On a Small World West of Wonder (Mob Rules - Black Sabbath)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Mob Rules - Black Sabbath
Date:	20/02/08 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some more great epics and slow rockers.

Disadvantages: Far too similar to 'Heaven and Hell,' and not as good.

The second Dio album is commonly regarded as the necessary twin to 'Heaven and Hell,' but is a little disappointing when contrasted directly with its predecessor for sounding, at best, exactly the same, and at worst, worse. The experimental side of the last album is still present here, most notably in the prominence of keyboards in track three leading to the entirely synthesised instrumental ambience of 'E5150' (a numerical pun on the word "evil" arrived at through conversion to Roman numerals. Go on, do it), but this sadly leaves the majority of the album sounding very average and indistinct as a result. 'Turn Up the Night' lacks the energy of the previous album opener 'Neon Knights' and is based entirely around Dio's vocal performance, also unchanged and a little tiresome after the last release, and the speed and excitement decrease further in 'Voodoo.' Fortunately, the album picks up after this slow start and becomes an enjoyable imitation of 'Heaven and Hell,' often to the point where I'm unable to tell the difference.

'The Sign of the Southern Cross' is the main offender in the sound-alike stakes, beginning with soft acoustic passages and effeminately high singing from Dio and eventually arriving at a monstrous guitar riff to carry us through this epic song, but it sounds so much like the preceding album's titular 'Heaven and Hell' that it suffers as a result - presumably the band was well aware of the similarity, as the live album 'Live Evil' combines the two songs in a seamless medley. Coming later in the album, 'Falling Off the Edge of the World' follows a very similar style but to less enticing effect, though it does showcase new drummer Vinny Appice better than any other, while Geezer Butler's bass fares well in the closing 'Over and Over,' a dingier harking back to old Sabbath that doesn't quite get there.

This album's title song is thankfully still fresh-sounding and original, a better take on the medium speed groove of the opening songs that doesn't outstay its welcome and explodes satisfyingly out of the speakers after the relative tedium of the instrumental bridge, but the similar songs that follow are less exciting, and too rooted in the hard rock tradition to be of any real interest, the choruses being all that really stands out. 'The Mob Rules' isn't as good as 'Heaven and Hell' but is a nice enough continuation of the sound, even if all it does is to prove how this second incarnation of the band had used its limited ideas up in one short burst. The future wasn't going to be bright after this point, with Dio's departure to form a solo band in a similar style initiating a career slump for Sabbath from which they would never really recover until reunion time, but on the positive side it does mean fans were spared a further ten albums of Dio sounding exactly the same in every single song.

1. Turn Up the Night
2. Voodoo
3. The Sign of the Southern Cross
4. E5150
5. The Mob Rules
6. Country Girl
7. Slipping Away
8. Falling Off the Edge of the World
9. Over and Over

Summary: Black Sabbath's tenth album (1981).