BLACK SABBATH VOL. 4: THE CVLT NATION SESSIONS

The Fam over Cvlt Nation has released another tribute session. I like these because they always give me a chance to check bands I have not heard before. The first of these being Potion. First impressions being rough because the more I like the band the more critical ear I listen with. I like the guitar sound it's dense and still trippy. Not trying to cop from Tony Iommi. It's a tricky balance when trying to cover Sabbath. Yoiu want to give it your own spin, but these guys invented heavy metal so the stakes are high. The thing about Sabbath, is that they are very similar to how I feel about the Smiths. While I love the band, I have even greater love for Morrissey, if he is singing with them or not. Sure the solo albums might not live up to the classics of their bands , but it's hard to capture their sound without the distinctive vocals. I do not need an Ozzy impersonation. I do need you to hit the notes. I think hitting notes might not be the what this singer normally goes for as they have a more throaty tone, but they do go for it .

Yarrow does a much better job of hitting the notes. Though the change the tone of the song , by making it slower. It still works. They do throw in a bit of the song "Black Sabbath" . Which is more of their thing, Drug Cult handles changes in more of a Tori Amos fashion. "f/x" was always a fast forward classic, Bongripper just makes it a longer one. There is more off a deathly sludge to Oryx's attack upon "Supernaut". The vocals are a little grating , but the guitars are cool.   Mindkult gives a more sludgey southern rock feel to "Snowblind". The vocals are sung and certainly work on the verses. It is when it gets to the bridge that you hear this guy has not much in the way of power or range. Hearing covers like this also shine light on what and under rated singer Ozzy was. Of course only Ozzy is to blame for letting the emphasis be  put on his maniacal acts rather than his pipes.

CHRCH offers up a very dense take on "Cornucopia". The vocals sit way back in the mix until they go into a harsher scream. In places their version is slower and heavier. The snarl of the vocals sets the tone for the rest of the song. Sea Witch offers a more fuzzed out take on "Laguna Sunrise"  another song that is more of an interlude for me, (16) does a really good job with "St. Vitus Dance". They make an effort to sing even if it is from behind a veil of effects. Yidhra also dopes a pretty comparable job with " Under the Sun". I will give this one a 9. It is certainly one of the better albums like this Cvlt Nation has tackled.

7.2

Cvlt Nation Sessions : Black Sabbath's s/t debut

My family over at Cvlt Nation is unleashing another tribute this time to Black Sabbath's self title debut. While Black Sabbath is one of my all time favorite bands that I grew up with, I have heard enough covers that I am not as protective of them as I am bands that might not have the same following, because after you have been listening to them for over 30 years you are going here their songs get butchered in every imaginable fashion. I was already sold on the opener before I hit play as it is Beastmaker tackling the eponymous title track. The singer's baritone gives the song a little more of a creepy feel. Sacramento's Chrch hit "the Wizard" with a well balanced blend of being both heavier and more surreal. Eva coats her voice in weird effects which is an especially wise choice, since Ozzy's vocals are so distinct.

Jupiterian coats "Behind the Wall of Sleep" in a grave dirt doom. The gurgled vocals sit well in the blown out wall of fuzz they drag you into. They do not drench their sound in a ton of effects , but a combination of the mix and their power creates a vortex of sound to summon a very pleasing atmosphere. They take all the blue boogie out of it and bury it with the charred fragments of their souls. When Mindkult's tour bus opens it doors the results must be similar to that of the Mystery Machine. Their singer who sound more like Steve Miller than Ozzy, was clearly stoned when he stepped into the booth for this. This is a much better description of what stoner rock should sound like than anything I could weave adjectives together for. After the first four songs I feel a little underwhelmed by Witchthroat Serpent's take on "Evil Woman" The bass player is on it with out a doubt and home boy can sing alright, but no wow factor.


 I am pretty impressed by Frown and want to check out their original material after hearing their take on "Sleeping Village" there is a dark Nick Cave like thing happening amid some of their doomy wonder. I am not as impressed by the version of " Warning" that Trapped Within Burning Machinery vomits out. It is very Eyehategod like, though the vocals have a hint of black metal nastiness to them. To their credit they do pull off the more jammed section toward the end. Space Bong takes on "Wicked World" to close things out. They play it pretty straight except for the growled vocals. Things begin to get a little weirder around the midway point . Granted the source material is awesome, but this is on of the better Cvlt Nation sessions if not not the best, I'll round it up to a 9.5.