Delays are inevitable yet sometimes delays work for the greater good producing some unprecedented magic like Magnetic Eye Records has had as of late. Whether it’s pandemic or production-related, there’s been a slew of releases from MER affected by recent events but the silver lining in this story is that it’s caused a flood of material to come out one after another as of late bringing us to Vol. 4 [Redux] (Following Zakk Sabbath’s Vertigo and the Alice In Chains [Redux] both released last month) focusing on the iconic Black Sabbath album as reinterpreted by a bevy of current legends, legends on the rise, and legends-in-the-making.
My favorite after Masters Of Reality, Vol. 4 (Except for “Changes”, cuz fuck that song) is kind of an underrated diamond in the rough in the Sabbath discography which has persevered thanks to stand outs and live staples like “Snowblind”, “Supernaut”, and the aforementioned “Changes” which found new life thanks to Ozzy’s solo take on the track.
But I digress.
Thou loudly kicks things off with an especially Doom-fueled version of “Wheels of Confusion” as Bryan Funck’s gravelly-voiced screams sounding especially sinister. The Obsessed slightly tweak “Tomorrow’s Dream” to make it more fantastic and fuzzed out while High Reeper take on “Changes” and transform it into on Heavy ass stomper that causes even an anti-fan of the song like myself to enjoy what’s happening.
The current bee’s knees in the Heavy world (Didja see the recent Decibel cover???) is Spirit Drift and here, they take on my favorite track as covered by my favorite artist and make it their own. We’re, of course, talking about “Supernaut” which was unforgettable when covered by 1000 Homo DJ’s (Read: Ministry) back in 1990. While it’s hard to separate from that other cover, SA still manage to make the Sabbath classic their own by injecting some levity into the dark anthem with beastly grooves and even more crunching riffage.
Green Lung turn “Snowblind” into this gorgeous 70’s-soaked Psych/Prog masterpiece that’s like a mix of old school Rush and Stillwater (Yes, I’m comparing them to a fictional band from Almost Famous) with some not-so-subtle shout out’s to the subject matter added to the chorus (It’s about cocaine, kids!) while Whores’ version of “Cornucopia” is simply electric.
Later, Haunt’s “St. Vitus Dance” is a booty shakin’ boogie woogie Metal showdown before the masters themselves, Zakk Sabbath (Who, of course, feature the one and only Zakk Wylde in their ranks), conclude the record with a straightforward but no less awesome cover of “Under The Sun”.
Vol. 4 [Redux] lands on October 30th through Magnetic Eye Records alongside a companion Greatest Hits album featuring Summoner, Caustic Casanova, Howling Giant, and more tackling other gems in the Black Sabbath discography. Pre-orders are live now and can be perused then purchased by heading here (And here for the Greatest Hits). For the latest on Magnetic Eye Records, including info on upcoming releases like the upcoming monster Day Of Doom live set, follow them across their socials by clicking here, here, or here.