Released June 11, 2013 (US/North America)
Released June 10, 2013 (Everywhere else except…)
Released June 7, 2013 (Australia)

[ Lyrics ]


CD [ Amazon USAmazon UK ] | Deluxe CD [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]
Vinyl [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ] | Best Buy Deluxe [ US ]
MP3 [ Amazon USAmazon UK ] | MP3 Deluxe [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]
iTunes Standard [ US | UK ] | iTunes Deluxe [ US | UK ]
Super Deluxe Box [ Band Only Item ]

Track Listing

Standard CD / Vinyl

  1. End of The Beginning (8:06)
  2. God is Dead? (8:52)
  3. Loner (5:00)
  4. Zeitgeist (4:38)
  5. Age of Reason (7:01)
  6. Live Forever (4:47)
  7. Damaged Soul (7:52)
  8. Dear Father (7:20)

Deluxe 2CD / Digital Only

  1. Methademic (5:58)
  2. Peace of Mind (3:41)
  3. Pariah (5:35)

Best Buy Exclusive

  1. Naïveté in Black (3:51)

The Best Buy Exclusive also includes the extra tracks from the Deluxe 2CD version.   This version is also sold by some retailers in Europe too as their “Deluxe Edition”.    This track is also included on both the standard & Deluxe editions sold in Japan, but oddly enough the song is on Disc 1 there.   This may also be the single disc version in Germany too – unclear on this.

Spotify

  1. Dirty Women (Live)

The Spotify service includes a live version of “Dirty Women”.  I’ve not seen that on any physical media format.  If you have, please let me know.  Otherwise, the streaming Spotify version includes the first 11, and then the live version of Dirty Women, which was taken from one of the Australian shows earlier in 2013.

Writing Credits

  • All tracks written by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi & Geezer Butler
  • Published by Aston Music (ASCAP), Blizzard Music (ASCAP), & Valallen Music (ASCAP)
  • Geezer Butler wrote lyrics to 8 of the 12 released songs so far, Ozzy wrote the other 4.   One of which was Methademic.  The other three are as of yet not officially announced.
  • Full copyright is: “(c) 2013 BS Productions Limited, Under Exclusive License to Universal International Music BV.”

Credits

  • Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals, Harmonica
  • Tony Iommi – Guitars
  • Geezer Butler – Bass
  • Brad Wilk – Drums
  • Produced by Rick Rubin
  • Mixed by Andrew Scheps @ Punkerpad West, Van Nuys, CA
  • Recorded by Greg Fidelman
  • Additional Recording by Mike Exeter, Dana Nielson.  Assisted by Sara Lyn Killion, Seaon Oakley.
  • Recorded at Shangri La Studios, Malibu CA
  • Additional Recording at Tone Hall, Warwickshire, UK
  • Edited by Dana Nielson, Ryan Castle, Jason Gossman
  • Mastered by Stephen Marcussen & Stewart Whitmore at Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood CA
  • Album Design & Art Direction: Zip
  • Wicker Sculpture: Spencer Jenkins
  • Cover Photography: Jonathan Knowles
  • Cover Location: With Thanks to the Carey family @ Burcott Lodge Farm.

Catalogue Numbers

  • CD Universal 1853702 (US 2013 Standard)
  • CD Universal 1853872 (US 2013 Deluxe)
  • CD Universal B0018545-72 (US 2013 Best Buy)
  • CD Universal 577238 (JPN 2013 Standard)
  • CD Universal 577237 (JPN 2013 Deluxe)
  • LP Vertigo 3734960 (EUR 2013)

