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ROCK AND ROLL! => Black Sabbath => The Dio Years => Topic started by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 26, 2020, 06:57:49 AM

Title: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 26, 2020, 06:57:49 AM: It's not a secret that I love this album to bits, it beats Heaven & Hell and Mob Rules in my books... albeit by very small margins, and is only bettered in the whole history of muisc by SBS and Sabotage.

The album begins with Computer God, a phenominal peice of music which is the #2 song on the album. It's complex but the industrial sound works for me. It might have worked better as the album closer; perhaps just a straight swap with Buried Alive.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on December 26, 2020, 01:55:57 PM: I agree that there could have been a better opener: Neon Knights and Turn Up the Night got me expecting a fast rocker, so this slow burn start caught me off guard. It speeds up for the end, and that works well enough. I'd prefer Time Machine or TV Crime for the opener, but that's me.

The song itself is a strong tune, definitely Dio material, but the decade without Rainbow has helped out in getting him ready to do an album without wishing wells or country girls.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 26, 2020, 02:57:30 PM: Quote from: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 26, 2020, 06:57:49 AM
It's not a secret that I love this album to bits, it beats Heaven & Hell and Mob Rules in my books... albeit by very small margins, and is only bettered in the whole history of muisc by SBS and Sabotage.

:)) I have to laugh because of how you and I can very much agree of some things, yet very much disagree on others. The same guy who is keen enough to recognize how good NSD is, thinks that Dehumanizer is better than H&H and TMR. I still say the English are an odd bunch. :)

Anyhow, it's no secret that I hate this album. It falls behind H&H and TMR by a very wide margin. My reaction to the first song, Computer God, is about the same to most of the songs on this release. I hear the band playing, and it does nothing for me. It's not catchy, it doesn't get my juices flowing, it's just blah, ordinary music.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 26, 2020, 03:58:16 PM: ^^^
I did say it was the best but only by a small margin. ;)

And while we do agree on some aspects of the Ozzy albums, there are differences (MoR springs to mind). BUT, you really surprised me when you showed some love for H&H and TMR.

It should be clarified that I like music on its own merits, I would never say I don't like a song becuase it sounds a bit like Rainbow... because I liked Rainbow!
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on December 26, 2020, 04:42:38 PM: Ah Dehumanizer! The album that introduced me to all things heavy, to the greatest line up of the greatest band in the world and to the incredible vocals of the greatest singer that ever was mr. Ronnie James Dio.

The album kicks off with an incredible doomy number called COMPUTER GOD which is again one of those greatest tracks in the world. The simple yet exceptionally powerful drum intro that leads into one of Tony's greatest doomy riffs and Ronnie's soaring vocals. I still remember the goose bumps the song gave me on the very first listen, and it still does the same. What an incredible song. A modern classic...except ofcourse now it can just be called a classic being nearly 30 years old already...sheesh...how the time flies.

This is actually one of those only a handful of albums that have a slower opener that works to perfection. The album itself it one of the doomiest albums in existence so ofcourse the only way to start it is with an exceptionally doomy number. TV Crimes would have been the more traditional opener but honestly it might not have had that same impact that this song did (eventhough it is one of my absolute favourites on the album but more about that track later ofcourse) to the 15 or so year old Charger.

This is the song that started everything heavy for me and it sucked me in and never let go.

And gotta give a special mention to the incredible artwork...as I bought this album simply based on that artwork which blew my mind. It was the coolest album cover I had ever seen...and honestly it still remains one of the best artworks of all time.

Oh this is going to special...again.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 27, 2020, 08:11:46 AM: Quote from: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 26, 2020, 03:58:16 PM
It should be clarified that I like music on its own merits,

Me too. What I said was that when I play a Sabbath cd, I expect to hear Sabbath sounding music. Not music that sounds like another band, even if I like that other band.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 27, 2020, 08:57:24 AM: Quote from: Typhon on December 27, 2020, 08:11:46 AM
Quote from: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 26, 2020, 03:58:16 PM
It should be clarified that I like music on its own merits,

Me too. What I said was that when I play a Sabbath cd, I expect to hear Sabbath sounding music. Not music that sounds like another band, even if I like that other band.

