• AllMyVinyl #63
• Band: Black Sabbath
• Album Title: Dehumanizer
• Release Date: 22 Jun 1992
• Date purchased: 26 Oct 2021
• Location purchased: From Rhino
• Color of vinyl: black
• Number of discs: 2
• Links: [ Wikipedia | Discogs | Band Website | Complete album on Youtube ]

Well, this was a great album.  A great HEAVY album.  Basically – it kicked ass.  Another one I’m tempted to write just that for, but I know I can’t.  :)

At the time Black Sabbath had broken up the Headless Cross / Tyr lineup to reform with Ronnie James Dio.  It wasn’t initially just for a Mob Rules reunion.  At the time Cozy Powell was still in the band, they just got back together with Dio and Geezer.   For a brief time in 1991, we had the rhythm section of Cozy Powell & Geezer Butler, something which had never happened before.  But alas, it wasn’t to be as nothing they demoed was ever officially released.  I don’t want to spend TOO much time on the early stages of the creation of this album – I have it in excruciating detail on the timeline page over on my Black Sabbath page – check it out of you want more detail.  But the end result was that we ended up with a Mob Rules reunion, despite it not starting out that way.  Not that I objected to that, I quite liked Mob Rules, but this wasn’t Mob Rules II – much in the same way Mob Rules wasn’t Heaven & Hell II.  This was much darker – in a lot of ways it led the path for what Ronnie would do in the next couple of Dio albums after this reunion fell apart.

When this came out in 1992, I was long past buying vinyl.  What I don’t remeber now 30+ years later is if I even SAW it on vinyl back in the day.  If I did, I definitely didn’t buy it.  When I bought it, the CD came in the old longbows.  Anyone reading this remember the long box?  I have a picture of the one for Dehumanizer below.  It’s not my picture, I was sent it ages ago by someone for my Sabbath site, but this seemed like a good time to break it out.  Look below in the photos for it.  Anyway, I bought it on CD for sure, and while there was a cassette, I had moved on from them too.  In the early 90’s it was all CD’s.  Somewhere along the line I acquired it on cassette tape as the pictures below are from my copy, taken today.  But vinyl eluded me.  Jump forward in time in to 2019, and Rhino (a Warner subsidiary) released a two disc deluxe edition on vinyl – it had some bonus tracks and whatnot.  Due to various delays (including covid), I never got my hands on that until 26 Oct 2021 – the purchase date listed above on the page here.  That is the copy I’ll use today.  I also have numerous other copies.  It was released as part of a CD box set in 2008 called “The Rules of Hell”, it was released in a 2 CD deluxe edition in 2011, and then this in 2019, I have all of them.  But this vinyl copy will be the source for today’s listen.  I also have the CD single for TV Crimes – I’ve included a picture of that below.  That one was unque at the time as it contained an alternate version of Letters from Earth.  Various later releases included that, but in 1992, this was a super rarity.  So much so to obtain it I drove from Philadelphia where I lived to a mom & pop record store in Delaware to procure it.  Probably the longest I’ve ever driven to buy an individual CD.  Annoying thing is the car I had at the time didn’t have a CD player in it, I had to wait to get back to Philly to listen to it.

Much has been said about the cover art over the years.  An interesting factoid about the Dio era of Sabbath – if you count the four studio albums (Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer, & The Devil You Know), three of the four of them used existing art that was modified in some way for the album cover.  This is the one that was not.  It was created for this album, and generally the opinions I’ve read is that people don’t like the cover art.  I’ve never understood that.  I quite liked it.  Now it’s not like it’s the best cover art by the band or anything, but I don’t dislike it.  If you’re one of the people who don’t like it, let me know.  WHY?  Don’t just say “it sucks” or something like that – that shows no thought and isnt’ a real reason.  Have a reason.  Tell me WHY you don’t like it, I want to hear that.

Before I get to the songs, there’s one other story I wanted to say about this.  In 1992 like most people I went to see the Wayne’s World movie.  It was a joy – great funny ass movie I saw new in theatres.  At that time of my life, I was one of the people who stuck through the credits to the end – and this was before the MCU pretty much geared us to expect post credit scenes.  Anyway, I’m watching the music credits roll by and I see “performed by Black Sabbath” – and I went – uh, what?!?  I had no idea they were in the movie, and I made it through the entire movie and had no idea.  So I had to seek out information about this, which in 1992 wasn’t as easy as getting your phone out and google it.  It was from there I found out that the American copy of Dehumanizer was to have a version of the song Time Machine that wasn’t on the regular full album released internationally (on IRS).  This pleased me, although I was still annoyed I missed Sabbath on initial viewing.  If you didn’t know where it was, it was the scene with Robert Patrick and the T-1000 Terminator 2 Joke.