Notes

  • Per an interview with Geezer Butler, the name “13” was come up with by Ozzy, and at the time it was thought of, it isn’t any deeper than the fact that the album came out in 2013, and had 13 songs recorded for the project.  They ended up recording more than that later, but that was the meaning behind the name.
  • Brad Wilk is formally credited in the booklet as a “special guest musician”.
  • The band recorded 16 songs for the project.  Outside of the 12 listed above, the titles of the other four are: Cry All Night, Isolated Man, Season of the Dead, & Hanging By a Thread.  It is not known yet where these other four tracks will surface.
  • The band themselves didn’t choose what went on the album.  Which songs appeared on the album, and what was on the deluxe version etc was all done by Rick Rubin.
  • The song “Age of Reason” used to be called “Epic” when the album was being recorded.
  • Likewise, the song “Loner” was *NOT* called “Isolated Man” at the same time, this was confirmed to me via email by Geezer.
  • A working title for Loner was “Fountain Pen”, but that was never intended to be a final release, more of an in studio joke.
  • Likewise, a working title for Zeitgeist was “Moon Winnebago” – never intended to be a final name.  :)
  • The first single is “God is Dead?”, and it was formally released on Apr 19, 2013, although due to time zone differences, it showed up on Apr 18, 2013 in most of the United States/North America.
  • It was formally announced on January 13, 2013 that the new album’s name was “13”, and that Brad Wilk was the drummer.  This news broke due to time zone issues on Sunday night the 12th in the US.
  • It was Rick Rubin’s idea to get Brad Wilk, saying he sounds like an early Bill Ward, and that sound was “needed” for this material.
  • During recordings, the band spent at most 5 hours a day in studio, they didn’t want to “burn out” on the process.
  • This is the the first studio album with Ozzy under the banner of Black Sabbath since 1978, and the first official “Black Sabbath” studio album of any kind since 1995 (although you could make a case for 2008’s “The Devil You Know”).
  • This album was said to not be including any of the songs or work from the last attempt at a Mk I reunion album in 2001.
  • This was formally announced at a well publicized press conference at the Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles, CA on Nov 11, 2011 (@ 11:11AM PST) – with Bill Ward.
  • At the 11-11-11 press conference, Geezer Butler said that the new material “sounds like the old Sabbath style and sound”.
  • The work sessions for this album that were scheduled for January 2012 were to happen in Los Angeles.  Due to Tony Iommi’s cancer diagnosis late in 2011, said work sessions were moved to Tony’s home studio in England.
  • Bill Ward declined to participate in Spring of 2012 due to contractual issues.   This included all live dates from 2012 onwards as well as the recording of this album.   Ozzy, Tony, & Geezer do thank him in the liner notes, one of them referring to him as “Brother Bill”.
  • Adam Wakeman said that he did not play on the album, but will be there on live dates.
  • I asked if the album was recorded digitally or analogue and the answer was “Yes it was recorded to Pro Tools 10 at 96kHz sampling rate”.
  • Geezer Butler told me I was correct in that some of the lyrics in “End of the Beginning” are a reference to the Doctor Who TV series.  Specifically..  “Regeneration of your cybersonic soul, transformed in time and space beyond control.”   He told me that some of the lyrics from Zeitgeist are about Doctor Who as well.

Links

Images

  • Here is a picture of the single artwork for “God is Dead?”

God is Dead Artwork

  • Here is a picture of Tony, Geezer, & Ozzy from a New Zealand Press Junket on Apr 18, 2013

New Zealand 2013

  • Here is a picture of the studio band with engineer Mike Exeter.  It was taken on the final day at Shangri La studios during the recording of “13”.

Black Sabbath In the Studio 2013

  • Here is a picture of the band’s stage setup on the final rehearsal on April 17, 2013: 

sabbath2013stage

  • This is an advert from the May 26, 2013 Sunday paper in Dallas in a Best Buy ad.

Best Buy "13" Ad

 

  • In addition to the Deluxe CD with exclusive track Best Buy was offering, they were also offering a couple of exclusives with Black Sabbath T-Shirts.  Here’s what those shirts look like, and finally what the sticker on the front of the CD purchased from Best Buy looks like:

13_bestbuy_shirt

13_bestbuy_shirt2

Best Buy Sticker

  • Here is the sticker from the Europan print of the vinyl album.

 13 European Vinyl Sticker

  • This is a picture of the band from the 11-11-11 press conference:

Video

Here are various videos relating to the “13” project.  If any of them are not playing, please let me know.  Thank you.















  • Note that these lyrics are typed in by hand from the CD booklet that came with “13”.   While I’m not above making a typo, don’t go telling me the lyrics aren’t correct (which happens a lot).  If they’re in the CD booklet that way, well, then the problem is not with me.  :)

End of the Beginning

Is this the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?
Losing control or are you winning?
Is your life real or just pretend?

Reanimation of the sequence rewinds the future to the past.
To find the source of the solution the system has to be recast.

Release your mind
Fast forward to the secrets of your code.
Your life’s on overload
Delete or save the units that make you an entity
That’s your Identity.

If you don’t know which way to go you may feel lost and confused
A Second chance your time to lose

Regeneration of your Cyber sonic soul,
transformed in time and space beyond control.
Rise up resist and be the master of your fate.
Don’t look back, live for today, tomorrow is too late.

