Born Again

Born Again is an extremely unusual work on which Black Sabbath layered the rough, high voice of the ex-Deep Purple Ian Gillan onto Tony Iommi’s heavy, sinking riffs. A record of high notoriety on which two entirely different characters met. The two intense characters by no means melt together easily; rather, the very friction creates a distinctive, uneasy, sure tension. A rough yet powerful record. From the momentum of the speeding opener “Trashed” and the eerie “Disturbing the Priest” to the heavy pressure of the overwhelming epic “Zero the Hero,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “Digital Bitch” and the solemn title track “Born Again” convey the work’s fullness. Ian Gillan’s distinctive scream is powerfully in sharp form throughout. A record on which, from the forward-driving momentum of “Trashed” to the overwhelming weight of “Zero the Hero,” the songs firmly keep a thick, dark, sure weight. A truly unusual record even in the band’s long history, yet for that reason it strongly retains a vivid outline. A powerful, engaging record boasting cult popularity — a record where the band’s unusual work shines.