NEVER SAY DIE!

After Rick Wakeman who was responsible for the keys on "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", it is the turn of Don Airey ("Rainbow", "Purple") to participate here. It will also be the last appearence of Ozzy on vocals on any "Sabbath" studio release. He is definitely too much drug addicted and he will be sacked after this release. It is a sad affair because he IS "Sabbath" voice (even if he is not a great singer).

Dear old "Sabbath" shows again that in terms of openers they quite know how to do it. The title track "Never Say Die" is maybe not an extremely good song but it is rocking like hell; borrowing a lot to "Purple". It is my fave of the album and fully hard-rock oriented (in opposition to heavy metal).

But the he sound of this album is more rock-oriented. Some heavy ones but not many (the closing "Swinging The Chain" for instance). This album will even show a tendancy to produce more poppish songs (like "Junior's Eyes"). Some heavy-AOR as well (a new style ?) with "hard Road". But the latter is nothing interesting. One of the dullest one in their career so far. But actually, the band has released very few poor songs in such a long time. They have always globally been truthful to their great and straight heavy metal. And probably therefore been praised so much.

This album shows another orientation, not prog of course (this will be for the fourth millenium) but more in the FM-radio style. Not any worse than lots of bands who have chosen this direction ("Yes", Kansas", "Heep" etc.) but not any better of course.

Highlights are very scarce. If you except the title track, I guess that only "Johnny Blade" stands out. One of the true "Sabbath" ones available here. The poorest being achieved with "Break out".

This album is rather insipid, transparent. I had already this feeling during the "Sabotage" sessions (but to a much less extent of course); and the descent is seriously amplified here.

Two stars.

As the album title "Never Say Die" it implies that this album represents the band's struggle for their existence in heavy metal scene. As far as you are heavy metal fan, you might not really regret to have this album in your collection. But is you have observed the band from its inception, you might find it disappointing. This album did not receive commercial success even though the title track became a U.K. Top 40 hit before the LP's release and "Hard Road" made the Top 40 afterwards. But the singles did not improve the album's commercial success, which was again modest. The major different, musically, is the way Iommi played his power chords he used to deliver in previous records. His guitar riffs and melody through this album do not spell out as Iommi's trademark. It's like what other rock guitar player can play. Ozzy's eerie vocal quality still serves as differentiator of Black Sabbath music from other bands. It's quite unique thing you might find here with this album where Bill Ward (drums) sings in "Swinging In The Chain". His voice is not bad at all and in fact makes the music of Black Sabbath is different than before.

Overall, this is not a bad album at all - as far as you consider it as rock music album without having to compare with previous albums of Black Sabbath - but it's definitely not a good album to start with. I recommend this album only for those who like Black Sabbath already, not for newbie. Keep on rockin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Black Sabbath have been quite a special band for me since my teen-age years, indeed I purchased all of their LP's back in 1989 ( released up to that point) and was fairly impressed with each and every one at some point. From their amazing debut, Sabbath created a new, 'heavy' genre in music, with a decent dose of 'doom' almost unheard of at the time. This to me is quite a 'progressive' move in itself. Most of us are familiar with many stories of legend surrounding the band, in particular lead vocalist Ozzy Osborne, with all the hedonistic tendencies (soap-boxes full of Cocaine brought to recording sessions.....) that go with 'superstardom' - it all ended up with Ozzy being booted out of the band after recording this album.

By now, Keyboarder Don Airey (from Jon Hiseman's Colosseum II) was brought in and that resulted in quite a different sound for the band. Beginning with the catchy title-cut, 'Never Say Die' rocks out with a simple melody and hard sound (kind of generic by that time) and became something of a minor hit for them. Things change rather abruptly as a very spacey synth arrangement introduces 'Johnny Blade', a tale of a street kid with an attitude problem (thereabouts). The song goes through many changes with guitarist Tony Iommi churning out some 'tough' riffs and energetic soloing, the song lasts almost 6 and a half minutes and is very good . An immediate fade-in of a cool, bass led riff backed with some almost jazzy drumming leads us into 'Juniors Eyes', another semi-lengthy track featuring crunching guitars at the choruses, and floaty keys during the verses. Great track. 'Hard Road' is quite a standard hard-rock song of which the master tapes should've been spliced up and recorded backwards at double-speed to make things sound just a little more interesting.