You don’t want to be a robot ghost occupied inside a human host.
Analysed and cloned relentlessly, synthesized until they set you free.

Alright, okay, alright till they set you free.
Alright, okay till they set you free.

Free.  Free.  I’m Free.  Be Free.

I don’t wanna see you – yeah yeah yeah yeah.
I don’t wanna see you – yeah yeah yeah yeah

God is Dead?

Lost in the darkness I fade from the light
Faith of my father, my brother, my maker and Saviour
Help me make it through the night
Blood on my conscience and murder in mind
Out of the gloom I rise up from my tomb
Into impending doom
Now my body is my shrine
The blood runs free, the rain turns red
Give me the wine you keep, the bread
The voices echo in my head
Is God alive or is God dead?
Is God dead?

Rivers of evil run through dying land
Swimming in sorrow they kill, steal and borrow
There is no tomorrow for the sinners will be damned
Ashes to ashes, you can not exhume my soul

Who do you trust when corruption and lust,
Creed of all the unjust leaves you empty and unwhole
When will this nightmare be over, tell me?
When can I empty my head?
Will someone tell me the answer
Is God really dead?
Is God really dead?
To safeguard my philosophy until my dying breath
I transfer from reality into a living death

I empathize with enemies until the time is right
With God and Satan at my side, from darkness will come light
I watch the rain as it turns red
Give me more wine I don’t need bread
These riddles that live inside my head

I don’t believe that God is dead!
God is dead
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
Wondering if we will meet again on the other side
Do you believe a word, what the good book says
Or is it just a holy fairytale and God is dead
God is dead
God is dead
God is dead
God is dead
Right!
But still the voices in my head are telling me that God is dead
The blood pours down, the rain turns red
I don’t believe that God is dead!
God is dead
God is dead
God is dead

Loner

He’s just a loner.
He never says hello.
A friend to no one
He’s got no place to go.

He don’t look happy
He looks through furtive eyes
He aint got nothing
No one to sympathize

He hides himself away
His secrets not revealed
As life just passes by
He keeps himself concealed

A solitary man
An enigmatic child
A riddle never solved
A prisoner exiled.

I wonder if the loner can assimilate
A life less lived alone plays devil’s advocate

Has he ever tried to be happy?
reached out from inside
someone on who he can depend
It’s getting too late to recover
He won’t stand a  chance
and into his own hell he’ll descend.  Don’t descend.

No understand of things we already know
He has to live his life and just learn how to let go.

Communication’s an impossibility
His own best friend but he’s his own worst enemy.
The secrets of his past locked deep inside his head.
I wonder if he’ll be happy when he’s dead.

Zeitgeist

Astral engines in reverse
I’m falling through the universe again
Down among the deadmen’s vision
Faded dreams and nuclear fission spent

The strings of theory are holding up the race
The puppets falling to the ground
The love I feel as I fly endlessly through space
Lost in time, I wonder will my ship be found

On this sinking ship I travel faster than the speed of light
Not so supernova burns
The black holes turn and fade from sight

The strings of theory hide in the human race
The answers buried underground
The love I feel as I fly endlessly through space
Lost in time, I wonder will my ship be found

And very soon the bomber’s moon will show us light
And as we crash we’ll pray and kiss and say goodnight.
Goodnight.

Age of Reason

Do you hear the thunder raging in the sky?
Premonition of a shattered world that’s gonna die

In the age of reason, how do we survive?
The protocols of evil ravaging so many lives?

Mystifying silence talking peace on Earth
We should judge each other for ourselves
not what we’re worth.

Sustainable extinction, a fractured human race.
A jaded revolution disappears without a trace

Always felt that there’d be trouble
Mass distraction hides the truth
Prozac days and sleepless hours
Seeds of change that don’t bear fruit

These times are heavy and you’re all alone
The battle’s over by the war goes on

Politics, religion, love of money too.
It’s what the world was built for but not for me and you

Live Forever

Just before you die they say you’ll see your life go flashing by
Cold dark endless night, to burn in hell or bathe in Heaven’s light.

Well I don’t want to live forever but I don’t want to die.
I may be dreaming but whatever, I live inside a lie.

Days pass by too son, waiting for the rising of the moon
No escape from here, facing death but is your conscience clear

I may be dreaming or whatever, watching my life go by
And I don’t want to love forever but I don’t want to die

Well, I don’t want to live forever but I don’t want to die.
I may be dreaming but whatever, I live inside a lie

Don’t want to live forever but I don’t want to die.
Don’t want to live forever but I don’t want to die.