I know this album well.  VERY well.  My likes and dislikes run pretty counter with the prevailing opinions on the songs here, but there’s definitely one take that really qualifies as “hot take” – one where people won’t agree with what I said at all.   Having said that, let’s get into the tunes.

Computer God – I always felt this was an underrated track.  It’s about how we have become slaves to computers, and view them as “gods” of a sort.  Something that’s even more a thing in 2024 with the rise of “AI”.  The song is amazing, although I do think the drum sound in a little flat.  But overall, one of my favorites on the album despite that.  There’s a great bit of bass noodling in the middle of the track that’s put RIGHT out front, the kind of thing that is normally in the background. Always nice to see Geezer featured out in front like that.

After All (The Dead) – This slathers on the “heavy” that Black Sabbath is known for.  Another song that has Geezer mixed up higher than I’m used to, which is great.  But then on a track as heavy as this, Geez would be very noticeable.  While Dio Sabbath & Ozzy Sabbath have different sounds for sure – mostly cuz of the different styles of the vocals..  I could easily see this song being done by Mk I Black Sabbath.  A fun story about this which has been told before, but I’ll repeat it.  As you probably know, I spent 20 years in the video game industry – made a bunch of friends.  John Romero (id Software founder) was a huge Sabbath fan, and he told me years back that when they were working on the original Doom game, he wanted this song to be the theme song for the game.  It didn’t happen due to the cost being far more than they wanted for the budget.  But imagine Doom (the 1993 original) starting up with the start of this song. It would have been perfect.

TV Crimes – My favorite kind of track as I’ve mention many times. 3-4 min song, relatively fast pace.  It was also the single from the album, and the only one that had a video produced.  This wasn’t just a performance video, it was full on conceptual.  I love the song, but the video was a bit of a disappointment. That’s because while I loved seeing it, I expected a song that was written as a slag on TV evangelists to be about THAT.  The video was about people stealing a television (TV Crimes – get it?).  But that doesn’t disappoint me with the song, which remains just as great today as it was when I first heard it THIRTY TWO years ago now.  And another song where Geezer is mixed higher than usual.  Love that.  Fun story, when I saw Sabbath (as Heaven & Hell) in 2008, I watched the show from the side of the stage where Geezer was.  He had some stuff off on the side that most concert goers could never see – one if them was something that made me think of this song – looked like a “plastic Jesus”.  Picture included.

Letters From Earth – this is a song that never really grabbed me.  It’s not bad – nothing on this album is, but I’ve skipped it a few times when listening to the album in the past.  The guitar riff that runs through the track isn’t one of Tony’s most inventive, it’s kind of pedestrian as his riffs flow.  Having said that there is a part of the song I really do like.  It’s a sound that’s not music, it’s Ronnie’s vocal delivery.  The way the words flow from his mouth is a sound I really like.  Specifically the part with these lyrics.

“Come on it’s another game
But you gotta play on
Cause they say it’s just pretend
Ask them why they say you’ll never, never die
Come on – the game is called the end”

It’s not something I can really quantify and go “there – RIGHT THERE, that’s it”.  It’s just the way these lyrics are delivered work for me, but overall the song isn’t one of my favorites.  Either this or the alternative version that’s on the CD single I mentioned before, but that does change the delivery a little.

Master of Insanity – Anther one that starts with a big fat bass run by Geezer at the start.  The riff that Tony launches into here reminds me of something you’d hear from the Heaven & Hell / Mob Rules era of the band.  Like that riff.  In fact as “meh’ as the song before this was, this is quite opposite.  While it’s not quite my old favorite, “The time change”, it’s got a few distinctive sounds I like. Great overlooked track.

Time Machine – This is one of my top 3 tracks on the album because it fits into my favorite type of track.  TV Crimes for the same reason.  However, the specific version that’s the “album version” I don’t care for as much.  When this song appeared in Wayne’s World, it was a bit different.  It wasn’t totally different or anything, but if you remember the difference between “The Mob Rules” that appeared in the movie Heavy Metal vs the one that’s on the “Mob Rules” album – it’s like that.  Same song different version of it. The main riff on the song is the same, but the bits around it have a different inflection and tone in places (and a few different lyrics). I far prefer the version on Wayne’s World to the studio album.  When the album was new, the WW version was on the CD in the US only, not outside of US (where the album was on I.R.S.).  The Warner/Rhino version had both, and I’ve always preferred that version, it sound more clean, more polished than the standard album version.  The vinyl version I’m using today has both as well, and it just reinforces the superiority of the WW version.  Having said all that, I also love this song led off the set list on the following tour with Tony Martin, as he does a great job with this track, too. Speaking of that, I love that Tony Martin called out Geezer for a mini bass solo in the middle of the song when he has his “bass run” moment.

