13
| Black Sabbath
13
13 is the 19th and final studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath. The album was released on 10 June 2013 in Europe and 11 June 2013 in North America, via Vertigo Records and Republic Records in the United States, and via Vertigo Records worldwide.It is the only studio album released by Black Sabbath since Forbidden (1995), and was the band's first studio recording with original singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler since the live album Reunion (1998), which contained two new studio tracks. It was also the first studio album with Osbourne since Never Say Die! (1978), and with Butler since Cross Purposes (1994), the first since Never Say Die! not to feature longtime keyboardist Geoff Nicholls, and the first since The Eternal Idol (1987) on the Vertigo label (outside the United States and Canada). Black Sabbath's original line-up first began work on a new studio album in 2001 with producer Rick Rubin. The album's development was delayed over a 10-year period, as Osbourne resumed his solo career while the rest of the band members went on to pursue other projects, including GZR and Heaven & Hell. When Black Sabbath announced the end of its hiatus on 11 November 2011, the band announced that they would restart work on a new album with Rubin. In addition to original members Osbourne, Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi, the band was joined at the recording sessions by drummer Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to not participate in the reunion, due to a "contractual dispute."-"Wikipedia"
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
13 isn't what every Sabbath die-hard dreamed it might be: a true pick-up-where-they-left-off comeback for the group's founding quartet. But the record does belong in the view of every metalhead-- not just because such a seminal band still deserves obligatory props, but because, imperfections aside, the record embodies the kernel of the original Sabbath idea.
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Loudwire
'13' belongs to Tony Iommi. Ozzy, Geezer and Brad Wilk all have their moments throughout the album, but when it comes to consistency and meteoric impact, Iommi's work is the predominant factor of why Sabbath fans will sink their teeth into '13.' '13' isn't a perfect album, but it's a damn good one; saturated with piece after piece of pure Iommi brilliance.
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Consequence of Sound
13 occasionally tries too hard to recall the old Sabbath and, as a result, lacks personality. “Damaged Soul” plods to a bluesy rhythm, breaks into a guitar solo, and repeats this pattern; it’s totally listenable, just not very exciting or original.
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Ultimate Classic Rock
It's not embarrassing in the least. In fact, it's pretty darn good and at times it's great.
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Metal Archives
Black Sabbath's legacy would have done just as well without such an album. The riffs come off as pretentious and contrived after so long, and the digital enhancement does no favors to the legendary band's sound. Overall, it's a throwaway with only a few worthwhile moments, and not even one fully great song.
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Metal Injection
If there's one knock to be found here it's that, as well written and satisfying a nostalgic artifact as 13 is, the songwriting suffers considerably from retread fatigue… not in the sense that the music is in the same general style of the old Sabbath material, but more like individual riffs and melodies sound strikingly familiar. It's not something that weighs too heavily on initial listens, but as one gets more and more intimate with the album through repeat listens the freshness wears off fairly quickly, exposing an endearing if ultimately disposable set of new tunes.
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Rolling Stone
Above all, this reboot shows that the genre Sabbath helped birth remains timeless, insofar as the devil remains gainfully employed on Earth, and heavyweight rock shredding still kicks ass.
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Premier Guitar
Sabbath’s signature wall of sound returns with a vengeance during the second half, and in the end, 13’s biggest downfall is that perhaps it relies too heavily on the past, rather than pushing into unexplored songwriting territory. Regardless, 13 shows why Black Sabbath continues to be relevant in the worlds of rock and metal.
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New Noise Magazine
Overall, the album harkens back to early and mid-era Sabbath, with a heady mix of scary riffs, moderate pacing and Ozzy’s surprisingly compelling melody lines. The album does a fine job at emulating the Sabbath of yore, which was a wise choice, especially given the current interest in ripping off that era—and that’s what makes the original Black Sabbath so damned relevant now.
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