Review of BLACK SABBATH FAQ BY MARTIN POPOFF
by Kyle Nonneman
[Note: this was composed in prison where proof-reading facilities are notoriously bad. Please don't hold that against the author. You can contact Kyle through the address listed at the end of this entry.]
Book review ofBLACK SABBATH FAQ BY MARTIN POPOFF
Martin Popoff is in many ways to metal journalism what S.T. Joshi is to the horror field. Joshi is a scholar and brilliant analyst of traditional, classical and quiet horror and a vehement detractor of modern hardcore horror.
With Popoff, later Sabbath is ignored and criminally underrated like post Human Death. Most coverage of Sabbath from Hal Leonard tab books , tribute albums and greatest hits packages usually don't cover anything past the Ozzy era and even then emphasis is given to the first four or five records .
This excellent book on the other hand is a completist study and analysis of all aspects of Sabbath's legacy. Popoff, for example, shines a light on how the mastering job on Born Again influenced extreme metal. Popoff doesn't mention Cannibal Corpse covering Zero The Hero on the Hammer Smashed Face single.And Cannibal Corpse don't mention this Sabbath album in their official biography, Bible Of Butchery.
But Popoff answers the question as to why this was likely chosen as a cover.Being an obscure deep cut. One of the more interesting extreme metal takes on Sabbath.
Not as interesting or hilarious as what Blowfly did to Sabbath and Ac/DC on Black In The Sack, Better then Xasthur doing National Acrobat or Brutal Truth's Lord Of This World, Avulsed doing Neon Knights or Belphegor's take on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
My favorite Sabbath cover is Flower Travelin Band doing Black Sabbath on their Anywhere Lp from 1970. All the post drone metal shoegaze sludge dripping from the neck beards of hipster noise rock bands that's become trendy lately was invented and pioneered decades earlier by Flower Travelin Band's Anywhere Lp.
Popoff incorrectly says no obvious Sabbath worship existed In the 1970s and erroneously states that Sucks cover of War Pigs from 1971 was the first recorded Sabbath cover. That honor goes to Flower Travelin Band not Suck.
Another minor error is Popoff gives Vol 4 a rating of 8. Despite previously giving Vol 4 a rating of 10 in Riff Kills Man. The only review from Riff Kills Man that needed revision was In Uetro.
(The 20th Anniversary reissue has the original Albini mixes.The original Albini mastering was neutered in post by a major label hack in the version reviewed by Popoff)
Popoff also declines to comment on the urban legend that the Live At Asbury Park New Jersey Ozzy era show was a board mix pressed and distributed by the New Jersey mob.
Popoff also claims there's a trace of Sabbath tribute to be found in Judas Priest's name. Kk Downing says on Page 42 of Heavy Duty Priest is named after a Bob Dylan song.
Also in Popoff's chapter on bands named after Sabbath no mention is made of Electric Wizard. The band that redefined heaviness! Their very band name is an amalgamation of two Sabbath tracks. They also used the same font Sabbath did on there S/T debut.
Earlier in Popoff's chapter on the doom genre, Sleep Vol 1 is cited but not Dopesmoker.
NOTE: [I lost the rest of this review. When I find it, I'll add it here. Stay tuned! MB]
[Note: this was composed in prison where proof-reading facilities are notoriously bad. Please don't hold that against the author. You can contact Kyle through the address listed at the end of this entry.]
Book review of
BLACK SABBATH FAQ BY MARTIN POPOFF
Martin Popoff is in many ways to metal journalism what S.T. Joshi is to the horror field. Joshi is a scholar and brilliant analyst of traditional, classical and quiet horror and a vehement detractor of modern hardcore horror.
With Popoff, later Sabbath is ignored and criminally underrated like post Human Death. Most coverage of Sabbath from Hal Leonard tab books , tribute albums and greatest hits packages usually don't cover anything past the Ozzy era and even then emphasis is given to the first four or five records .
This excellent book on the other hand is a completist study and analysis of all aspects of Sabbath's legacy. Popoff, for example, shines a light on how the mastering job on Born Again influenced extreme metal. Popoff doesn't mention Cannibal Corpse covering Zero The Hero on the Hammer Smashed Face single.
And Cannibal Corpse don't mention this Sabbath album in their official biography, Bible Of Butchery.
But Popoff answers the question as to why this was likely chosen as a cover.
Being an obscure deep cut. One of the more interesting extreme metal takes on Sabbath.
Not as interesting or hilarious as what Blowfly did to Sabbath and Ac/DC on Black In The Sack, Better then Xasthur doing National Acrobat or Brutal Truth's Lord Of This World, Avulsed doing Neon Knights or Belphegor's take on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
My favorite Sabbath cover is Flower Travelin Band doing Black Sabbath on their Anywhere Lp from 1970. All the post drone metal shoegaze sludge dripping from the neck beards of hipster noise rock bands that's become trendy lately was invented and pioneered decades earlier by Flower Travelin Band's Anywhere Lp.
Popoff incorrectly says no obvious Sabbath worship existed In the 1970s and erroneously states that Sucks cover of War Pigs from 1971 was the first recorded Sabbath cover. That honor goes to Flower Travelin Band not Suck.
Another minor error is Popoff gives Vol 4 a rating of 8. Despite previously giving Vol 4 a rating of 10 in Riff Kills Man. The only review from Riff Kills Man that needed revision was In Uetro.
(The 20th Anniversary reissue has the original Albini mixes.The original Albini mastering was neutered in post by a major label hack in the version reviewed by Popoff)
Popoff also declines to comment on the urban legend that the Live At Asbury Park New Jersey Ozzy era show was a board mix pressed and distributed by the New Jersey mob.
Popoff also claims there's a trace of Sabbath tribute to be found in Judas Priest's name. Kk Downing says on Page 42 of Heavy Duty Priest is named after a Bob Dylan song.
Also in Popoff's chapter on bands named after Sabbath no mention is made of Electric Wizard. The band that redefined heaviness! Their very band name is an amalgamation of two Sabbath tracks. They also used the same font Sabbath did on there S/T debut.
Earlier in Popoff's chapter on the doom genre, Sleep Vol 1 is cited but not Dopesmoker.
NOTE: [I lost the rest of this review. When I find it, I'll add it here. Stay tuned! MB]
You can (and should) write to Kyle
You can (and should) write to Kyle
Kyle Nonneman
#16534211
Snake River Correctional Institution
777 Stanton Blvd
Ontario OR 97914-8335
My (Mykel's) Blog is at https://mykelsblog.blogspot.com
My (Mykel's) Blog is at https://mykelsblog.blogspot.com
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