Rating: 5/5
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Should I even allow myself to post this review? I have so completely fallen in love with the fifth album from the San Franciscan sextet, it may be difficult to objectively criticize. The band was off my radar until last year, when Metal Blade scooped them up and decided to reissue their last four albums. Brad Barratt tackled all of those, so I decided to cruise down “17th Street” myself.

Rating: 2/5
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Mind over Metal Limerick 27

Rating: 3/5
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“Rendered Waters” proves that Kingdom Clone is still the more accurate name for this group.

Rating: 4/5
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Motörhead is still surly after all these years, and that suits me fine. The lead single “Get Back in Line” snarls “all things come to he who waits but these days most things suck”. At least they’re one of the things that doesn’t—a fact I’m glad to be reminded of, over and over again.

Rating: 3/5
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My main gripe is the way this album is structured. Mixing newer songs with modern live versions of older songs is a great way to confuse the listener and does nothing for the flow.

Rating: 3.5/5
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For lack of a better term, the music has more “bounce”, which injects a new energy into the BLS formula. Overall, this could very well be Black Label Society’s best record to date.

Rating: 2.5/5
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“Heavy Metal Thunder” is great if you’re looking for background noise for a night of drunken partying and unprotected sex. You won’t remember much of it the morning after, but it will compliment the sound of vomit splattering the inside of your toilet.

Rating: 3.5/5
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Is this a great album? Not quite. But, is it a great *tribute* album? Most certainly!

Rating: 4.5/5
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Peace indeed, “Blood of the Nations” is a fearless declaration of war if I’ve ever heard one. A Best of 2010 pick!

Review: 3.5/5 …

The difference in personnel helps change some of the overall sound, but not significantly enough to properly spotlight Gus G. guitar, above all else. I feel that this latest group will release more unique material once they become more comfortable playing with one another. Still, this is a remarkably consistent offering from Ozzy, his tenth studio solo release. Commodified as he may have become, it is reassuring to see one of Metal’s originators trying this hard.