Absolutely, but I wouldn't dislike that song if it was a good song. I don't think anything on Dehumanizer sounds like another band, but I agree that Ronnie maybe had more influence on the direction even if the rest of the band said no Dungeons and Dragons songs.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 27, 2020, 09:05:50 AM: Next up we have After All (The Dead). This is a good song even if I didn't "get it" straight away. Slow, doomy, heavy, this may be the most traditional Sabbath sound on the album.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on December 27, 2020, 09:50:53 AM: After All (The Dead) - This starts as slowly as the first, then moves into an excellent build and finish. Dio on top of his game here and even though it was two slower songs back to back, this is where I really started getting into the album.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on December 27, 2020, 11:13:42 AM: After All (The Dead) carries on with the extreme DOOOOOOMiness of the album. The slow Iommi intro is one of the best ones he's ever done and it builds up the song brilliantly.

In fact John Romero, the maker of the computer game DOOM loved that intro so much he wanted to use it in the game, but sadly wasn't allowed to so he made his own version of it which is surprise surprise the best level music on the game.

The lyrics are flawless, Ronnie's vocals are incredible, he manages to pour out his heart and soul and put so much presense into this song it is almost unreal. Geezer adds so much deep end to this song it pounds straight into your soul...and Vinny delivers a top notch drumming preformance as well.

This is probably my second favourite song on the album...it is just pure BLACK SABBATH perfection. Put this song on and you instantly know it's BLACK fuckin' SABBATH playing. SUBERB.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 27, 2020, 03:44:43 PM: Quote from: Typhon on December 26, 2020, 02:57:30 PM
I hear the band playing, and it does nothing for me. It's not catchy, it doesn't get my juices flowing, it's just blah, ordinary music.
Ditto for After All (The Dead).
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 28, 2020, 08:15:39 AM: TV Crimes is a short, uptempo, catchy song which is the last Sabbath single to make the UK Top 40 (#33). It's a really enjoyable song mocking the world of TV Evangilisms. It has a nice vocal performance, with quick, snappy, clever lyrics. It's a great little song.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on December 28, 2020, 02:46:38 PM: Loved the video for TV Crimes, as well. It's a great fast track with plenty of heavy riffiness. The drum track has a great engine sound to it, pointing the way to a LOT of stoner rock yet to be made.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 28, 2020, 03:13:18 PM: T.V. Crimes is a little more ear pleasing. Decent fast rocker. It doesn't get my feet tapping or inspire me enough to sing along, but passable.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 29, 2020, 08:25:20 AM: Next up is Letters From Earth. Probabkly my least favourite track on the album, but I still like it. A nice slower song to change the pace.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on December 29, 2020, 08:55:31 AM: TV Crimes is my absolute favourite. What a killer rocker with fantastic lyrics about the scum of the earth that pass themselves as men of "god". Probably one of my favourite lyrics of all of Sabbath.

Ronnie's vocals are again absolutely top notch. You can feel just how he gets more and more pissed off as the song goes along. Great emotion once again, something that only he could do.

The whole band works seamlessly together on this one.

It's a real shame this wasn't played live more as it is one of the best fast songs Sabbath has ever done, but I suppose also not an easy song to sing night after night. But luckily they did play it handful of times during the beginning of the Dehumanizer tour so we atleast have live version of it to listen to!
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on December 29, 2020, 08:58:41 AM: Leeeetters from EARTH, alllll RIGHT! DUH-DUH DUH-DUH da na na nee naa naa DUH-DUH DUH-DUH...

This is a textbook dissertation on how to do a doom song. "Not my fave, but I like it." - I think that sentiment of KDC's goes for a lot of fans, and for good reason. This is a solid track and I'm glad it's Dio singing it instead of Ozzy - as much as I wish a lot of 13 material was done by Dio instead of Ozzy... But when I look around at the doom-flavored scene of the last 20+ years, all the roads lead to Dehumanizer. They'll tag earlier Sabbath tracks, no question about that, but Dehumanizer is a single album that is wall-to-wall doom. This album is the one that gives a roadmap on how it all comes together. This album is a blueprint to follow if you're a young and hungry doom metal band, looking for a way to go in this biz.

