When you consider just how frequent, even with upheaval in between, Sabbath churned out their records, you can only marvel and stand in awe at the sheer brilliance with which each one crashes you in the cranium. This is the first Sab's record without banshee-king Ozzy, and yet it's one that continues to drive Sabbath forward into the dark pits of Hades.
Iommi did the unthinkable by quickly getting over the effects of last Ozzy opus 'Never Say Die' and bringing in Ronnie James Dio. The result - the supersonic assault of 'Neon Nights', one of the bands most enigmatic and magical pieces of doom fantasy, followed by the wicked epic 'Children Of The Sea'. Iommi's rumbling riffs continue to decimate and the percussion sees the band casting lightning bolts into the ocean of blackness. The groove fuzz of 'Lady Evil' my favourite cut of the album, a serpentine sloth with glinting eye that drifts into the thudding title cut and spiralling 'Wishing Well'.
Eight tracks of prehistoric gloom, fantasy and magic, like no other. A new era indeed, and sadly Bill Ward's last album, but what a way to end.
8.5/10
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