Damaged Soul

Born in a graveyard adopted by sin
I cultivate evil that’s living within
A preacher tried saving my black damaged soul
Possessed by a demon that had full control

The time it is coming when all life will end
With doomsday approaching to hell we’ll descend
Religion won’t save me, the damage is done
The future has ended before it’s begun

Death’s hand and the crazy, I can’t stand the light of day
Watching all the victims on their knees as they pray.
God of the almighty never answers their call
Satan is just waiting for the righteous to fall to him.

I don’t mind dying cause I’m already read.
Pray not for the living I’ll live in your head
Dying is easy it’s living that’s hard
I’m losing the battle between Satan and God.

Dear Father

A childhood innocence was drowned in your tears
The demons that you fought are feeding your fears
The poisoned secrets of your life stand revealed
The truth destroys you, it’s no longer concealed

Dear Father forsaken, you know what you were doing
In silence your violence has left my life in ruin
Yeah, in ruin, yeah

You preyed upon my flesh them prayed for my soul
Belief betrayed by lust the faith that you stole
Indoctrination by a twisted desire,
The catechism of an evil messiah

Dear father forgive me, I know just what I’m doing
In silence this violence will leave your life in run
Yeah, in ruin, yeah

Preacher of theocracy hiding your hypocrisy
Under a false sanctity, holy phoney empathy
You have taken my life, now it’s your turn to die

Can you sleep at night?
When you close your eyes do you think of all the pain from your lies?
Or do you deny you’re responsible for the victims of the sins you devised?

What you gonna tell them when they ask you?
Well then this is your conscience pure in your hear?
There is no exemption when you seek redemption for all the lives that you’ve torn apart

Your molestations for the cross you defiled,
A man once holy now despised and revised
You took possession while confessing my sins
And now you have to face whatever death brings, yeah

Dear father forsaken, you know what you were doing
In silence your violence has left my life in ruin, yeah
In ruin yeah, yeah, yeah
In ruin yeah.

Methademic

The epidemic from a crystal lie puts you in a super overdrive
The methademic that is so hard to hide,
Insanely staring with wide eyes.

Hallucinating in a chemical hell ain’t my idea of having fun
Synthetic overload, you’re under it’s spell.
Your super nightmare’s just begun

You try to stop but it controls you.
Your love affair with it won’t last.
You’re on a suicidal ride of self-destruction,
And in the end you’re gonna crash.

You live too fast.  You live too Fast.

You look just like a dead man live,
Losing the fight for survival.
You sit and wait at hell’s fiery gate,
Waiting the Devil’s arrival – ha ha.

You love so fast you need more methademic crystal
You never sleep you just keep going’
Just push the trigger on your hypodermic pistol.
Each time you’re dying without knowing.

You live too fast.  You live too fast.

What’s the point?
It’s killing you without you even knowing.
I can tell you’ve sold your soul and hell is where you’re going.
Ha Ha, I’ll see you there.

Ahhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhh.

Peace of Mind

I wish somebody would empty my head.
I am so sorry for the things that I’ve said.
This hopeless feeling that’s living inside.
I’m just a lonely soul who’s trying to find some peace of mind.

I ain’t no hero. Who’s gonna save you?
I’ll just say hi as I’m passing right through.
I ain’t that crazy, I’m only here for the ride.
So please forgive me while I’m trying to find some peace of mind.

I don’t believe a word.
It doesn’t matter if I’m wrong or right.
Wrong or right.  It wasn’t long ago.
If tomorrow I could win the fight.  The fight.

Caught in the middle as the front line falls,
It looks like I don’t stand a  chance.
If only I could turn my life around,
How would I find the circumstance.

Read in between the lines.
Truth that is neither black nor white. Black nor White.
Just give me something real.
Broken man, still searching for the light in the night.

Caught in the middle as the front line falls.
It looks like I don’t stand a chance.
If only I could turn my life around,
Or is this just the circumstance.

Pariah

Pariah from soceity
Addicted to sobreity.
A product of a virgin birth,
Another God on Earth.
Yes that’s your fantasy.

Do you believe every word I say?
Make your own truth and get out of my way

I’m your pariah, for your desire.
Ain’t no Messiah, just your pariah.