Letters from Earth captures that roadmap/blueprint element. This isn't a greatest hits collection, so this is one of the tracks that's a dimmer light than the others on the album. But it still carries its own weight and keeps things going. It does not drag on the album, it underlines what's been going on and what's going to continue to happen.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 30, 2020, 06:19:30 AM: Master of Insanity is a strange track for me, it was my least favourite when it was released, it just didn't do anything for me and I would often skip it. But about 10-12 years ago it kinda clicked all of a sudden and I really like it now. I guess it was ahead of its time! ;)
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on December 30, 2020, 07:42:13 AM: Master of Insanity - unlike KDC, I loved it from the start, especially the monster chorus. This song goes all kinds of places, every one of 'em dark and doomy.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on December 30, 2020, 12:32:26 PM: I fell one behind so I'll do two today then...

Letter From Earth is another great track in an album full of great tracks. It also isn't among my favourites on the album but it's still such a killer track though. This is probably the most "ozzy" sounding Ronnie has ever been...both in vocal style and in vocal melody. Good catchy tune yet filled with good old school doom magic.

Master Of Insanity was a Geezer song...something he wrote for a potential solo project that never happened. Ronnie wrote some new lyrics and the band did some new music but the core of the song was pretty much the same. The bass intro alone is rather brilliant. But this song does drag on a bit...it is doomy as hell though and the chorus is indeed where the song comes alive.
Another testament on just how heavy the band was at the time...
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 30, 2020, 03:34:20 PM: Master Of Insanity always reminds me of Led Zeppelin's The Wanton Song because of the stop and go sections. Oddly enough, the main thing that annoys me with this tune is Ronnie's singing. It seems out of place here, and if I could remove him from the song, then I might actually like it.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 31, 2020, 07:48:14 AM: Side two kicks off with Time Machine. A catchy, uptempo yet still heavy song, a nice rumbling bass through out and good but short solo from Tony. Another really good song from this most excellent of album!
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 31, 2020, 07:51:43 AM: Quote from: Elves on December 30, 2020, 04:49:08 PM
Quote from: Typhon on December 30, 2020, 03:34:20 PM
Master Of Insanity always reminds me of Led Zeppelin's The Wanton Song because of the stop and go sections. Oddly enough, the main thing that annoys me with this tune is Ronnie's singing. It seems out of place here, and if I could remove him from the song, then I might actually like it.

That would be insane who else would you get to sing the song?

Nobody, the musicianship is good enough.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on December 31, 2020, 08:04:57 AM: ^^^^
There's a thing called "Modify" on the right corner of the post...use that instead of posting multiple posts after another please.

Time Machine is another stellar track. One would imagine doing a song for a movie they'd go all commercial...but oh no...not this band...never this band. Instead they come up with a monsterfully heavy fast rocker that has so much power and doom it could melt faces off from average movie goers.

Ronnie vocals are the absolute highlight here again...he soars away like no one else ever could. There's anger, there's power, there's presense...just pure brilliance.

Tony's monster riffing, great little solo and Geezer's pounding on that bass like nobody's business and Vinny's a master of the heavy drums.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 31, 2020, 08:16:06 AM: Quote from: Elves on December 31, 2020, 08:03:58 AM
Quote from: KiloDeltaCharlie on December 31, 2020, 07:48:14 AM
Side two kicks off with Time Machine. A catchy, uptempo yet still heavy song, a nice rumbling bass through out and good but short solo from Tony. Another really good song from this most excellent of album!
Which version, the standard or Wayne’s World?

Standard version. We're going through the album song by song, the Wayne's World version was a bonus track on the Deluxe edition (I think!), but at the end of the day it is still essentially the same song. ;)
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on December 31, 2020, 09:15:43 AM: Re. Typhon and "The Wanton Song" in Master of Insanity: Yes, I hear it there as well. Glad to know I'm not the only one that got that vibe. :)

And yes, standard version with "bloody lies" goes here. It's the dark chocolate version of the movie single which was the "bonus track" on the end of the US release. No idea why a band wouldn't just call it a regular track and leave it at that. It's a friggin' CD! Fill it up! A bonus is a *second* CD that's full of good stuff. Anyway...