Side 2 - 'Shock Wave' is a decent track with some blistering guitar work (even including some strummed acoustic) but the end riff drags on a little long. Next up is what I consider as Sabbath at their most 'prog' - the often overlooked track 'Air Dance', a composition which displays adept technical understanding and ability - it contains some of Ozzy's most accomplished vocals, Airey's keyboard work is absolutely spot-on, riffs, tempos and melodies chopping and changing all the time, a very atmospheric interlude and incredible outro, just when the song takes off and could've been worked into a lengthy epic of sorts, it ends. Still, a superb song, with all band members in top form and one many proggers should enjoy. 'Over To You' is pleasant but a bit middle-of-the-road, the short instrumental 'Break Out' is based on a simple riff featuring a brass arrangement - it doesn't really amount to much, but is quite different and off-the-wall for Sabbath. Album closer 'Swinging the Chain', is a rather strange song, with some vocals from drummer Bill Ward, and hints at the state of the band at the time. 3 and a half star effort, some really good songs here, but some average efforts as well.

This is one of my favorite Sabbath LPs which, like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, I never really considered as a heavy metal album. I felt like listening to it along with records like Wishbone Ash's Argus or Camel's Mirage. A hard road, Air dance and Over to you are also three of my favorite Sabbath songs. Layered electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers, piano, saxophone, rhythm changes, tracks merge to each other, great bass lines. Maybe not a 4-star as an excellent addition to any prog music collection, but a 4-star to any hard prog lover who will find a kind of diachronic sounding creation in this great but unappreciated record.

One of the great Sabbath albums, though clearly a structural break from the classic Sabbath sound 1970- 1973. This follow up to the mediocre Technical Ecstasy was recorded with Ozzy already with one foot out of the band and the other members of the band with serious dependency problems, but the creative touch is not affected, just the opposite, Black Sabbath deliver one of the finest and more progressive works of their careers, with leaks in Johnny Blade, Junion's Eyes, Shock Wave and Air Dance, featuring a terser than ususal guitar sound by Toni Iommi (reminding me of Steve Howe's sound in Drama) and dramatic synths by Don Airey. Ozzy's voice is just fine, Geezer's a monster as usual, and Bill Ward discrete drumming finds a highlight in the marching sound of Johnny Blade. Too bad Sabbath's history with Ozzy (after the 1990s reunion) ends on a sad nore, with an instrumental track, the jazzy Breakout, and the last song of the album, Swinging the Chain (a good song) featuring an unknwon singer (not Bill Ward).

People didn`t realize that it was sort of tongue in cheek, the Never Say Die thing - Geezer Butler

Fans and critics alike believed Black Sabbath was down for the count after 1978`s Never Say Die album. Ozzy Osbourne had all but lost interest in the group by this time partially because of drug problems and Tony Iommi was going in more ambitious musical directions. Shortly after the release of the album in September Osbourne was sacked leaving Black Sabbath`s future up in the air.

