Disco de Black Sabbath: “Dehumanizer”

Dehumanizer is a concept recording dealing with the evils of modern technology.This is truly a heavy and powerful offer from what I believe was the best of all of Sabbath's lineups.Dio's masterful voice with Iommi and Butler's great riffs make "Dehumanizer" a classic.From the opening"Computer God" we have a heavy evil sounding riff with Dio's bounding voice."Letters from Earth" and "Time Machine" are also powerful,pounding songs.A favorite of mine is "T.V. Crimes" a brilliant attack on dishonest TV preachers and charletans who enslave the minds of their followers. Some other great tunes are "Sins of the Father" which has a great riff. Two of my favorites are the sociopathic "I" with it's nihlistic and narcissitic lyrics. Next is a hard pounding, powerful song called "Buried Alive" which is an attack on organized religion and it's destruction of the happiness of people. Dio's voice is a screaming, angry powerhouse on this track!

If your a fan of the Sabbath,especially the Dio era,this is a must for your collection.The "reunion" with Ozzy is not the reunion I think would be the best.Bring back Mr. Dio and his brilliant songwriting.Dio and Iommi together are the best Sabbath has offered.This brings them back to the glory days of "Heaven and Hell" and "Mob Rules".This is powerful stuff,don't pass up"Dehumanizer".

Since I wrote this review seven years ago, my dreams have come true. Sabbath is back with their best singer and frontman Ronnie James Dio as "Heaven and Hell". Their tour has been a huge success and they are back stronger than ever. If you want to re connect with this era, "Dehumanizer" would be a great start!

After several so-so album releases carrying the name of Black Sabbath, we long-time fans FINALLY get a CD with the 'Heaven & Hell' line-up intact. Even though the 'Mob Rules' lp was good, I would say that technically this record COULD be 'Heaven & Hell' follow-up, easily. Very well done, guys. I've heard several fans (like myself) comment that Ronnie James Dio's vocals on this record simply never sounded better, in Sabbath, Dio nor Rainbow for that matter. Not sure if I'd totally agree with that, but rest assure, 'Dehumanizer' is a great reunion effort. Only downfall is I personally doubt this CD did as good as the label Warner Bros. or the band had hoped for. Notice that both guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler's overall playing here is outstanding too. Tracks that truly pull the listener in are "Time Machine", "After All", "TV Crimes" (still see the video for this song on Headbanger's Ball now and again), "Computer God", the Dio-like "Letters From Earth" and "Buried Alive". Enjoy this disc as I've met Dio himself TWICE now while catching him out on tour and he's mention to me that he'd NEVER reunite with Sabbath again because this CD marked the second time he was 'burned' by the other members. Sad, but at least fans got a 'final' chapter in the saga. Wouldn't it be great if this line-up would sometime do the annual Ozzfest summer tour instead of Ozzy? Just a thought. Recommended.

May, 2010 footnote: Dio, myself as well as many fans of your lengthy career will truly miss you. R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio.

When it comes to musical collaborations, you never can tell what will happen. Ronnie James Dio's previous work with Black Sabbath produced two fine studio albums, one "Heaven & Hell", is usually rated by fans as one of Sabbath's best. After leaving the group, Dio went on to a long and successful solo career.

Long hailed as one of metal's most powerful vocalists, Ronnie rejoined his former bandmates to produce an under appreciated metal masterpiece. Dehumanizer, is a powerful collection of music, with minimal filler material. Compared to Sabbath's recent recordings featuring Tony Martin's vocals, the music here definitely has a harder edge. Dio has ways been acknowledged as an outstanding songwriter. His contributions in that department take the level of quality of this recording above the typical Sabbath effort. No other Sabbath vocalist could give us songs like "I", "Too Late", and "Master of Insanity".

Tony Iommi, a heavy metal legend and creator of dozens of classic riffs, seems truly reborn here. His playing, while maintaining his signature tone seems to be exploring areas he has not been in before. The riffs are some of the best he's come up with in some time. The tone is raw, with some wide mood and tempo swings. "After All The Dead" is slow number, the opening notes of which just drip evil, setting up a heavy groove. "TV Crimes" is "speed Sabbath", played at an upbeat tempo favored by Ronnie in his solo work, the song rocks, and has a killer Iommi solo. "I" is a powerful heavy duty number featuring major wah wah usage. "Master of Insanity" has an "electric" edge, and a pounding groove that suits Dio storytelling vocal style. There are also two versions of the powerful song "Time Machine", both are great, but the Wayne's World version seems tighter, and the lyrics work better.

Geezer Butler's bass is not particularly prominent in the mix. And Vinny Appice's drumming is serviceable rather than flashy. So Ronnie Dio and Tony Iommi really do dominate the sound. Will Dio ever team with the Sabs again? Who knows? What can be said is that this particular short-lived reunion produced one of the heaviest and best Sabbath recordings ever.

I didn't think this would last very long. Ronnie James Dio and the Guitar/Bass team of original Sabs Butler and Iommi work great in the recording studio but are obviously frought with personality dificulties in other areas. Nonetheless, "Dehumanizer" is a tour de force that any fan of Ronnie Dio would appreciate. Veteran Drumer Vinnie Appice reunites with Ronnie James Dio and company after leaving the DIO fold mid-"Lock up the Wolves" for one of the best Black Sabbath projects since Heaven and Hell. Of most noteworthiness are the songs "I", "Time Machine" and a no-holds-barred attack on kristjianity aptly titled "TV Crimes". "After all (the Dead)" is argueably the heaviest Sabbath song since the Ozzy-fronted song by the band's name. A great companion album to the subsequent DIO release "Strange Highways", "Dehumanizer" obviously inspired Ronnie James Dio to drasticly alter the sonic textures! of his namesake solo project.

Let's hope that the new CD - The Dio Years will prompt more people to check this one out, the last time these 4 guys got together. The selections chosen from Dehumanizer for the new one are good but hardly represent the best of it. First of all, Dehumanizer rocks. The production is awesome, probably the best produced CD I have heard. Aside from the superior talent of the four members, the sound is just phenomenal. It will blow the grills off your speakers! Play it loud and you'll see what I mean. As soon as those drums kick in on Computer God it's sonic labotomy time. Speaking of Computer God, that would have been a far better choice for The Dio Years CD than After All, a good song in its own right, but not the caliber of Computer God, an epic track. Another standout is Time Machine which we get to hear twice on Dehumanizer, once being the album track and one being the track recorded for Waynes World. Basically, there are no weak points on here and well worth a second look 15 years later. Lyically & musically it stands the test of time.