Where was I? Oh yeah, dark chocolate. Very heavy, fast, and doomy with lots more bottom to it than the single version. I remember hearing the single on the radio (this was back when Z Rock was a thing in the USA, long live Z Rock...) and going, "yeah! New Sabbath with Dio! I'm in!" I hit the record store soon afterward, nabbed the CD and was really surprised at how much darker this version was than what I heard on the radio. Kind of the opposite of the album version of The Mob Rules and the HM movie version - movie was heavier in that case - this time the album version had more stopping power.

But I love them fast songs, yes I do.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on December 31, 2020, 02:38:30 PM: Quote from: Typhon on December 28, 2020, 03:13:18 PM
T.V. Crimes is a little more ear pleasing. Decent fast rocker. It doesn't get my feet tapping or inspire me enough to sing along, but passable.

Ditto for Time Machine.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on December 31, 2020, 03:35:53 PM: Quote from: Elves on December 31, 2020, 03:32:04 PM
Quote from: Typhon on December 31, 2020, 02:38:30 PM
Quote from: Typhon on December 28, 2020, 03:13:18 PM
T.V. Crimes is a little more ear pleasing. Decent fast rocker. It doesn't get my feet tapping or inspire me enough to sing along, but passable.

Ditto for Time Machine.

You really hate Ronnie.
:naughty:

He doesn't. Check out the Heaven and Hell thread.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on January 01, 2021, 07:24:01 AM: ^^^ I hadn't thought about it, but it does have the same line-up, so maybe!

--------------------

The next song is Sins of the Father, an early favourite, it's dropped down the order of the best tracks on this album, not because I like it less but because other tracks have grown on me. I find it doesn't really flow as well as other tracks, frankly it's a bit messy even. But I do still like the song, Ronnies vocals are good.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on January 01, 2021, 10:18:37 AM: Sins of the Father is another slow burn that keeps the album's vibe going forward.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 01, 2021, 12:04:42 PM: Sins Of The Father has a great chorus and very clever lyrics all around but it just quite doesn't match to the songs before it. It's not a weak song by any means but it just doesn't fully grab me as the others before it did.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on January 01, 2021, 03:26:27 PM: Sins Of The Father sounds like bits and pieces of 5 different songs all thrown together. It's like they couldn't decide what direction they wanted to take. A terrible track.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on January 02, 2021, 07:16:32 AM: Now we come to my favourite track on the album Too Late. It has a very similar vibe to Sign of the Southern Cross, which I also love. A quiet start, builds in atmosphere and volume as the protangonist meddles with things he doesn't understand. Effective use of keyboards to heighten the tension, great vocals, love the solo and the alround musicianship... sublime!
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 02, 2021, 11:35:57 AM: Too Late is about as close to a ballad as you could get on an album as heavy as Dehumanizer. Lyrically this is the only song that is closer to the stuff Ronnie's most known of, with some traces of Magic and good and evil and so on, but it is still quite far away from dragons and kings of the earlier albums. Which is yet another proof at just how brilliant of a lyricist Ronnie was. He could take the metaphors he loved so much and modernize them and still make a great metaphorical piece of lyric.

Musically this is tad bit softer but it does have some great tempo changes and a wonderful solo from Tony.

This might not be the most memorable track on the album but that doesn't mean it's a bad song...not by a country mile.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on January 02, 2021, 03:19:28 PM: Too Late is one of only two songs that I look forward to hearing on this album. Now this is how a slower paced song is suppose to sound, unlike the closer on MR. Ear pleasing melodies, strong riffs, very nicely balanced. It is easier for Ronnie to over-scream things in a slower paced tune, but his performance here is spot on. I think this song could have been used as this album's closer.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 02, 2021, 03:56:09 PM: ^^^
I have to agree that Too Late would have indeed been a perfect closer...much better than Buried Alive which would have fitted better in the middle of the album.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on January 03, 2021, 08:05:12 AM: We move on with I, which is a great song and which I think many consider the best on the album (It's up there for me but not quite top!).

