This week's reissues reviewed
BLACK SABBATH
Masters of Reality (Deluxe Edition), Vertigo ***
Before the decapitated bats and the trainwreck reality-TV shows, Ozzy Osbourne used to be the singer in the band widely considered to have written the blueprint for modern metal and grunge. Sabbath were a juggernaut of a group, four Brummies hell-bent on flattening all in their path with battering-ram riffs and ear-bashing volume. Master Of Realitywas their third album, following the now-seminal Paranoidalbum, and it saw Sabbath hammering home their minimal, no-frills style. The album's muddier sound was achieved by guitarist Tony Iommi tuning his axe down to C sharp, and bassist Geezer Butler following suit. But though many modern metal bands owe a debt to Sabbath, the original model hasn't stood the test of time – Sweet Leaf, Children of the Graveand Into the Voidseem like quaint relics of malevolence, and the instrumental madrigals seem as out of place as Morris dancers at a Metallica concert. KEVIN COURTNEY
Download tracks: Sweet Leaf, Into the Void
FLIPPER
Generic/Gone Fishin'/Public Flipper Ltd./Sex Bomb Baby,
Domino
***
They've had a typically anarchistic lifespan – losing members to drugs; informing the post-punk era with their brand of riotous, atonal rock; and pre-empting the grunge movement by several years – but Flipper remain something of a niche band. The re-issue of their early 1980s studio albums (
Generic, Gone Fishin) as well as their live album
Public Flipper Ltd. and the singles collection
Sex Bomb Babyis unlikely to change that standing, but older fans will revel in the muddy, thrashy discordance of their "hits"
Sex Bomband
Get Away. Given that this band's appeal lies in their repellence of conformity, their live translations are appropriately hard-going - but
Gone Fishin'and
Sex Bomb Babyprovide good starting points for those curious about the quietly influential hardcore rockers. www.myspace.com/flipper
LAUREN MURPHY
Download tracks:
Life is Cheap, Sex Bomb, Get Away
