Black Sabbath. About a dozen bands in the history of music have had such a lasting impact that continues to this very day. The founding fathers of Heavy Metal and Doom/Stoner Rock. Thousands of bands cite Sabbath has one of their top inspirations for wanting to join a band and make music. There’s no denying that the legacy Black Sabbath has forged for itself is legendary. This will be more of an article than a review; basically my thoughts and opinions on a life-long love for this band. Ever since I first heard “Paranoid” in my teens, I’ve been a Sabbath fan.
Let’s go back to the beginning, shall we? Black Sabbath’s first album, the self-titled masterpiece Black Sabbath, was released on Friday the 13th of February, 1970. It was recorded in a single day in October 1969. It’s widely regarded as the very first Heavy Metal album. Black Sabbath went on to become legends with albums such as Paranoid, Master of Reality and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The four blokes from Birmingham who used to go by the band name of “Earth” went on to become Metal/Doom pioneers. With Ozzy Osbourne on lead vocals, Tony Iommi’s slow, heavy guitar riffs, Geezer Butler’s doomy lyrics and pulse-pounding bass, and Bill Ward’s thunderous drumming, the band stood out as a force to be reckoned with.
Fast forward 50 years. Former Ozzy guitarist and Black Label Society singer/guitar God Zakk Wylde and his Sabbath cover band, Zakk Sabbath, decide to cover the entire Black Sabbath album from top to bottom, in sequence, no less. For the uninitiated, Zakk Sabbath was formed in 2014, features Zakk Wylde on guitar and vocals, and current members bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (who’s performed on Rob Zombie’s solo albums as well as currently being part of Ozzy’s band), and drummer Joey Castillo (of Danzig and Queens of the Stone Age, among many others). They’ve toured intermittently over the years and released a three-song EP exclusively available on vinyl titled “Live in Detroit” on the Southern Lord label in 2017. Wondering what to do next, the power trio thought it’d be a great way to celebrate Sabbath’s 50 years of Doom by covering their legendary eponymous album. They decided they would do it the same way it was originally recorded: in a single day! Since the original album was released through the UK record company Vertigo Records, launched in 1969 and specializing in Prog Rock, Zakk Sabbath’s tribute album would be appropriately titled Vertigo.
Indie New York Heavy Psych/Doom label Magnetic Eye Records would distribute it and it would be a strictly old-school affair: no digital release. The only way to get your hands on this bad boy is to purchase a physical copy, either on vinyl or on CD, to experience it the way we used to (still not so long ago) listen to music before the digital age of MP3s.
September 4th, 2020, Vertigo is released and, man, the fuzz is strong with this one! It’s basically a note-for-note remake of Sabbath’s debut album, and while that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s in line with what Zakk Sabbath have been doing live in concert since day one. They are, after all, a super group/cover band of Black Sabbath. So under those terms, I think recreating Black Sabbath’s eponymous album while only diverging ever so slightly from the source material is entirely justified, with Wylde adding a few notes, filling some space here and there on the guitar as he is known to do. Besides, I think it’s a great way for the new generation of kids/teens not so familiar with Sabbath’s first record to discover this outstanding album. Here’s a rundown of Vertigo’s five tracks with brief notes on each song.
1. “Black Sabbath” – What an opener for my favorite Black Sabbath song of all-time! Wylde sounds very soulful here and his vocals are eerily similar to Ozzy’s. The mood of this song is just as palpable as the original. This rendition is now tied as best cover of the titular song with Type O Negative’s 1994 version found on the superb Nativity in Black tribute album.
2. “The Wizard” – Another great piece, which Wylde had already covered on his Pride & Glory album (on the 1999 reissue, not the original 1994 release). The band’s playing is really tight on this one. The Zakk Sabbath version is superior to that of Pride & Glory’s in my opinion.
3. “Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / Bassically / N.I.B.” – The second longest song of the album running at 10 minutes, a medley of sorts culminating with the loud, doomy “N.I.B.” I’ve always loved that long bass intro to “N.I.B.” and it’s just as powerful here. My name is Lucifer, please take my hand will stay in your head for hours afterwards. A stellar rendition of its original counterpart.
4. “Wicked World” – It’s always been a fun song but nothing special and my least favorite of the album, if I had to pick one. This cover is once again very faithful to the original, but doesn’t make me love it more.
5. “A Bit of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning” – Final track and longest one, another medley, clocking in at 15 minutes. I love Wylde’s soloing throughout this one. This song to me has always felt like a long improvised jam and you get that same vibe here. The trio skillfully complement themselves to bring the ceremony to a close.
I may be biased as Black Sabbath’s first album is my second favorite of theirs (behind Master of Reality) and the title track is my favorite Sabbath song (okay, maybe tied with “Children of the Grave”). I’m also a huge fan of Zakk Wylde’s music output in all its shapes and forms, but this is a gem of a cover album, folks. For hardcore Black Sabbath and Black Label Society fans, I’d say this is absolutely worth the trouble of purchasing a vinyl or a CD (even if, like me, you hadn’t bought a CD in five years). Wylde is in terrific form when it comes to swinging his proverbial axe and taking care of vocal duties. Blasko and Castillo are a thunderous rhythm section, Sabbath-worthy of Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Together Zakk Sabbath breathe new life into a fantastic classic album, one you might enjoy re-discovering (or discovering) through a fresh set of ears.
Magnetic Eye Records’ Zakk Sabbath Bandcamp page: https://store.merhq.com/album/vertigo
Zakk Sabbath’s Bandcamp page: https://zakksabbath.bandcamp.com/
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