13

 

Haven't updated in a while since I've been working and traveled a lot during the latest weeks so no dnd and no time for nothing else. Let us then talk about 13, Black Sabbath latest album. Personally I like it, has a couple of decent songs, Loner probably being my favorite after a couple of listenings. Maybe not as good as the older albums, maybe even the worst Black Sabbath album since the older albums had several really good tracks on them. Of course, being the worst Black Sabbath album is hardly anything bad. Maybe the impression will change over time, at least it's better than Ozzy's latest solo album which I haven't listen to since I got it. Here he at least have decent song writers around him pushing his limited singing to outstanding heights.

The only thing that bothers me is the title, 13. Is it referencing 2013? Or is it some retconning over which albums counts as "real" Black Sabbath albums? The fact is that this is the 19th studio album. The only way 13 would match up is if you take Ozzy's 8 studio albums together with Dio's 3 and Ian Gillans Born Again (probably since it had Geezer and Ward as well as Iommi). The only piece of evidence I have is a compilation CD that featured songs only from those eras released sometime between 2003-2006 (of course that could just be due to a limited running time of 2 CD:s which makes it hard to get all, but then the question is, why even bother with the Gillan era?). Maybe I' just rambling, but it's fun to see it reach nr 1 in several countries.

Update: I was a bit tired yesterday so let us go deeper today with thoughts on each song. End of the Beginning a song in the same tradition of Black Sabbath and Eternal Idol as a slow and doom sounding song. God is Dead? is what I can guess the reincarnation of the demo Scary Dreams from the  early 2000. Loner as I said is my favorite with a faster and heavier beat. Zeitgeist is said to be a spiritual successor to Planet Caravan and I can see it, slower, about the universe and I can hear some special drums in it, not as good or mystifying as it though. After this, the songs goes in to each other and becomes noise in my ears. I probably just get tired and don't find something to distinguish them from each other. It's just a matter of time. Worth nothing is that the final songs ends with the sound of rain, thunder and church bells making it a good book end and completion of the circle so to speak. If it wasn't for all extra songs depending on what version you bought. At the moment there is four of them, and I just miss one of them. Wonder when that one hits youtube.

Black Sabbath 11-11-11

Next years gonna be interesting, we will once again get a new Black Sabbath studio album, first official one since 1995 when Forbidden come out, not counting Heaven & Hell's The Devil You know (since, well... it's Heaven & Hell). That is 16 years (17 when it comes out) and 33 years since Ozzy Osbourne was the singer on a Black Sabbath-album (not counting the live album Reunion which contained two newly written songs for that, that was 1998). What would then be a good name for this new album (if it get of the ground that is, it could still be derailed)? Just at the top of my head I would say something like Rebirth or Resurrection would be fitting names, they could also do like Asia and name the album Phoenix like they did when the original line-up reunited for new albums and tours. Unfortunately they've already used up other good names like Never Say Die!, Born Again and Reunion in earlier albums. 

So when could we possibly see the release of the album? Earliest would be Friday the 13th January 2012 which would be a nod back toward their first album that also was released Friday the 13th  although February 1970. So by going by the Friday the 13th logic it could also happen in April or July. Other possible date if you want to appeal to an occult imagery is Wednesday the 12th December 2012 or 12-12-12 which is the same idea to this date (11-11-11) when they released the news. Last date I would think of would be the solstice Friday the 21st December 2012 or also known as the 2012 phenomenon (apparently). The end of the world as we know it, what better date to release a new Black Sabbath-album?

Born To Lose

Finally, I'm finished with both exams and the other papers that needed to be handed in... for now at least. I need to redo the first exam in about 2 weeks, and the one I did today is a very close call if I will need to redo that one as well. With my most optimistic view I get 11,5 points out of 25 possible, and 12,5 is pass. It doesn't look good, but since I actually sat down and handed in those damn extra homework I have some points to push me above the line. I of course don't know how many points I have to spare so it will be a very tense wait.

At least I can take the week of listening to the wonderful music of Black Sabbath in their 2 most underrated albums, Eternal Idol and Seventh Star Deluxe edition, featuring the vocal talents of Ray Gillen. On an actual mastered quality version. The Seventh Star album contains some live-tracks from a show at the Hammersmith Odeon which I actually got the full concert (almost) on CD, although the quality of it is arguable not that good. For some reason the voice in particular are much darker. At least that was fixed, but I'm a bit saddened they didn't fix the whole concert. The Eternal Idol on the other hand contains the demo tracks with Ray on vocals instead of the regular with Tony Martin. Awesome songs in the original release, godlike with the original singer. 

Siren Song

Instead of the movie cravings I had a month ago it was time for some music. Suddenly I'm sitting with 7 "new" albums to listen too. Most interesting being the new Phenomena album Blind Faith, or is it really a new album by them? It just say From Tom Galley - The creator of PHENOMENA. None of the singers from the 3 first albums are there (which is a shame) and Mel Galley the guitarist on all other albums ain't there either (well, he's dead which make it kinda unavoidable). It has some qualities, I actually want to listen to it again compared to Ozzy Osbournes latest album. Also, a funny thing when I watch the inside of the CD with a picture of the singers and Tom Galley, he look very much like John Lithgow for some reason.

