November is Doom- Black Sabbath : "Seventh Star"

This was originally intended to be a Tony Iommi solo album, but Warner Bros. made him use the name Black Sabbath. It is the most radio-friendly AOR-sounding record from him. Things did move into a bluesy direction with Glen Hughes on vocals. Eric Singer, who is most notably from Kiss, plays on this album as well, so the band was solid as Geoff Nichols plays a more prominent role, and was made an actual member of the band, as he should have since he was the last left standing with Tony when the smoke cleared.  There is an element of cheese about this album, mainly due to the very 80s-sounding production. With a heavier mix 'In For the Kill" could pass for metal. 

There is some great songwriting thanks to the fact that these are all very talented musicians at work here, even if they are not who should be Black Sabbath, but at this point, it became clear if Tony was at the helm, it was Sabbath. Eric Singer's drumming helps out on " Turn to Stone". It sounds like it is left over from "Born Again" in many ways. As far as '80s rock goes, it is still holding up against other mainstream hard rock bands, though Ozzy was killing it with "The Ultimate Sin."  The title track feels a little more like the Sabbath that emerged during the Dio years. Glen Hughes' double-tracked approach in the studio worked really well, and his voice sounds great. I do think the guitar should have been pulled up in the mix. If Martin Birch had produced this, it would have been a different story. 

'Danger Zone' is a little more of a metal song. They had to know the pressure was going to be on Tony to deliver something at least close to Sabbath. The verse riffs could be Dokken, and the chorus does not really punch. 'Heart Like a Wheel" is another solid song that might not sound like Sabbath, but is impressive regardless. Tony is ripping it on the track. Anyone who doubts his fretboard prowess needs to give this song a listen. While the riff to 'Angry Heart' sounds like a cross between "Lick it Up" and "Hell's Bells", I liked it when I was a kid. The last track sounds more like the idea of a song than an actual song. Overall, I will give this album a 9, it;s underrated in the grand scheme of their catalog but a victim of the time it was released. 

pst569