13

1. 01End of the Beginning8:06
2. 02God Is Dead?8:52
3. 03Loner5:00
4. 04Zeitgeist4:38
5. 05Age of Reason7:01
6. 06Live Forever4:47

There's a lot of pressure involved with being the rulers of the underworld, and nobody knows it better than Black Sabbath in 2013. Inarguable legends and at least partially responsible for creating heavy metal as we know it with their classic '60s and '70s material, Sabbath have spawned generations of followers and become one of the final words of the genre. There have been countless reunions and mutations of the band following vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's first dismissal in 1978, and even 13 doesn't quite deliver on fans' decades-long desires to see all four original members back together. Original drummer Bill Ward sits the record out due to disputes over the recording contract, with Audioslave/Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk providing beats in his stead. Despite this considerable absence, 13 comes closest to recapturing the desperate feel, plodding grooves, and unparalleled metal magic of those first classic Sabbath records than anything the members of the band have done since, in any permutation or combination of members. Kicking off with two sludgy tracks, each over eight minutes long, the Rick Rubin-produced 13 takes a few moments to get its legs. Once warmed up, howev…