The other albums was the first albums by Dokken and The Keeper of the Seven Keys part I and part II by Helloween. Haven't had time to listen into them that much yet, but I don't feel disappointed with them... maybe I should study instead of buying music which just drown in my ears.

Mr. Roboto

Stayed at home... again. Reason for this was due to a birthday celebration of a freshman yesterday. A very good celebration I have to say. It included tales of laxative tea  (fortunately from an earlier gathering I was not part of), someone with a Brian Johnson hat, Clark Kent glasses and a sinister mustache passing out 3 times (not me), alcohol, a chocolate cake, chocolate, mutated/genetically modified cheese doodles (they were enormous), facebook hijackings and breaking up people, more alcohol and me sitting as a DJ at the afterparty. Yeah, me as DJ, incredible is it not? They hardly complained at my choices, the only time was when the hostess wanted certain songs or that incident when I put on Kate Perry's Hot n Cold and highly misjudge my audience (for those not knowing why I have a soft spot for that song it has to do with this road trip when the song was played all the time on every radio station until you had to love it). At least I was able to the end the whole night with Jon & Vangelis's I'll Find My Way Home. A very fitting end... 3 AM in the morning. Class started 10 AM. No way  I would make that.

Instead I stayed at home and got the good news that the municipality is paying me 200 SEK (€ 20 or $ 25) extra for using my phone during the early voting. Also a nice package of the RoboCop Trilogy. Only seen the first movie before and revisiting it was a nice experience. It has aged very well, both with its futuristic look and story as well the special effects it used. Yes, you can see the stop-motion, but it doesn't hurt the movie in any way. And the actors are really funny to watch, especially one of the bad guys, Clarence Boddicker who many will recognize as Red Foreman from That 70's Show. More or less blew my mind when I realized that. Also the music is fantastic, especially the RoboCop theme. It's damn epic.

The sequel then? Well... not as good as the first one. At least all recurring characters were played by the same actors and the first part of the movie is kinda good and very deep-layered, up to the point when they dismantle RoboCop (looking to much like the scene in the first movie). And the music is not that bad either, although it's a pity they didn't use the main theme from the original movie, but the Leonard Rosenman works well. Although, it sounds awfully similar to other works of Rosenman (like the soundtrack to the animated Lord of the Rings). After the "resurrection" and reprograming of RoboCop it went out the drain more or less. The story more or less lost it grip on me. Maybe because it didn't center around the psychology of RoboCop anymore and more or less dumped his family that could have been an interesting angle to explore as he might have searched for his humanity. Instead we almost completely focused on the evil corporation and the game behind "the scenes". But then again, the action saves it from crashing down so it is a decent movie.

Still got the third one left, although I have really bad feeling about that. No Peter Weller and many other actors are gone, the age limit is 15 instead of 18 like the first movies, but on the other hand the original score is back. But will it be enough to save this movie? 

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

Busy day today Yesterday while spending a lovely day in the library writing on my essay, reaching about 12 pages (for a minimum of 45) I get a message from my instructor that it's 1 1/2 week left. I'm missing over 30 pages. So after a rush in writing I ended at 16 and today reached 20. And its really 20 pages without any blank fillers just for the numbers. Of course that was the easy part so now I have to think about what I write. And I haven't had chocolate for 3 weeks. I'm turning into a nervous wreck here I tell you and the damned sun is gone. It's grey and cloudy every single day. It will not be long until I snap and devours all the chocolate in the store. I need it, it's supposed to be mine, I want it... Mmm Marabou gahhh...*ahem*

On to a sadder note, yesterday was also the day when famous hard rock singer Ronnie James Dio passed away in stomach cancer. He was a singer for bands like Heaven and Hell (More or less Black Sabbath) and Rainbow before starting up his own solo band just entitled DIO. When did I first discover his songs? It must have either have been the album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow or the song Neon Knights from a Black Sabbath compilation. I guess the Black Sabbath song as that would have lead me to Rainbow, but I'm not sure. I would recommend any song with Dio, but the best must still be Stargazer from the Rainbow Rising album. The strength, the melody and the rhythm in the whole song is just enchanting. Never saw him live which is a shame.

The question is now what happens to the Heaven and Hell project, what will the others do? One thing I would be happy to see is a reunion with Tony Martin. We know he can sing Dio's songs and it would be nice to hear some classic Martin material or Tony Iommi could continue with his own solo project and tour some with Glenn Hughes in another Black Sabbath era. Or there is the Faustian collaboration between Black Sabbath and Ian Gillan. That would be awesome, but also the most unlikely reunion of them all as he is the only one that has had some kind of reunion with Iommi and released more materials to fill out the Sabbath material. Martin has 5 albums alone with Sabbath while Hughes has 1 Sabbath album, but 2 Iommi solo album. The future will tell, but now we will mourn the loss of one of the greatest voices in history.