You say that you can read my mind.
Be careful of what you might find.
You think that you can be like me,
And see what my eyes see,
But you’re no friend of mine.

An Angel or the Antichrist
A symbol of your own device,
Pathetic in your own sad way.
You’re just one pill away from taking my advice.

Do you believe every word I say?
Make up your mind and get out of my way.

I’m your pariah, for your desire.
Ain’t no Messiah, just your pariah.

Do you believe that I’m from heaven?
That I descended from the sky?
The graven image of a pseudo icon,
To worship me on high.

I’m not your saviour.
I got no wings to fly.
Just your pariah,
Don’t look to me when your life is over.

I’m your pariah, for your desire.
Ain’t no messiah, just your pariah.

Ain’t no messiah, just your pariah.

Naïveté in Black

Guess we’re all running out of time
So live your own life and let me live mine
To each their own to question why
We’re all just links that forge the chain of life

But who am I to interfere
Think for yourself and keep your conscience really clear

Learn from each other so they say
But no one listens to them anyway
Inactive factions stir in time
Procrastination at the scene of the crime

There’s no return, no guarantee
Accept the terms and let your fate be free be free

You gotta let yourself see
And let your feelings go free
Accept your own ability
Don’t want to end up like me

A dynasty of doubt and hate
Religion, politics, self-mutilate
The privilege of being here
All born from nothing ’til we disappear

There’s no return, no guarantee
Accept the terms and let your fate be free you’re free

Comments

  1. Hi Joe,

    many thanks for the lyrics! Just a little, but important correction: in the lyrics for “Dear Father”, you wrote “You have taken my wife, now it’s your turn to die”. However, Ozzy sings “You have taken my LIFE, now it’s your turn to die”. That’s how it is written in the artwork as well, and it makes more sense with the meaning of the text anyway.

    Thanks again for your great work!

    Best,
    Linda

    • You’re right. As I said, I’m not above a typo, and I was trying to type all that in fast. Fixed. Thanks for the heads up.

  2. Chris Tatton says

    Hello, Joe

    In regards to ‘Dear Father’ I have noticed a couple more mistakes, very small ones though.

    Second chorus: Left my life in RUN and also it says ‘once a holy man now despised and revised’. I’m sure Ozzy says ‘reviled’

    Other than that it all great

    Many Thanks,
    Chris

  3. Alex Fabian says

    such a great album! i love it so much! greatest thing they put out in years

  4. Thanx 4 the lyrics,Ol’ Geezer really nailed it!!! In my opinion the best trax are:End of the Beginning,Zeigiest,and Methademic.I am very pleased with 13!!!and i am also excited that each successive listen brings the disk into better view (in other words:it grows all over you).so happy!What a great day!SABBATH4EVER!!

  5. fishtowner says

    I liked how they used the intro to black sabbath at the ending of Dear father.

  6. It is indeed here and it is brilliant!

    I went into the idea of a new album with high hopes, but very low expectations and I have not been disappointed. Is it a classic among Black Sabbath albums? Too early to tell and probably not. But after my first 2-3 complete listens through it, I’m satisfied with a very good, very solid album.

    Well Done, boys!

  7. CRY ALL NIGHT!

    Cool factoid regarding the Making 13 DVD. At the 2nd chapter at around the 13:16 mark, where Rick Rubin is listening to Oz sing the end verse part for Dear Father, you see the lyric sheet for Cry All Night

    Havent seen this posted anywhere and thought it was pretty dam cool. Another Sabb song we are waiting for

    Added The Rebel to my playlist tonight to 13, that gives me 13 tracks with Naivete in Black. Think about it, one of the first EARTH/SABBATH tracks along side 13

  8. stargazer830 says

    On EOTB, the lyrics should be, “Rise up, RESIST and be the master of your fate”. Not “reset”.

    • Fixed. As I said, I typed them all in in a hurry. There’s bound to be a few typoes and brain farts like that somewhere along the line. :)

  9. I have the Dirty Women from spotify and iw as recorded Live 29.04.2013 in Melbourne, Australia.
    I compared the spotify version with all bootlegs from Australian shows.

    So, do you want the Dirty Women live?