It's quite a simple song with soft and fast parts and another great solo from Tony. The lyrics work well (on the whole, there's a couple of iffy lines!), and Ronnie does a good job.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 03, 2021, 12:37:44 PM: I is quite much like Falling Off The Edge Of The World an incredible epic of a song done in just over 5 minutes.

The slow intro leading into a super heavy monster of a song. Ronnie's soaring vocals are what really make this song so great. He inserts again so much aggression and emotion into the song that it is almost unreal.

This is such a great aggression song too...being about the little guy against impossible odds and still standing up and fight and prevailing. Powerful message in a powerful song.

Without a doubt one of the best tracks on this suberb album.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Tyr66 on January 03, 2021, 01:48:11 PM: When I discovered the back of the CD, I read the titles quickly without noticing this 9th almost invisible track in this graphic arc. It was only at the first listening while reading the lyrics in the booklet that I actually got it. And what a killer song ! I 've always enjoyed this Purple Haze intro with the Wah Wah pedal which then gives way to the devastating riff.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on January 03, 2021, 04:44:55 PM: I is the second of the two songs that I look forward to hearing on the release. Great all around contributions from the entire band. One question - is that Ronnie doing the "no-no-no" background vocals?
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Scott on January 03, 2021, 07:49:50 PM: Quote from: Typhon on January 03, 2021, 04:44:55 PM
I is the second of the two songs that I look forward to hearing on the release. Great all around contributions from the entire band. One question - is that Ronnie doing the "no-no-no" background vocals?
Sounds like him to me.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on January 04, 2021, 07:13:24 AM: The album closer is Buried Alive. A bit of a marmite song in that people either love it or hate it, not much opinion in between. Pesonally I love it, I've got used to it being the final song, but yes it might have worked better elsewhere on the album.

I'm curious, is this the heaviest song Sabbath ever did? It's damn close if it isn't, but I love the guitar work, the vocals the lyrics... everything about the song!
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 04, 2021, 08:03:31 AM: Buried Alive starts with a heavy yet kind of groovy riff and Ronnie's very angry sounding vocals soar through out the song. The heavy tempo does give in a bit during the chorus which I suppose it the weak part of the song. The bluesy sounding solo however seems bit out of place on an otherwise heavy and fast song.

I have to say I don't really espcially love the song but I most certainly don't hate it...it might be my least favourite on the album though. The main riff and Ronnie's vocals are brilliant though, but it just doesn't get me going as much as the other songs on the album.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on January 04, 2021, 10:05:24 AM: I like Too Late and Buried Alive, but I... I is the towering giant on the album. I came for the Time Machine, I stayed for the I.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on January 04, 2021, 01:44:10 PM: I'll rank the songs as:

1. Too Late
2. Computer God
3. I
4. Buried Alive
5. Afer All (The Dead)
6. TV Crimes
7. Time Machine
8. Master on Insanity
9= Sins of the Father
9= Letters From Earth

Do we want to do The Devil You Know next, or move onto Born Again?
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Zzzptm on January 04, 2021, 02:50:44 PM: Hmmm... not a huge fan of either of those, but TDYK might be one that a fresh listening to might get me to come around on, like I did with Black Sabbath from this excercise.

Pretty sure I'm still going to hate "Digital Bitch" the next time I hear it...
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on January 04, 2021, 03:22:39 PM: Buried Alive has some potential to be a good heavy tune, but it just never really makes it. A confusing mishmash of melodies and growling type vocals leave me shaking my head with disappointment, but thankful this album has finally come to an end.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Scott on January 05, 2021, 12:30:46 AM: It's only fitting to do TDYK.
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 05, 2021, 07:24:00 AM: Ofcourse The Devil You Know has to come next.

I'd rank the songs:

1. TV Crimes
2. I
3. Computer God
4. After All (The Dead)
5. Time Machine
6. Letters From Earth
7. Too Late
8. Master Of Insanity
9. Sins Of The Father
10. Buried Alive
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Typhon on January 05, 2021, 07:56:59 AM: Inserting my final rating of the albums for completion's sake.

Dehumanizer = 5/10
Title: Re: Dehumanizer - Song By Song
Post by: Charger on January 14, 2021, 03:11:38 PM: * * * * ½