Released in 1986, Seventh Star is Black Sabbath's twelfth studio album and first and only with former Deep Purple/Trapeze vocalist Glenn Hughes. However, the album was originally intended to be the first solo album by guitarist and then only original member Tony Iommi. Given the incredible amount of line-up changes prior to the album, one would think that the music on the album is fractured and unfocused. Well many think so, and the album us usually mentioned on the bottom rungs of the Sabbath discography. Do I agree with the haters? Does Seventh Star really blow? Find out below....
First up is one of the better songs on the album. "In for the Kill" is a fairly competent 80s rocker. I absolutely hate the drum sound, but Eric Singer does do a good job with the beat. The drums sound terrible on pretty much the whole album, very metallic and brittle, similar to Lars Ulrich's much-hated drum sound on St. Anger. Hughes sounds great as always, one of his best vocals in my opinion, but not really suited to a metal act, he is much better with r and b/soul music. "No Stranger to Love" is a fairly poppy song, a somewhat cheesy 80s ballad. Almost all vestiges of Sabbath were gone by this point, and I don't honestly like the pop direction this tune took. But Hughes sings with fire and passion, a great vocals and some very deep lyrics. A decent song, but not suited for the Sabbath canon, very out of place.
"Turn To Stone" is the most Sabbath-like song on the album. Eric Singer's drumming is very thundering and capable, but the very thin and metallic 80s rock drums sound terrible today, one of the worst drum sounds in rock history in my opinion, very cheesy. Hughes again sounds great, and Iommi lays down some nice leads and a solid riff, but something just doesn't feel right about the song. Honestly, I think it is the mix of the doomy riffs with Hughes' soulful voice, an odd pairing that never really works on this album. "Sphinx (The Guardian) is a cool synthesizer instrumental, very spooky and atmospheric. Sphinx leads into the title track, "Seventh Star". A slow and plodding number, the song is based around one of Tony's groove riffs, a la "Zero The Hero" off the Born Again album. The lyrics are fantasy-based, which is par for the course for Tony, but sound very silly coming from Glenn Hughes, who is obviously more comfortable singing about making love and being mistreated, again, quite out of character for Hughes. Not a total bust, but it just doesn't seem genuine for Hughes, and even Iommi seems a little out of sorts on this track, delivering one of the weakest solos of his career.
"Danger Zone" sounds like something off the previous Sabbath album, Born Again. Hughes is more comfortable here, as the song is certainly somewhat reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore and his guitar work in Deep Purple, very driving. Tony's guitar sound is problematic on the song. Producer Jeff Glixman seemed to be going for a much more contemporary sound, taking a lot of rawness away from the guitars, adding too many effects that "neuter" the riffmaster's once nasty riffs, too polished and slick for me. The solo is not bad, but not enough to save the song, despite Hughes sounding pretty darn good and clearly more comfortable with the love and longing character of the lyrics. "Heart Like A Wheel" is one of the rare examples of Sabbath doing a blues song. The singing is great, Hughes even reminds of his early days in Deep Purple. Iommi's leads a great, and the solo really smokes, despite being extremely long and somewhat drawn out. But something about the song doesn't work for me, likely the fact that I have never been a big fan of Sabbath playing blues music, this song being no exception.
"Angry Heart" sounds like a heavier and doomier version of Deep Purple, even utilizing an organ. Easily the best track on the album, I love the heavy riff, which is backed by the organ, a la Deep Purple. New bassist Dave "The Beast" Spitz finally stands out on this track, delivering some nice bass lines, despite having the bass essentially buried in the mix. But the highlight is the vocals, great stuff from Mr. Hughes, one of his best in my opinion. "In Memory" finishes the album on a sombre note. A eulogy to Tony Iommi's then recently-deceased father, the song sends chills down the spine. Even so, the song is very touching and reflective, and Hughes vocals really convey the weight of the events surrounding the song. A great track, but pretty lyrically heavy.
"Seventh Star" is easily the worst Black Sabbath album. But that is because it is not really a Black Sabbath album per se. As I mentioned, it was originally intended (some say until days before release) to be a Tony Iommi album. As a solo album, it certainly can be viewed in a somewhat positive light. But in the treasured Sabbath discography, there is little room for this album.
Rating-6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment