November is Doom- Black Sabbath :"De-Humanizer"

The Dio reunion worked really well to put all the pieces back together in a way that would survive the rising grunge landscape of 1992. This was heavier than either of the previous two Dio albums. Perhaps not as airtight from a songwriting perspective, as listening back, it kinda sounds like the direction Dio was headed on "Strange Highways". His voice still sounds great here. He carries a little more grit. Lyrically, the more sci-fi themes seem like commentary on today's news with AI. 

With "The Mob Rules" era band back together, there was a clear-cut, darker vibe to songs like " After All". Knowing my taste, this darker vibe is what sold me on this album when it came out and restored my faith after the Whitesnake-sounding years. "TV Crimes" was the lead single and a more up-tempo rocker. Dio's hooky vocal lines are the driving force that the band rallies around. Tele-Evangelists were once since as the biggest threat in the 90s, so that is a little dated, but oh well. "Letter From Earth" is a little more interesting lyrically and a slow, more foreboding doom number. It is after repeated listens that I heard this as a heavier version of 'Snowblind' when it comes to some of the riffing.  

"Master of Insanity' is a more technical bass line than what you think of Geezer Butler doing. The album does fall more in line with the Dio years, as there is a Led Zep syncopation to the verses. 'Time Machine" is a little less compelling but works well enough. It was used in some foolish movie like "Wayne's World' I do not recall anyone ever telling me they discovered Black Sabbath through that movie, but I suppose they are out there. There is a more Soundgarden-like feel to the riff that opens " Sins of the Father' that conveys they understood metal's need to open its sonic spectrum. This should have been the single rather than 'TV Crimes". 

"Too Late" is a dark power ballad of sorts that reminds me more of Dio's solo work. He belts it out with a great deal of menace for a little guy. "I" is my favorite song on the album, it's got an aggressive yet deliberate riff, great lyrics, and over epic sound. The last song is also a killer and is the second-best song on the album, but overall it's a killer Dio album that is on par with the first two.It's a 10. 

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