If you are one of the lucky ones to get a chance to catch the legendary Black Sabbath on their final tour, tabbed 'The End', then you will also be able to snatch up a copy of this special tour CD, also titled The End, which, for the time being anyway, won't be available anywhere else. Though pricey, The End will be a must have for any die-hard Sabbath fan, as it contains not only 4 studio tracks recording during the sessions for 13 but left off that album, but also 4 live tracks recorded around the world during 2013 & 2014.
The studio tracks are solid, if perhaps a tad unspectacular at times, with "Season of the Dead", with its massive riff and muscular bass lines, and the doom laden thumper "Cry All Night" being the first two on display, each one right in line with what we heard on 13. Ozzy is in fine form vocally, and the band is cranking out what they do best, a trend that continues on "Take Me Home", with Geezer's booming bass battling Iommi's crunchy riffs over the crashing drums of Brad Wilk. The last of the studio tracks is "Isolated Man", and despite a somewhat lacking vocal performance from Ozzy and simple lyrics, Geezer is again way up front with his growling bass lines and Iommi crushes as always. I can easily say if you liked the 13, these songs will be a welcome addition to your Sabbath collection, and are just as solid as the bonus tunes on the special edition of that album. The live tunes in this set are really hot, and if you've seen the band on this current tour, you'll already know that the newer tunes have recently been dropped, as well as "Under the Sun", due to Ozzy's nagging sinus problems and the band needing to shorten the setlist a little. "God is Dead" is just massive here, as are other 13 tunes such as "End of the Beginning" and "Age of Reason", while the old classic "Under the Sun" is performed with so much power & energy, the band easily making a statement as to where doom began.
While it remains to be seen if this collection will be available commercially or not after 'The End' tour is finished, in the event that the band are sticking to their decision not to record another studio album, this is a mighty fine final release of studio & live treats that further adds to their legacy.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1) Season of the Dead
2) Cry All Night
3) Take Me Home
4) Isolated Man
5) God is Dead (live)
6) Under the Sun (live)
7) End of the Beginning (live)
8) Age of Reason (live)
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