3. The Mob Rules 3:22
4. Voodoo 5:46
Running time: 34:35 min.

Total playing time: 75:00 min.

* Previously unreleased in U.S.A. & Canada.
** Previously unreleased.