In actual fact, Never Say Die has it`s own qualities and distinct sound which sets it apart from all previous Black Sabbath albums and doesn`t even sound like the Sabs at times!|Perhaps the most glaring example of this is the instrumental Breakout which sounds more like the Stan Kenton Orchestra than the kings of metal. Air Dance touches on other jazzy progressions which had lalways been subetly present on even ther heaviest of Sabbath numbers as a result of guitarist Iommi`s early influences from musicians like Django Rienhard. As much as Osbourne has constantly loathed the album over the years his voice is suprisingly powerful and enthusiastic. Bill Ward has a refined drum sound which is clear and right up front and in your face. Junior`s Eyes which was written and performed under a different name with ex- Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Dave Walker while Osbourne had briefly quit the band in late 1977. After some soul searching he returned and the song re-emerged as a reqium to his father`s death. The reason for the change in title a reworked lyrics came as a result of Osbourne`s refusal to sing any of Walker`s lyrics. At least one bootleg exists of a Walker performance as well as archival footage from a perfornace on the BBC. The rythmical Hard Road features vocal harmonies by bassist Geezer Butler and Guitarist Iommi for the first time while Johnny Bade gets as Dark as the Sabs ever were. Shock Wave is a straight rocker with some cool wah wahed out guitar. Over to you let`s the listener know how effective phantom member keyboardist Don Airy is where the Hammond organ is brought into the fore. Drummer Bill Ward takes over vocals on Swinging The Chain which makes one wonder why we never heard any more from him in this respect although it was almost certainly because of Osbourne not showing up for the session. The whole work begins with the the pop metal title track Never Say Die and even though it was lip synced on Top Of The pops it put the Sabs on the charts for the first time since 1970`s Paranoid. It was also the only song from the album which was ever performed live.

Some anamolies can be found on the cover art which was produced by the Hipgnosis art studio. The reason why the song sequence differs from the actual sequence found on the record is because the artwork( as with the Paranoid album ) was completed before the album. Also there are differeces in the sky back ground between the UK and North American releases perhaps due to production problems.

However tongue-in-cheek Never Say Die might be it is an interesting record which should be taken on it`s own rather than compared to the Sab`s earlier material including the previous not-so-successful Technical Ecstacy. This album gets thrown on my turntable more frequently than Volume Four or even Paranoid. Have to give this one a 3½. Seriously folks.

Black Sabbath meets Colosseum II

After the uneven and slightly disappointing, but still good, Technical Ecstasy album, Black Sabbath once again changed direction (or progressed, if you like). This time the change is for the better! One thing to notice about this band's entire output is that they were never afraid of trying out new things and Never Say Die is no exception to this general rule as it contains some surprising, and surprisingly successful, new influences for the band. While this album hardly matches the band's masterpiece albums from the first half of the 70's, I nevertheless think that Never Say Die is a very underrated effort; especially so by Prog fans who ought to appreciate the interesting Jazz-Rock/Fusion influences on several of the album's songs. I strongly recommend not giving up on this album until you get to the second half since it is here that you will find the best songs. All the songs from Shock Wave to Swinging The Chain are great!

The album opens with the almost punky title track, being something of this album's version of Paranoid. The hard rocking Johnny Blade follows. The latter song features a keyboard introduction that sounds very similar to what Ozzy would go on to do on his Mr. Crowley on his first solo album just a couple years later (a great album too by the way!). Incidentally, the keyboard player is Don Airey on both albums (which probably isn't a coincidence, after all). Airey's presence here certainly adds to the overall mix and there is some really good keyboard work on many of the tracks. Junior's Eyes is a pretty good song with a strong melody and some slight surprises. Hard Road is the track that most resembles the traditional heavy Black Sabbath sound and it would not have been out of place on Paranoid or Volume Four.

Now on to the second half of the album, which I must emphasise again, is the by far more interesting half of the album. Here, there is a distinct jazzy feeling on several tracks. Air Dance in particular is a very surprising track on this album and the closest Black Sabbath ever came to Jazz-Rock/Fusion, and it is probably also the best track on Never Say Die. Don Airey had just come from working with Colosseum II and he does an excellent performance on the keyboards here. Air Dance sounds a bit like Colosseum II actually; interesting tempo changes, very good piano work and some very tasteful use of synthesizers. Over To You, again features piano and a strong vocal. The instrumental Breakout even features a brass section! The last track, Swinging The Chain is a bluesy Hard Rock song that features Bill Ward on vocals. It is very much better than his out-of-place contribution to the previous album. This song also features harmonica!