Sins of the Father – As a Star Trek fan, when I saw this track, I instantly thought of the Star Trek: TNG episode of the same name. Of course it has nothing to do with that.  I never could quite figure out what the lyrics were about – even though I know what they are, so it’s one of those I gave on song lyric meaning and just enjoyed the tune, which is quite enjoyable.  Always wondered what this was about in Ronnie’s mind.  I do like the beat under the song when he gets to the part of the song that starts with “one more crucifixion”.  I also like the bridge too – a nice noise.   Better than I remembered when sitting down to listen to it.

Too Late – This starts with some of Ronnie’s signature softer singing which gives way to a more powerful sound a minute in or so. It’s not quite the majesty of something like Sign of the Southern Cross, but in terms of song construction, it’s got the same kind of idea.  The main thing is the “faster” part of it is still fairly slow its own right.  Southern goes to a 10 from the 3 it was at the start, this one goes to like a 6 or 7, so it gets louder, but is definitely the slow track on the album.  Good song, but having a hard time thinking of anything else to say about it.  Oddly when I call it the “slow” song, it doesn’t end that way – it ends up quite in your face, but unlike Southern, it’s a slow burn vs the “BANG” that Southern was when it hits you in the face.  I didn’t realize this was in your face too until we were getting ready to close the song, a pleasant surprise, I hadn’t remember that much build up – in my mind it was “the slow one”.

I – This is the one with the hot take.  It’s no secret, I’ve expressed it before, and I get the same reaction.  This song doesn’t work for me. I know it’s super popular, and I get why.  It’s not like I think it’s BAD, but it just doesn’t get me going like other tracks do.  A lot of people will list this as their favorite song on the album, and that’s fine.  I don’t mind it, I just don’t LOVE it like most people do.  It does have a power to it that’s undeniable though.  It’s just one I don’t care for a lot.  Sue me.  I do like the line of lyric – “I’m a virgin – I’m a whore”.

Buried Alive – This is a definite rarity in the Sabbath catalog.  There are a precious few songs I actively dislike. This is one of them.  The main reason is simple. The main guitar riff that runs through the entire song never goes anywhere. It’s the same sound the whole way, you think it will morph into something better or different, and it doesn’t.  It’s the same guitar chug that is there at the end that’s there at the start.  It sounds like something Tracy G would play.

That brings us to the end of the studio album as it is.  The second vinyl disc here is made of bonus tracks and live ones.  I touched on a couple of them in the commentary above, so I won’t be re-doing them here, but I will include a list.

• Master of Insanity (Single Edit)
• Letters From Earth (B-Side Version)
• Time Machine (Wayne’s World Version)
• Children of the Sea (Live 1992)
• Die Young (Live 1992)
• TV Crimes (Live 1992)
• Master of Insanity * (Live 1992)
• After All (The Dead) * (Live 1992)
• Neon Knights (Live 1992)

Insanity & After All were listed as “previously unreleased”.  Most albums when they get released on vinyl don’t get the bonus tracks too, so kudos to Reprise / Warner / Rhino for putting them on there with a second disc.  You know all these tracks from elsewhere, so as I said I wont’ dig into the bonus tracks, but it’s a great value.  However, of course the Wayne’s World version of Time Machine from Disc 2 is my favorite track.  Letters From Earth is the one from that CD single I drove to Delaware to get.  Master of Insanity is just a single edit of the song, not much different there.

I was fortunate enough to see Black Sabbath live on this tour in Philly (Upper Darby).  I’d seen both Dio & Sabbath a few times at this point, but it was the first time I’d seen them together.  It was glorious.  I also saw ’em in the next decade as “Heaven & Hell”, but this was the one time I saw “proper” Black Sabbath with Dio on vocals.

Back in 1992 when this was brand new, I called this album “The most important Black Sabbath album in years – it shows the ol girl can still stand well with bands of the era, and kick their asses too.”  That remains true, it’s a killer album, and as I said before was the launching pad for the direction of the next couple of Dio studio albums after this.

Also, if you don’t have this on vinyl, click on the “Buy These Tunes” above, it takes you to the same two disc vinyl re-release from 2019 that I own.  It’s still sold NEW from Amazon (it’s in print still), so grab a copy.  It’s not the cheapest price around, but it’s not outrageous either.  Buy yourself some good music, and support people still releasing physical media.

It was awesome in 1992 when it was new, and as I write this in 2024, 32 years later, it’s still a damn great album.  Rest in Peace Ronnie, you’re missed.