Album Review: Black Sabbath - 13

If you're expecting Black Sabbath's much-vaunted comeback album to channel the spirit of their wild halcyon days, then you're begging to be disappointed. 13 is an album made by men in their 60s, living in the digital age, who (musically speaking) have witnessed huge seismic shifts since accidentally inventing heavy metal in 1969. By all rights (and this coming from a huge Sabbath fan) this album should suck. Thing is, it doesn't. 13 actually has no right to be this good but when Tony Iommi – aka the riffmaster general – is on your team, anything is possible. And if it's riffs you want, Iommi delivers in spades with monstrous concoctions driving album opener End Of The Beginning, the already released Is God Dead, the sledgehammer Age Of Reason and stirringly creepy Methademic.

As for the much vaunted groove that marked their early efforts – and which critics believed the absence of Bill Ward would prevent being recreated – it's definitely here, with drummer Brad Wilk combining with Geezer Butler to bring the swagger on the likes of Damaged Soul (complete with awesome harmonica!) and Live Forever. As for Ozzy Osbourne, we never expected much to begin with, but his shamanic wail sounds far more natural than the highly processed vocals of his last few solo efforts.

There are a few disappointments, though. Zeitgeist is a token Planet Caravan-style offering that wasn't needed, while Loner is plodding and nondescript. Apart from that, 13 is a very solid comeback from metal's greatest act. No, it's not as vital as Master Of Reality or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but 13 exceeds expectations and stands as an important marker in the Sabbath canon.