Black Sabbath - *The official thread*

The album cover looks stupid and lazy. But I could say that about a lot of good albums. Point is, I don't expect much from the new album, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was really good considering the material both Ozzy and Heaven and Hell have recently put out.

Can't wait 'till this comes out...so we can cover some of it in the band!

The cover art for '13' is no less thought out or "lazy" than these:







If you use Google Images and search "black sabbath album covers" you get the below...in context, it blends right in.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The cover art for '13' is no less thought out or "lazy" than these:







If you use Google Images and search "black sabbath album covers" you get the below...in context, it blends right in.

I disagree completely.

Paranoid, Master of Reality and Technical Ecstasy all convey a message to the listener. Paranoid is a trippy, weird cover that conveys a sense of disorientation, and, frankly, paranoia. Obviously, the album was to be called War Pigs but that wasn't allowed by the label, but the cover still works beautifully. That's a testament to the quality of the artwork itself.

Master of Reality uses the wavy font and the colors black, blue and purple to convey a drugged out, doomy feel to the listener. It works spectacularly and is quite striking, especially in its original, embossed vinyl format.

Technical Ecstasy presents a modern, abstract image to the listener, and forces them to grapple with some new ideas from Sabbath (see All Moving Parts(Stand Still)).

13 conveys nothing to me. It's a burning number made of sticks with a tame font. It's lazy. What story is it telling? Something about brush clearing or yardwork? Who knows?

Witchfinder wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The cover art for '13' is no less thought out or "lazy" than these:







If you use Google Images and search "black sabbath album covers" you get the below...in context, it blends right in.

I disagree completely.

Of course you do.

Watch this:

The '13' image conveys a dark air of witchcraft and black magick that goes along with the dark, doomy feel of Sabbath's music and image. The number 13 is commonly used in Wicca and represents the number of full moons in a year as well as the number of members in a coven.

See...I can write too.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The cover art for '13' is no less thought out or "lazy" than these:







If you use Google Images and search "black sabbath album covers" you get the below...in context, it blends right in.

I disagree completely.

Of course you do.

Penetrating analysis as always. Kudos.

Didn't Shawn just post something about everyone being an art critic nowadays in the Megadeth thread?

The original press of Master Of Reality only used 2 colors (purple & black), the title of the album was embossed into the LP jacket. The grey coloring was added for later pressings and CD releases and never looked as good.

Witchfinder wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The cover art for '13' is no less thought out or "lazy" than these:







If you use Google Images and search "black sabbath album covers" you get the below...in context, it blends right in.

I disagree completely.

Of course you do.

Penetrating analysis as always. Kudos.

Watch this:

The '13' image conveys a dark air of witchcraft and black magick that goes along with the dark, doomy feel of Sabbath's music and image. The number 13 is commonly used in Wicca and represents the number of full moons in a year as well as the number of members in a coven.

See...I can write too.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The cover art for '13' is no less thought out or "lazy" than these:







If you use Google Images and search "black sabbath album covers" you get the below...in context, it blends right in.

I disagree completely.

Of course you do.

Penetrating analysis as always. Kudos.

Watch this:

The '13' image conveys a dark air of witchcraft and black magick that goes along with the dark, doomy feel of Sabbath's music and image. The number 13 is commonly used in Wicca and represents the number of full moons in a year as well as the number of members in a coven.

See...I can write too.

Well at least that's better than adding nothing to the discussion. I thought we were supposed to discuss things on a discussion board. I must have been mistaken.

S.D. wrote:

Didn't Shawn just post something about everyone being an art critic nowadays in the Megadeth thread?

The original press of Master Of Reality only used 2 colors (purple & black), the title of the album was embossed into the LP jacket. The grey coloring was added for later pressings and CD releases and never looked as good.

That's the version I have on vinyl. The Rhino Vinyl reissues all revert to the original artwork, thankfully.

S.D. wrote:

Didn't Shawn just post something about everyone being an art critic nowadays in the Megadeth thread?

Your Honor, let the record show that I was one of the more complimentary posters of the new Sabbath artwork. I liked it. I am, however, pissing all over that Megadeth cover.

In the end, whether it's Megadeth's cover or Sabbath's......why does it really matter? For me, I'll look at it once (maybe twice) and then enjoy the music therein.

S.D. wrote:

Didn't Shawn just post something about everyone being an art critic nowadays in the Megadeth thread?

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I did. I wasn't critiquing...I was criticizing the critics.

How am I supposed to obsess over minutia If you jerks won't play along?????

This is all we have to work with until Geoff Taint puts out a new press release.

Track by track review of the new album from a recent listening party:

http://www.bravewords.com/news/202086

I hope it's as good as this guy says!

Who's up for the $75 super deluxe box-set edition?

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The '13' image conveys a dark air of witchcraft and black magick that goes along with the dark, doomy feel of Sabbath's music and image. The number 13 is commonly used in Wicca and represents the number of full moons in a year as well as the number of members in a coven.

Well, technically a coven doesn't have to contain 13 members, that bit of misinformation occurred because a 1662 witch trial revolved around a 13 member coven, but there is no set number.

Also, Wicca does not practice "black magic" because their belief system pre-dates Christianity.

War Pigs and Hammer horror films from the 60s got that part wrong.

SpectreFate wrote:

In the end, whether it's Megadeth's cover or Sabbath's......why does it really matter? For me, I'll look at it once (maybe twice) and then enjoy the music therein.

Yea same here, during the vinyl days, I loved looking a studying the artwork, now adays, even if I love the cover, I do not spend as much time with the cover art.

What I do know is that the riff I heard on the YouTube clip was both bone crushing and vintage. I really am excited to hear this if they stick to those two qualities like they did for their first six albums. Album art is album art, don't judge a book by its cover, blah blah. I'm just glad they're giving this one more (last?) go, as hard as it is to call it a Sabbath album without Bill.

corplhicks wrote:

What I do know is that the riff I heard on the YouTube clip was both bone crushing and vintage. I really am excited to hear this if they stick to those two qualities like they did for their first six albums. Album art is album art, don't judge a book by its cover, blah blah. I'm just glad they're giving this one more (last?) go, as hard as it is to call it a Sabbath album without Bill.

Its not hard for me, I loved Black Sabbath when the only original member left was Iommi

S.D. wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The '13' image conveys a dark air of witchcraft and black magick that goes along with the dark, doomy feel of Sabbath's music and image. The number 13 is commonly used in Wicca and represents the number of full moons in a year as well as the number of members in a coven.

Well, technically a coven doesn't have to contain 13 members, that bit of misinformation occurred because a 1662 witch trial revolved around a 13 member coven, but there is no set number.

Also, Wicca does not practice "black magic" because their belief system pre-dates Christianity.

War Pigs and Hammer horror films from the 60s got that part wrong.

Blame Google...

Technically they practice whatever type of magic you want to call it, because the core of Christianity (the Gospel) doesn't actively refer to most of it, either first or secondhand, - simply because certain churches or leaders call out things which supposedly "belong" to other "religions", their opinion doesn't alter the original Gospels in any way. Therefore, Christianity in a literal sense did not define or alter what evolved into Wicca. Further, it's not up to me to judge Wiccans, (despite being judged 99% of the time), and neither do they have any monopoly on some of their cosmic viewpoints.

S.D. wrote:

[/quote]

This album cover is brilliant! I've got the original Vertigo box cover and the whole thing just looks spectacular.

The CD cover does look crappy though.

There was a listening party in Los Angeles last night (which unfortunately I missed), however track times have now been released.

End of the Beginning - 8:07
God Is Dead? - 8:54
Loner - 5:06
Zeitgeist - 4:28
Age of Reason - 7:02
Live Forever - 4:49
Damaged Soul - 7:43
Dear Father - 7:06

Slightly longer than LP length but still in a nice comfortable ballpark.

Witchfinder wrote:

Track by track review of the new album from a recent listening party:

http://www.bravewords.com/news/202086

I read that guys review and concluded he's a moron (anytime I hear the term "too bluesy" I immediately ignore anything else they have to say).

S.D. wrote:

There was a listening party in Los Angeles last night (which unfortunately I missed), however track times have now been released.

End of the Beginning - 8:07
God Is Dead? - 8:54
Loner - 5:06
Zeitgeist - 4:28
Age of Reason - 7:02
Live Forever - 4:49
Damaged Soul - 7:43
Dear Father - 7:06

Slightly longer than LP length but still in a nice comfortable ballpark.

Witchfinder wrote:

Track by track review of the new album from a recent listening party:

http://www.bravewords.com/news/202086

I read that guys review and concluded he's a moron (anytime I hear the term "too bluesy" I immediately ignore anything else they have to say).

8 songs. That's perfect, IMO. F*ck reviewers.