Live Review: Black Sabbath, Shihad

It's quite surprising to see Shihad performing a support slot such as this, yet they come out swinging; making the most of the opportunity by turning back to the weightier pursuits of their early days. While Factory, Screwtop and You Again all pack enough charge to silence any naysayers, the display is but momentary, and things soon take an inevitable turn into the regretful territory of My Mind's Sedate and The General Electric. Closer Comfort Me does little to reignite their initial blaze; they've managed to shine little light upon their dull plain. 

After a 40-year absence, Black Sabbath finally present themselves to a Brisbane audience once again, triggering a response that borders on hysteria. An enormous triptych screen looms menacingly above as Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler stand in front of their speaker stacks either side of the stage, with Ozzy Osbourne centred between them. War Pigs, Into the Void and Under the Sun are the first to be syphoned from what seems like an endless stream of classics. It is understatement to say that time has been kind to these dark gems. In fact, all these songs have aged so well and are delivered with such brilliance that they escape the trappings of mere nostalgia to revel in a present that seems as relevant as ever. When infamous classics such as N.I.B. and Iron Man are respectively neighboured by newbies End of the Beginning and God is Dead, neither suffer the awkward contrast of age, but rather act as complimentary testimonies to Sabbath's ability to seamlessly transcend the bridge of time. As if invited by such a notion, Fairies Wear Boots comes dancin' in on a wave of cosmic imagery, transcending space and time for a little psychedelic trip through the infinite.

Iommi and Butler are in the finest of forms throughout, and Ozzy's performance is quite good – hollowed stare and fumbled movements aside. The real surprise, however, comes from their tremendous touring drummer Tommy Clufetos, who delivers a dazzling drum solo two-thirds of the way through, which serves as a deserved intermission for the three veterans. After so many great songs it's a wonder that anything can still utterly amaze, however, Children of the Grave does just that and more. A Sabbath Bloody Sabbath introed version of Paranoid concludes the banquet, by which point a great selection of the tastiest riffs in the galaxy has been served. A truly exceptional experience from the creators of the game!