Label: Republic Records
Release date: 19.04.2013
Production: Rick Rubin
Single length: 08.54 min
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 8.5 / 10
“God Is Dead?” is the first single from “13”, the upcoming nineteenth studio album by English heavy metal forefathers Black Sabbath, who have, against all odds, risen once more from their black grave, completely overgrown with weeds. It’s also their first track with original singer Ozzy Osbourne (who really needs no introduction) in the lineup since the live album “Reunion” (1998), on which Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward recorded the songs “Psycho Man” and “Selling My Soul”. The single has been available as a digital MP3 download on Amazon since April 19, 2013.
The reunion of the classic Black Sabbath lineup and the announcement of their first studio album with Ozzy since “Never Say Die!” (1978) delighted plenty of longtime fans, who had more or less written the legendary band off over the past decade. The big letdown came when it emerged that original drummer Bill Ward, because of contract complications, won’t be part of “13” or the upcoming tour. Filling in as a guest musician is American Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), who pulls off his job on “God Is Dead?” very convincingly, brutally pounding away at the kit, so Ward isn’t missed all that much, even though it’s already clear this is a reunion ‘with a flaw’.
The biggest question after the release of “God Is Dead?”, the first sign of new life from the pioneers of doom metal, is this: are the ‘metal grandfathers’ still capable of making new music at anything close to their former artistic level, back when they were the leading innovators in their field, which rightly makes them the most important pioneers of heavy metal? The answer, which will seriously surprise all the skeptics, especially those Ozzy has royally annoyed and put off over the past decade with his corporate excesses, is ‘yes’. Thanks to retro production courtesy of Rick Rubin, and above all to the shrewd songwriting and instrumental chops of old cats Iommi and Butler, Black Sabbath in the 21st century sound like they’ve landed right back in the middle of the seventies.
The prophetic title and the witty cover, with its nuclear explosion and German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who back in the day, before his mental state deteriorated badly, allegedly due to syphilis, declared the famous line ‘God is dead’, hint that the masters of ‘doom’ and ‘gloom’ have gone back to their sonic roots. The dark, post-apocalyptic, almost morbid atmosphere, ushered in by Iommi’s brutal and utterly distinctive guitar riff, lasts from the beginning to the end of the track, wrapping everything in complete blackness. Ozzy’s vocals, as they should, sound paranoid and wicked, especially in the “God Is Dead” chorus. After a fairly repetitive but atmospherically powerful central motif, it moves into a sarcastically tinged section, where you can also hear some guitar and bass improvisation.
On the impressively solid “God Is Dead?”, Black Sabbath sound like they just climbed out of the tomb, invented a time machine and zipped back to the seventies, when their final resting place was still freshly dug. If the rest of the tracks on “13” come even close to “God Is Dead?” in quality, 2013 will end up celebrating one of the most unbelievable, unexpectedly successful and fun comebacks on the music scene.
author: Peter Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. God Is Dead?
Lineup:
Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitar
Geezer Butler – bass
Guest musician:
Brad Wilk – drums