    • Thanks, I just wanted to write the same thing. :-) Correct, I also identified the Spotify track as originating from 2013-04-29 Melbourne. My comparison to one of the available audience recordings of the same gig also shows that the sound engineers had to do some serious work to make Ozzy’s singing sound correct. This is notable, for example, at min 0:50 of the Spotify track, where Ozzy’s singing is in the correct key, while it is notably too low in the audience recording. Depressing. They already did the same thing with the 1998 Reunion album which was recorded 1997 in Birmingham. It’s not unusual that official live releases are manipulated in the studio (UFO’s famous “Strangers in the Night” album even contains two live-in-the-studio tracks with applause edited in, if I remember correctly), but it’s of course more obvious when the singer has problems to find the correct key.

  10. I read the entire article and unless I overlooked it, I’m just wondering, do all versions come with the lenticular cover or just the deluxe?

  11. Thanx for the lyrics, great work! I’m the singer of the *as I know* only hungarian cover band of Black Sabbath, so you helped me a lot not to type the lyrics by myself ;-) Thanx again!

    Some mistype to correct as I hear:

    Loner: after the solo: “No understandING”
    Live Forever: “And I don’t want to LIVE forever but I don’t want to die”
    Damaged Soul: “I don’t mind dying cause I’m already DEAD”
    Dear Father: “Dear Father forsaken, you KNEW what you were doing”
    “A man once holy now despised and REVILED”

  12. “This is the the first studio album with Ozzy under the banner of Black Sabbath since 1978, and the first official “Black Sabbath” studio album of any kind since 1995 (although you could make a case for 2008′s “The Devil You Know”).”

    Don’t you mean 2009?

  13. I want another new album! the best of the best… I love sabbath since 8 years. Like a drug

  14. What is this that stands before me? New Sabbath!!!!! The album I’ve been waiting 15 years for. I’ve been a Sabbath fan for 37 years. I’m 46. So, this album means a whole lot to me. And it is awesome. I never would’ve expected an album this great, but that’s what happened. Just when I was losing faith that my favorite band since I was 9 would stay together I reminded myself: Never Say Die!!!! Sabbath is immortal.

  15. Jordan Farquharson says

    Is that REALLY Ozzy playing harmonica on Damaged Soul? I heard it’s somebody named Stanley Behens.

  16. Fabian Serru says

    The live version of “Dirty Woman” is from the upcoming release of “Live…Gathered In Their Masses” I know cause i already have the DVD and the audios are the same.

  17. There is 1CD exclusive version for Germany with Naivete in Black, I’ve seen photos my aunt sent me when I asked her to buy the 2CD version with naivete in black, she bought standard 2CD edition and the 1CD exclusive edition, later she exchanged them for the 2CD exclusive edition, but it’s certain that 1CD exclusive edition exist, secondly the Spotify bonus track is the same track as will be available on Live Gathered in their Massess.

  18. If you folks like techy stuff here’s an interesting piece on the recording and mixing of 13
    http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug13/articles/it-0813.htm

    (Joe, if linking to stuff in comments is bad form, not offence taken if you delete this!)

  19. I’ve Always categorize the Ozzy Era in 4 different “sub-eras” when it comes to the Music style and their progression.
    Era 1 (68-70): The early demos.
    Era 2: Black Sabbath. Paranoid & Master of reality
    Era 3: Vol 4, SBS & Sabotage
    Era 4: Technical Ecstasy & NSD

    First of all, “13” is ABSOLUTELY a worthy album, and without a doubt suitable to stand in the same shelf as the other eight, even that it’s not Bill playing on it. I know that this is an infected question, and believe me; I think it would have completed the Sabbath story in a better way with all four original guys playing, than a “stand in” drummer. But it turned out this way, and as a drummer myself (Bill was my no:1 influence during my whole childhood and teens when I started to play) I have to say that Brad does a 110% good effort to do it the way “Bill would have done it back in 71”.

    In fact, no disrespect to Bill, but I think even Brads effort on this album even copy Bills style of drumming “back in the days” better than Bill would have today. Maybe I’m wrong, we’ll never know. Maybe I get cursed by saying this here, but that’s what I think. As a long time drummer, analyzing the s*it out of Bills awesome style all my life, Brad is a genius, and first I thought they were way off involving him, but man, I was wrong.

    Ozzys voice, well I think it’s too much to ask for a twenty-five-year Ozzy again. His voice is like it is today, but in my opinion I think it’s turned out better than I thought. In some parts of the album, he rules! Geezer and Tony deliver well as hell, as always.

