Dehumanizer
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| Dehumanizer | |||||
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| Studio album by Black Sabbath | |||||
| Released | June 22, 1992  June 30, 1992  |
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| Recorded | Late 1991 - Early 1992 | ||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 55:53 | ||||
| Label | I.R.S. Reprise (US/Canada) |
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| Producer | Reinhold Mack | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Black Sabbath chronology | |||||
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Dehumanizer is the sixteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1992.
It is the first album in over a decade to feature Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. Initial writing and demo sessions at Rich Bitch Studios in Birmingham featured Cozy Powell and bootlegs exist.
Contents |
[edit] Album information
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"Computer God" Computer God "I" I "Master Of Insanity" Master Of Insanity - Problems playing the files? See media help.
Both lyrically and musically, it is considered one of Sabbath's heaviest albums. Song themes vary from a computer worshipped as a god, to televangelists, to individualism and doubts about after-life.
'Computer God' was the title of an unreleased song by The Geezer Butler Band, in 1986 - only the title made it to 'Dehumanizer'. The GBB version is available as a download on Geezer Butler's website. 'Master Of insanity' was also an unreleased GBB track and the 'Dehumanizer' version is essentially a re-recording of this. (1:17 minutes of this track is available as a download on the website of Carl Sentance, erstwhile vocalist with The GBB.)
Although the band lineup is the same as 1981's Mob Rules, the musical direction is very different - not only because of the aforementioned heaviness, but the songs are also darker, more pessimistic and more intense than in every earlier Sabbath album. It was a dramatic, and to some, welcome return from their previous album, Tyr.
Ronnie James Dio himself would follow this musical / lyrical direction in his next two albums with his band Dio, Strange Highways (1994) and Angry Machines (1996).
Commercially, this album is regarded as a resurgence for Sabbath. The album reached the Top 40 in the UK.
This incarnation of Sabbath ended when Ronnie James Dio abruptly quit the band upon guitarist Tony Iommi's suggestion that the band open for Ozzy Osbourne in Costa Mesa at the end of his 1992 tour, intended to be the farewell tour. Dio and Osbourne had a history of animosity, more from Osbourne's side but certainly not one-sided, and Dio felt that Sabbath should not open for any band, much less his 'rival' (and the band's former frontman) Ozzy Osbourne. Dio's contract expired at the end of the 'Dehumanizer' tour and he chose not to do the two Osbourne Costa Mesa shows.
For these two shows the band replaced Dio with Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford and, on the second night, Iommi, Butler and original Sabbath drummer Bill Ward joined Osbourne onstage for a four songs. Halford and Dio are friends (Dio having been impressed with Halford's work ethic on the 'Stars' project) and Halford would only do the Costa Mesa shows with Dio's blessing, which he received when he spoke with Dio by phone. Both shows were recorded in their entireties and are now widely circulated as audio and video bootlegs.
It is somewhat unclear as to whether this album was supposed to be a one-off affair or the beginning of a true reunion of this Sabbath line-up. Dio's contract technically ran out at the end of the album's tour (allowing him to quit the band in response to Tony Iommi's desire to have the band open for Ozzy Osbourne) which would suggest that future albums were not meant to be. However, Iommi also formally fired the other three band members (including twice firing singer Tony Martin) which would indicate that he never really intended to bring them back. It has been suggested that the album was officially a one-off effort but that the band members would continue if they found they could co-exist well enough to do so. According to Ronnie James Dio, the band could not get along sufficiently as the members' personalities and egos had not changed over the previous decade. There was also rumors that talks of a reunion with Ozzy took place during the 'Dehumanizer' tour, it being alleged that Iommi and Butler went so far as to discuss this with Osbourne, who ultimately backed out. It is possible these talks were used by the Osbourne camp to derail the 'Dehumanizer' reunion.
The album is set to be released in the Heaven and Hell box set The Rules of Hell.[1]
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio and Tony Iommi.
[edit] Side one
- "Computer God" – 6:10
- "After All (the Dead)" – 5:37
- "TV Crimes" – 3:58
- "Letters from Earth" – 4:12
- "Master of Insanity" – 5:54
[edit] Side two
- "Time Machine" – 4:10
- "Sins of the Father" – 4:43
- "Too Late" – 6:54
- "I" – 5:10
- "Buried Alive" – 4:47
[edit] Bonus track
The US-release added a bonus track:
- "Time Machine (Wayne's World Version)" – 4:18 This is the first recording of the song, specifically for the soundtrack to "Wayne's World" and ahead of the album sessions. It was also released as a 1-track promo CD.
[edit] Personnel
- Ronnie James Dio – vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitars
- Geezer Butler – bass
- Vinny Appice – drums
- Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
- Mack – producer, engineer, mixer
- Darren Gayler – engineer
- Stephen Wissnet – engineer
[edit] Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 30 June 1992 | I.R.S. Records |
| United Kingdom | ??? | EMI |
| United States | ??? | Reprise Records |
| Canada | ??? | Reprise Records |
