Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath

by

Various Artists

Edit

I found out about this CD roughly 10 years ago and it still gets regular play and is a necessary addition to anyone who is a fan of hard rock and/or Black Sabbath. I really enjoyed some of the spins put on some of the songs and the creativity added that enhanced some of the originals. Some of these songs actually sound better than the originals and most of them tend to hit harder. This is how I have them rated in iTunes and on my iPod based on the 5 star system:

After Forever (5) - Great opening song, excellent guitar work.

Children of the Grave (5) - Hit it dead on with the update to the original, standout vocals.

Paranoid (5) - Sped up considerably from the original, and works very well.

Supernaut (4) - Good job on the intro and music, just seems a bit long, but hardcore industrial fans will appreciate it maybe a bit more than I do. Probably a 5 if it was condensed a bit, at 6:42 it just drags by the end.

Iron Man (3) - One of Sabbath's classics, just didn't buy this remake with Ozzy. Doesn't really do anything to improve upon the original, but considering the song itself, it's not going to drop too low. Not terrible.

Lord of This World (2) - Didn't care for the original much, nor this one. CoC did a good job of not butchering it, I just think it's a weak song to begin with, would have rather seen them do some other songs, as they're a solid band that got their talent wasted with this one.

Symptom of the Universe (5) - I really enjoyed this one, it's getting criticism from people on here, the guitar part at the end is vintage and brings it back down, thought it was overall good creative spin put to the song. I generally don't dig the whole death metal voice thing, either.

The Wizard (5) - Favorite cut on the album, driving, and i'd say better than the original. The vocals are phenomenal, couldn't have been done any better.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (5) - Probably a close second to the Wizard, this one is amazing as well, and probably another upgrade to the original song.

N.I.B. (5) - Classic bassline, vocals could have been a little cleaner and maybe mixed a little better, but not bad at all.

War Pigs (Live) (5) - There's another cover of War Pigs on a Faith No More studio album that is worth catching if you enjoyed this one. I like both, it's a hard song to pull off.

Black Sabbath (4) - Very well done, a good closer to the album, does justice to the original.

Overall, the album gets a 5, and i'd recommend it to even casual Sabbath fans. You won't be disappointed, and the price is probably fairly low by now.