Never Say Die would be the last Black Sabbath album to feature Ozzy Osbourne on vocals and is a very unusual album in the band's discography. It is far more progressive and adventurous than anything the band would do with Ronnie James Dio or Ian Gillan.

Highly recommended and very underrated album!

Ozzy's last studio album but as far as the BAND goes this is not half bad. In some respects better than Technical Ectasy. Never Say Die is a suitable description for a band that hung in there during the most formidable of times in terms of band personality clashes. Don Airey on keyboards has definitely changed the sound of the band and for those people pro the evolution of prog related music, will find this studio album refreshing. My personal favourite on this release is ' Swinging The Chain' and ' Air Dance' and ' Shock Wave' are also great. The 80's had not even began yet Black Sabbath continued to make an impact albeit with their more devout fanbase. A solid three stars.

This is the first Sabbath album I ever heard and there are days when, in some ways, I still find it the most impressive piece of work they ever did. The hours I spent with that old cassette tape never fails to make sense when I revisit this highly complex, truly underrated piece of rock mastery. A track by track breakdown seems the only appropriate approach to tackling what has been such a strangely misunderstood and often ignored album in the arsenal of albums from the original Black Sabbath:

Never Say Die - The title track hits you right in the gut. This is Sabbath combining heavy guitar riffing with the jazzy, busy drumming that Ward had such a knack for. Butler's bass work is simply sensational here. Extremely busy, but mixed so that it adds to the overall sonic goals instead of taking over. Ozzy's vocals are high in both tone and clarity. There's a certain charm in this album right from the start because while it is clear that the band are beginning to fall apart, they are still so good that it is ridiculous. The guitar solo at the end is not to be believed. I've seen one transcription of it where the writer explained that he was truly amazed after slowing it way down to find all the notes. It is so fast that you would think there were "ghost" notes all over the place, but it's all there.

Johnny Blade - Don Airey makes his debut with Sabbath here and it is brilliant. Polyphonic synths abound, and it just goes to show that Sabbath had a knack for finding an original sound no matter what they did. Even when bringing in other musicians, they somehow manage to never sound like anybody else! Airey's intro is astoundingly original, dark and sets the tone for the jazzy, marching band groove perfectly. Bill Ward is so good on this track that it leaves my jaw on the floor every time I hear it. This is Keith Moon meets Bill Bruford if that was ever possible. Busier than all hell, but tight and locked like a metronome. Ozzy's multitracked vocals really help to bring out the unique melodies that are going on here, but the effect is not overused, as the bridges seem to more content in letting Ozzy's natural, wailing, almost whining cry just be cut loose. "Been alone all through his life, his only friend is a switchblade knife" is sung with a clarity and passion that is almost surreal in nature. You can feel the pain here, folks. It is *that* emotional.

The guitar solo at the end is outstanding. Iommi's guitar tones here are like scientific experiments in fuzz. Truly fascinating. I think many of the CD versions have suffered from having too much treble, which is something this album did not need. It already had plenty and for these guitar tones to work, you really need to hear this album on vinyl or at least track down the somewhat rare CD released on the German 'Spectrum' label, which is the closest I've head this album sound to vinyl in terms of tonality.

Junior's Eyes - If ever one wants to understand why Ozzy Osbourne is a flat out genius when it comes to vocal melodies, do some googling or Youtubing and hear the original version of this song with (ex- Savoy Brown vocalist) Dave Walker. The chorus added here by Osbourne is easily one of the most haunting in rock history. Criminally underrated because this album has often been written off by lazy rock historians who probably never even listened to it and bought into the cliched theory that Sabbath's last two albums weren't that important. This is pure nonsense, and this track goes a long way towards making that abundantly clear. Sure, this isn't Supernaut' or 'Iron Man' in terms of having the immediate impact those types of riffs had, but for the dedicated music listener, there is stuff going on here that is mind boggling.