    With that said, and because of my earlier posts about their releases in the seventies, it would be wrong not to analyze “13” as well, and try to fit each song in the eras mentioned above. You are absolutely right if you tell me that “13” stands for itself, but I’m a Sabbath-nerd and because I do think “13” actually mirrors all four Ozzy-Sabbath eras more or less, I can’t help it!

    1. End of the beginning: First half absolutely “Era 2”. Ending part “Era 3 & 4”
    2. God is dead: First half absolutely “Era 2”, the “swing riff” in the end is definitely “Era 3”.
    3. Loner: “Era 2” No doubt!
    4. Zeitgeist: “Era 2”
    5. Age of reason: Hard to say with this one. I think “Era 2-4” actually.
    6. Live forever: “Era 2 & 4”
    7. Damaged soul: “Era 1 & 2”
    8. Dear father: I would say “Era 3, other half and ending “Era 2”.

    Bonus tracks:
    1. Methademic: None
    2. Peace of mind: “Era 2”
    3. Pariah “Era 3” (The typical Era 3 kind of swing)
    4. Naiveté in Black: None

    I can see why “Methademic” and “Naiveté in Black “ended up on the bonus disc, cause they’re really songs that most of all “stands out” compared to Sabbaths original sound. Great songs both of them, it’s not that, but more “modern”.

    The album is great, and a worthy end for this incredible band, and if they would do another one, I’m the first one to buy it! :-) If I had power to change anything, I would switch “Live forever” to the bonus disc with “Pariah”.

    Thank you Black Sabbath for all those years! I totally agree with what Bill once said; -“To me this band was more than a band, it was a phenomenon”.

    God bless Black Sabbath!

  20. Linus is absolutely right about the Bill Ward and Ozzy part of this record. I saw Sabbath in 2005 on the last tour with Bill and he struggled through it the whole night…. he barely kept up. Ozzy was able to stay in key the whole night except for some of the single notes of Electric Funeral, but it took considerable effort on his part to make that happen as well. I think I saw them on one of the nights where Iron Maiden played for so long they cut into Sabbath’s set, because they did not play The Wizard, and other then Dirty Women, they pretty much stuck to the first 3 records, teases of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Symptoms Of The Universe aside. Man Joe, you were so lucky to get to see them way back in 83, I think that’s the best tour they ever did. Did you get to see them in ’92 as well? Because from what I’ve heard on the recordings of that tour, Ronnie sang the Ozzy stuff even better then he did in the 80s at that point! I wanted SO BADLY to see Heaven And Hell, partially because at that point, other then the first album that Ronnie did, I hadn’t heard much of that era of Sabbath at that point, I was just stuck on MK1. MK1 are the most important version of the band you know! But other then that the most important version would have to be MK2/MK3 because that version did the most work that mattered other then MK1. I love MK4/5 but that version of the band was incredibly short lived. I really wish they’d release a DVD of the Dehumanizer and Born Again tours…..

  21. On your lyrics for Pariah, the 2nd and 3rd parts are backwards:

    Pariah from society
    Addicted to sobriety
    A product of a virgin birth
    Another god on earth
    Yes that’s your fantasy

    You say that you can read my mind
    Be careful of what you might find
    You think that you can be like me
    And see what my eyes see
    But you’re no friend of mine

    Do you believe every word I say?
    Make your own truth, and get out of my way

    I’m your pariah
    For you desire
    Ain’t no messiah
    Just your pariah

  22. I first heard this album on my birthday here in China on June 13, 2013. It was the perfect birthday for me! It was up for listening on Baidu a few days earlier but I didn’t listen to it until my birthday. It was also the first Ozzy era Black Sabbath album I heard first in a foreign country and the first album of all new material by any band in another country. I bought it in Newbury Comics two days after I visited my hometown for the summer. I also had the honor of seeing Black Sabbath live on August 12, 2013 in Mansfield, MA about two weeks before I went back to China. Although I often listen to 13 year round, I make a point out of playing 13 on my birthday every year. My favorite songs are End of the Beginning, Age of Reason, Damaged Soul, Zeitgeist, and Loner. Methademic, Pariah, Peace of Mind, and Naiteve In Black are also great songs.

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  24. Dan Summers says

    The rain, thunder and church bell at the closer of Dear Father brings their whole catalog full circle. :)

  25. I can confirm there was Germany-Austria exclusive nersion with Naivete in Black, both 2CD and 1CD.

    Furthermore, there is a blu-ray audio edition, that is the biggest scam of all, the audio sounds the same and the back cover claims it to have Naivete in Black, but it’s not there.

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