Customer Reviews

Nativity in Black: Tribute to Black Sabbath

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

Normally I don't care for tributes. Who wants to hear other people perform your favorite band's material in a grossly subpar manner? I'm going to make an exception here. This isn't a collection of has beens and never weres, this is Black Sabbaths' peers and contempories trying their damndest to pay tribute to the grand daddy's of metal. Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Rob Zombie, Dave Mustaine, there all here. These songs all rock heavy and hard and each musician and vocalist has added something special to the chosen song. I bought this album back in 1994 and it remains one of my favorite CDs in my collection. Check out the absolutly CRUNCHING versions of "Symptom of the Universe", the "Wizard", and "Children of the Grave"...

This album is extremely good. All songs are amazingly covered by various famous bands like Megadeth, Sepultura, Biohazard, etc.
I became a big fan of Black Sabbath after hearing this album. This is a must have album for anyone who listens to rock/metal.

This is a great CD and Tribute to a Band that is no less then THE HISTORY of METAL themselves. The Highlights are "The Wizard", "Black Sabbath", and "Supernaut" YES I think that is a great song on the Album. Many disagree, but hear me out. I found the Industrial Metal of Zombie's version of "Children of the Grave" to be refreshing and alive. Also, never heard of the 1000 Homo's playing anything, but, I loved the bass line and a new take on this old tune; it sounded Rebellious and irreverent and in your face for the drug culture. For instance, the spoken word saying, "It's FUN to take a hit!" is a very sardonic reference to the drug war. The countdown is great and blast off is perfect for this type of song.

I find it refreshing to hear all these songs again, some are done better then the original, ie., Bruce Dickinson "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".
I cant' say more then this.

I like every one of these except for Ugly Kid Joes version of NIB. The rest are awesome. The sequel album NIB 2 is good too. There are some great quotes on the insert so try to get the artwork with the cd.

The first "Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath" tribute album is one of the best tribute albums ever to be assembled, and while not all of the versions here are great representations of the songs from the legendary band, it is still an above average tribute album that deserves to be in any Sabbath or older hard rock fan's collection. Hardcore and rap/metal pioneers Biohazard do a solid cover of "After Forever", while White Zombie superbly remakes "Children of the Grave". Megadeth's lightning speed take on "Paranoid" is worth the price of admission alone, while Ugly Kid Joe turns in a surprisingly great rendition of "N.I.B.". Faith No More's live version of "War Pigs" may grate on some people's nerves because of Mike Patton's vocal change up's, while 1000 Homo DJs' "Supernaut" cover is underrated. Sepultura turns in a cover of "Symptom of the Universe" which is lacking, while sludge masters Corrosion of Conformity turn in a solid rendition of "Lord of This World". Ozzy and Therapy?'s "Iron Man" is essentially the exact same as the classic Sabbath track, while other contributions from Type O Negative, Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson & Godspeed, and Bullring Brummies (featuring Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Rob Halford) are pretty solid. All in all, "Nativity in Black" is a great tribute to a legendary and influential band, and it's certainly much better than the second NIB tribute album.

On the first version of NIB, the aritists really try to add their own personal touch to each track, and the result is very successful. What makes this better than the original is that this one chose more obscure Sabbath classics to re-immortalize. Biohazard- After Forever: Great job by Biohazard especially in the main riff. The vocals are nothing like the original which is a good thing. White Zombie- Children Of The Grave: This could have been on one of Zombie's albums! Their style is all over this song but that's what makes it one of the best here. Megadeth- Paranoid: The absolute best song on this CD. Megadeth never disappoints. Better than their "Never Say Die" cover on the NIB II CD. 1,000 Homo Dj's- Supernaut: Aside from the stupid band name, these guys know how to rock. The did a really good job with "Supernaut". Ozzy Osbourne w/ Therapy?- Iron Man: Well, not one of my favorites here. Ozzy does a good job, but Therapy? just doen't deliver with the music. they play the end jam wrong...very wrong. Corrosion Of Conformity- Lord Of This World: Great job by C.O.C. One of the best here by far. Sepultura- Symptom Of The Universe: The music is right on, but the vocals are very irritating. Not one of the best. Bullring Brummies- The Wizard: With Rob Halford on vocals, how can you go wrong? This is truly classic. Great job. Bruce Dickinson w/ Godspeed- Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: Incredible! Bruce's voice is simply amazing on this song. Ugly Kid Joe- NIB: Wow, whatever happened to these guys? This is a great cover of my favorite Sabbath song. Crane's vocals are very good and the guitar work is fantastic. Faith No More- War Pigs (Live): One of the most successful rap/rock fusion acts pays tribute to the Gods, and what a piece of work it is! They really do a great job here! Type O' Negative- Black Sabbath: Scarry!!! This version of the song freaks me out!!! WOW!!!

I'm normally not really interested in tributes, but this one is actually pretty good. I never do song-by-song reviews, but here I'll make an exception, since there's so many different bands.