The main guitar riff is a twisting, turning wah wah pedaled piece of brilliance, but it's when Iommi hits the chord that bridges this piece into the chorus that you know you've got a gem of the highest order. Power chord riffing with intensity only Iommi can manage then ensues, as Ozzy's voice simply soars on top of it all. "You're coming home again tomorrow, I'm sorry it won't be for long." This stuff is so good it hurts. The guitar solo is easily one of the most brilliant I have ever heard in rock music. Soaring, singing, crying and beautifully executed with simply amazing vibrato technique at every turn, this is a gem amongst Iommi's gems. Not a hint of overplaying, he modulates through every key change with so much feeling and accuracy that it would make most prog guitarists quit their job and take an accounting gig if they ever had to come up with stuff like this.

A Hard Road - Turn it up, and "sing along." Man oh man oh MAN what a catchy chorus this one has! Iommi is really exploring more and more complex chordal structures underneath the melodic content on this album, but somehow, they manage to still make a rock and roll song out of this one. Frankly, I think somebody could cover this tune (and a couple of others here for that matter) today and have a megahit if it was done properly. The band get a chance to do backup vocals here as the song fades with a chorus that is such a great hook it could catch a two ton fish! And you can really sense that despite the problems they had been going through, they enjoy each other and the music that they are able to produce together.

Shock Wave - Okay, all bets are off. This is rock music with twists and turns that flow so effortlessly that it continues to elude me how this album is not looked at with more reverence. But maybe this stuff is just too complex for the average rock music listener? Minor to major chord changes that are so smooth they would go unnoticed if you weren't so engaged in it. Fantastic, heavy riffing juxtaposed with abrupt changes in mood and chord developments, acoustic guitars being added in bridges just for a softening of the texture. This stuff is ridiculously impressive! Iommi's guitar solo is so sick, so twisted and so damn astonishing that you almost need to rewind and play it twice just to make sure it actually transpired. The changes he works through as the solo makes its was back into the bridge are flat out amazing. Incredible modulations, perfect intonation. The guy is just so damn good here. I was never totally nuts about the final change into the riff at the end at the end as the song fades, but it's a minor complaint.

Air Dance - Prog nuts who are also Sabs nuts will often cite this as proof that Sabbath could compete with most anybody in prog when they wanted to write more involved material, and it's easy to see why when listening to this fantastic piece of dreamy, jazz-influenced brilliance. When the song takes a turn and goes heavy for a moment, you aren't sure where they are headed, but you know it's going to be good. Then, out of nowhere yet somehow not surprising, the band lock down into some kind of rock meets bebop jazz groove and Iommi takes off in flight. This is a solo that has been discussed ad nauseam by many, and that's because it deserves to be. The leads here are better than anything you will ever here by most anybody in rock. Effortless, sizzling fast and nailing every change beautifully. Don Airey actually doubles some of this stuff as you hear his moog wailing away on top of Iommi. A more amazing display in rock dexterity I am not sure I have ever heard. If you like guitar/moog interplay this will leave you speechless and this from a band who probably couldn't care less about such endeavors as a habit. PFM pulled off some stuff like this, and Mahavishnu Orchestra and Colosseum II, but this sounds like none of that because the leads are so unique! This is something that always amazes me about Sabbath. No matter how much they experiment and dabble in other forms of music, they somehow manage to always bring an original sound to that experimentation. I'm not sure some of their peers can claim to have been that creative in approaching other forms of music.

