November is Doom -Black Sabbath :"Heaven & Hell"

TWO years after their last album with Ozzy, the band returns in a new, more metallic incarnation fronted by Ronnie James Dio. The former Rainbow frontman has been elevated to the pedestal of being one of metal's greatest singers, but while his preformance on these Sabbath albums is great, his superior technique does not match Ozzy's charisma and emotional intensity. That is why Dio works better in the fantasy realm, and Ozzy is more convincing telling you about how the devil is driving him insane. They go straight for what we know now as a power ballad of sorts, with the calm before the storm dynamic employed on "Children of the Sea".  I like the heavier edge that Dio's at the end of these more commanding phrases. The chorus to this song is also great. 

"Lady Evil" is a little more rock n roll. The lyrics are the fantasy gobbledygook about witches. It works well enough, but it's not as stellar as the title, which is perhaps the album's best song. It feels like Iommi found his fire when it comes to the guitar solos. They give themselves breathing room to turn this one into more of jam live. "Wishing Well' is more upbeat and almsot feels more like a Rainbow song. "Die Young might be the album's best vocal preformance from Dio, as we get to hear a wide range of his vocal colors, which is the edge he has over Ozzy, as there is no way Ozzy could sing this one. 

'Walk Away' is more like the kind of 80s rock everyone was about to start pumping out, and it's the most accessible song so far. It's also the first song that feels like filler but is balanced out by the fact it's sandwhiched in between two amazing songs, so it does not tarnish the album. "Lonely Is the Word" has a more blues-based throb to it which is effective. Iommi is back to his signature phrashing on this one. The solo section is jammed out an powerful with more of a melnacholic tone cast over things. I will give this album a 10, I think the fact it is better than the last two Ozzy album makes it fee like the Dio years are comprable to the Ozzy onces, but they are not though this feels like a different animal special in it's own way. 

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