Never Say Ozzy (Again) (Never Say Die - Black Sabbath)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Never Say Die - Black Sabbath
Date:	02/10/05 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: End of a classic era, some good metal songs

Disadvantages: Too repetitive and dull

The last album to be released from Black Sabbath’s ‘classic’ line-up proved to be something of a disappointment. Although initially seeming more impressive than their previous offering, the watered down, poorly experimental ‘Technical Ecstasy,’ Never Say Die soon descends into a confusing and mediocre effort. But incomplete and half-arsed though it is, the Black Sabbath touches that remain make me return to this album every once in a while.


HARD ROAD


The original Black Sabbath line-up of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) produced eight studio albums through the seventies, their music evolving from the ‘evil blues’ of their debut through their most famous era through which they invented, defined and perfected heavy metal, and finally entering something of a low point as synthesiser experimentation and radio-friendly tracks began dragging their albums down.

The mediocrity of Never Say Die is due to record label deadlines and the general discomfort of the band, owing in a large part to Ozzy Osbourne’s increasingly erratic and drug-addled behaviour that led to him being fired from Sabbath after this release. It’s a true and widely held belief that there is no such thing as a perfect Black Sabbath album; the band by their nature acted on instinct and didn’t care too much about who they impressed, which gives their early releases a brilliant atmosphere that is dingy, wicked and also oddly relaxing. Never Say Die wouldn’t fare too badly if some of the songs displayed a little originality or longevity, but the truth is, even Sabbath fans are probably best off without.


NEVER SAY DIE


1. Never Say Die
2. Johnny Blade
3. Junior’s Eyes
4. Hard Road
5. Shock Wave
6. Air Dance
7. Over to You
8. Break Out
9. Swinging the Chain

The typical hard rock sound of late seventies Sabbath results in ‘Never Say Die,’ ‘Johnny Blade,’ ‘Hard Road’ and ‘Shock Wave,’ all enjoyable in their own right but lacking whatever it is that keeps classics such as ‘Paranoid’ and ‘A National Acrobat’ interesting after decades. Ozzy’s vocals are at their typical haunting best, his almost spoken verses and choruses proving that vocalists don’t always have to be talented to be entertaining. Iommi’s solos aren’t particularly memorable, while Bill Ward gets little chance to shine until the jazzy instrumental ‘Break Out’ and his second stint on vocals (after the previous album’s ‘It’s Alright’), the fairly dull ‘Swinging the Chain.’

The album does hold a couple of nice surprises amidst these oddities, notably the unexpected melodic trippiness of ‘Air Dance’ and the lengthy ‘Junior’s Eyes,’ the best track on this album. There’s something a little unnerving about Ozzy singing ‘Over to You’ two-thirds of the way through the album as his final Sabbath offering.


VERDICT


With its last-minute cover art, poor production and lack of anything really spectacular, Never Say Die is a disappointing final chapter of the original Black Sabbath line-up, pushed into the shadows and almost forgotten along with many of their later albums from the eighties and nineties (that are often truly awful).

The title track, ‘Junior’s Eyes’ and ‘Air Dance’ are all worth a listen by heavy metal fans, but Ozzy’s vocals really grate on a couple of tracks. The band made a wise decision in dispatching Ozzy, which thankfully led to an up-and-down solo career for the star and allowed Sabbath to recruit Ronny James Dio for the enjoyable albums ‘Heaven an Hell,’ ‘Mob Rules’ and ‘Dehumanizer.’

Anyone interested in Black Sabbath would be best checking out some of their earlier albums. ‘Black Sabbath,’ ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Master of Reality’ defined their doom metal sound while ‘Vol 4,’ ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ and ‘Sabotage’ expanded into hard rock territory, similar to Led Zeppelin. ‘Technical Ecstasy’ and ‘Never Say Die’ don’t catch this classic Birmingham quartet at their best.

Summary: Ozzy Osbourne's final stint as Black Sabbath vocalist proved disappointing