My friend got me the new sabbath album (along with the sword's debut album) as a birthday gift and i just listened to it so i'm writing my first impression of the album. This album is pretty fucking good, and has had me headbanging right here in front of the computer as i've cruised the grasscity forums. It's fucking heavy, sludgey too. The riffs are powerful and drive you into the ground and the bass is great. Black Sabbath did much better than I expected; I expected a disappointing album that brought about the sad reality that these rockstars are a shell of their former selves, and while Ozzy's voice isn't quite what it used to be it still puts the listener in a gloomy atmosphere. As for Iommi and Butler's instrumentals my expectations couldn't have been more delightfully wrong, Iommi's riffs are evil, heavy, and relentless. It's definitely a sabbath album. When the songs are going full force, they are as heavy as anything out there, and when it is slowed down, or building up it is gloomy and very atmospheric, like driving at night in the rain, with nobody else around for miles, just you, the music, and the night. Thats how the track "God is Dead?" made me feel. The song "Loner" is a nice groove, the riff is almost reminiscent of N.I.B. in its groovy-ness. "Zeitgeist", meaning 'goodnight' in German (i think, i know very little german) is a nice and chill space out song, much to the flavor of their classic "Planet Caravan". The last track called "Dear Father" was powerful in everyway a song can be, and is one of the best songs on the album. Something that I really liked about the album was how it ended: "Dear Father" ends to the toll of a bell and the sound of rain and thunder, as goosebumps formed, I realized the significance of this. The album ended just as their first began, in fact its EXACTLY the same as the beginning to "Black Sabbath" showing that the band's cycle is over, it ends here, the band's legacy continues where it began. The band said that they were starting from square one with this album and the result was good album that Black Sabbath fans can appreciate, and an album that can appeal to new listeners as well. If you like doom metal, or the dark side of classic rock, then it's worth a try. If you like Sabbath you have to get this album, its important that you do because this is where they leave their legacy, this is what they end on, and its important as a fan to be a part of that. Overall I have to give this album a 4/5 stars. It's not a masterpiece, or another Master of Reality (is there anything quite like Master of Reality?), but its damn good and is the best album they've put out since Dio left. Hope you liked this review, and I hope you like this album, catch you later GC!