1. Biohazard, "After Forever" - Cool cover. Biohazard's a pretty good band, and they put their own spin on it quite nicely. I like.

2. White Zombie, "Children of the Grave" - Yeah! One of the best on here. It's just too awesome. Proof that Rob actually did make good music at one time.

3. Megadeth, "Paranoid" - At this point, I'm gasping for breath. This is another favorite. Dave like triples the speed of the solo. Yow!

4. 1000 Homo DJ's, "Supernaut" - Who is this band? I heard somewhere it was Trent Reznor, but it doesn't sound like it. The worst of the album, for sure.

5. Ozzy/Therapy, "Iron Man" - It's good, but not really much different from the original. Why is Ozzy singing on his own tribute?

6. COC, "Lord of this World" - COC! Sludge-tastic rendition of this underrated classic.

7. Sepultura, "Symptom of the Universe" - Eh, it's ok. Sepultura has seen better days.

8. Bullring Brummies, "The Wizard" - You may ask yourself, "Who are these guys?". Well, it's none other than Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi singing with...Rob Halford! Too sweet.

9. Bruce Dickinson/Godspeed, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" - THE best on here without a doubt. Bruce is God! I wish he had his regular band with him, though. Oh well, this one works.

10. Ugly Kid Joe, "NIB" - I never cared much for Ugly Kid Joe, but this song is pretty good.

11. Faith No More, "War Pigs" - I love Faith No More, I love "War Pigs", I HATE this version. It's really terrible. The studio version is good, but the live one is almost an insult. What were you thinking, Mike?

12. Type O Negative, "Black Sabbath" - Whoa! This is creepy! Pete Steele's deep, ethereal vocals make this song 1000 times scarier than it ever was before. Very, very cool.

Get this tribute if you like Sabbath, and most of the bands on here. I think it's much better than NIB2, which I won't even bother with.

Being a huge Sabbath fan, I looked forward to my purchase of the Nativity in Black Tribute CD, and I have not regretted my purchase. With all CD's, there are excellent tracks, and there are abysmal tracks. Fortunately this album contains much more excellent tracks than abysmal ones. Here is a quick review of the tracks on the CD, and my opinion.

1.) Biohazard-After Forever (9/10): A great opener in my opinion of a very underrated Sabbath song. The guitar work is great, just like the original with a "modern" touch.

2.) White Zombie-"Children of the Grave (9/10):" Great remake of a classic Sabbath song. The little voice overs in here, although they seem to make little sense, give this song the haunting mood it needs while still maintaining it's metal groove.

3.) Megadeth- "Paranoid (10/10):" A great metal band which knows how to cover another great metal band, which is what all the tracks need. Guitar solo in the middle is excellent, and helps earn this track as one of my favorites on the album

4.) 1000 Homo DJ's "Supernaut (10/10):" This is another perfect track. The "advertisement" in the beginning is classic, in my opinon the best part of the track.

5.) Therapy? with Ozzy "Iron Man (9/10):" Almost identical to the original due to ozzy's vocals, but in a faster groove, which makes this track great.

6.) Corrosion of Conformity "Lord of this World (8/10):" Before listening to this track, I didn't really like Lorof this World, but this track was good enough for me to give Sabbath's version a chance.

7.) Sepultura "Symptom of the Universe (4/10):" This is one of the abysmal tracks I was talking about. The riffs and drums are OK, but the vocals are death metal like. This track should have been put on Hell Rules as it is more so death metal lyrics.

8.) Bullring Brummies "The Wizard (10/10):" This group consists of Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, original Sabbath members, and Rob Halford, along with a guitarist who I cannot remember the name of. Since Butler and Ward are the rhythm section for the band, it is no surprise that this song is one of the album's centerpieces.

9.) Godspeed with Bruce Dickinson "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (9/10):" Excellent remake of my favorite Sabbath song. The only problem would be the solo, which was nothing like the original, one of my favorite solos. Regardless of this however, this is a great track that is a must listen.

10.) Ugly Kid Joe "NIB (9/10):" This is my second favorite version of NIB aside from Primus' cover. A slightly diferent touch on the guitar riffs gives this song a new sound while maintaining its old feel. Good track.

11.) Faith No More (War Pigs (LIVE) (6/10):" An average track. While not abysmal, it is far from perfect. The voclas could use a little help too. Perhaps if it was a studio track t would have been better.

12.) Type O Negative "Black Sabbath (3/10):" The lyrics here are all death metal like. A bad way to end the CD. After all the perfect and near perfect tracks, the album ends with a horrible cover of a classic Sabbath song.

Overall, the album is a must buy for all Sabbath fans. While there are a few bad tracks here, there isn't enough to not purchase this otherwise excellent tribute album.

Having never been a die hard Black Sabbath fan, I just picked this up recently on a lark and I have to say it is a lot of fun. There are several great tracks here and none that I have been tempted to skip over yet. At this moment the Zombie track is my favorite but tomorrow it may be the Bruce Dickinson track. Good driving music, just keep an eye on the speedometer because you'll want to floor it many times while it's wailing.