Over To You - Man, this song is 'melancholy rock' defined. You can almost hear the pain of 10 years in Sabbath and the frustrations of trying to keep it going by this stage in Ozzy's voice. A really gorgeous song, and another one that I always felt could be covered by somebody and sound almost in the Stone Temple Pilots vein. Don Airey is back here and his piano work is gorgeous; playing incredible runs as Ozzy sings "Traveling endlessly, I'm searching my mind. I'm almost afraid of what I will find." Iommi's chord changes behind this are simply beautiful, and the song comes off as flat out celestial. Even though you can almost sense the band is sort of falling apart at this point, there is a surreal feeling about it that draws you in like hearing the greatest artists even when they are in a slight decline and realizing just how brilliant they are. Think Billie Holiday during her periods when the drugs had taken over and how hearing her sing even when it sounds like she might fall out of her chair is so compelling. That's what I hear on "Over To You." Consider that this was the last studio track that Ozzy ever sang on until the 'Reunion' album 20 years later and it becomes even more fascinating to hear the mood running through this one. A classic ending to a sound that changed music forever.

Breakout - Well, some might argue that by this point Iommi was just trying to prove that he could take his unique style of riffing, add anything to it and still sound like Sabbath. But guess what? If that's what he was trying to prove, he proved it! Here we find a brass section arranged by Will Malone turning Sabbath into some type of heavy metal big band. The sax solo that takes over is absolutely blistering, and I've always been curious as to who played it!? How could such an amazing sax solo go uncredited!? Experimental, indeed, this track, but what a great arrangement, and what great fun for those of us who are fascinated by the possibilities of merging rock and jazz in addition to and outside of what is commonly known as "jazzrock." This is Sabsjazz. There is no other way to describe it.

Swinging the Chain - Oh man, these riffs. These RIFFS! How does he come up with them? This is Sabbath back to their bluesy beginnings with great added harmonica from John Elstar. But this is no standard 1/5/4 boogie blues. This is Sabbath, and with Bill Ward singing the lead on this one, the band really kick it into full metal-blues throttle. And as usual, the lyrical content is no boy wants to hump girl jerk off ala more common British attempts at covering this territory, but instead appears to be a dim view of the state of some of Britain's judgment passing. The closing riff is angry! It rocks hard in an organic way that it sometimes really seems only Iommi can truly pull off, and fades as the masterpiece that is 'Never Say Die' concludes.

Never buy what I suspect is the lazy journalism that has left this album in the dustbin of rock history. It's a monster. 5 stars, firm.

The bottom line

Ozzy's final album with Black Sabbath. While Sabbath was going down in that period, leaving place and space to a newer generation of hard/heavy bands with a fresher sound and a more solid aproach of thier music like Judas priest, AC/DC, UFO, Thin Lizzy , Scorpions, just to name a fiew , not to mention the explosion of a new genre - NWOBHM (New Wave of British heavy Metal) who realy took everything from Sabbath dream to catch new fans with thir new musical aproach on Never say die from 1978. To me this is the worst studio album of them along with Born again, realy, almost unlistenable, totaly unintristing, the band realy struggle to keep the fans together, not to mention the tension between members were at the highest lefel. The conclusion is easy : a mediocre album made by one of the most heavier and doomy band in history of music, with real contribution to the music and a real influence for thousands of bands from the next decades. In oposite with Sabbath career Ozzy will go solo after this deseppointig final release of his mother band and create a real solid albums in the early to mid '80's, leaving again Sabbath in shadow. Anyway this is worst then previous one Technical ecstasy (who aswell was not a milestone in their career but was not a bad album at all), not to mention from early albums and is 100 times worst than the excellent next couple of albums with DIo. Not a piece stand as realy good, so 2 stars for this one.

Never Say Die is the eigth full-length studio album by UK ( Birmingham) heavy metal act Black Sabbath. Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne left the band only a few days before the band was set to enter the studio to record the album and the late months of 1977 was a confusing time for the band. Former Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker was brought in and the band started to work on new material with him. Ozzy Osbourne had a change of heart in January 1978 and re-joined the band but he refused to sing the melody lines which the band had made while rehearsing with Dave Walker. This meant that when Black Sabbath entered Sound Interchange studios in Toronto, Canada they would have to make new vocal lines as they went on which made it a very difficult and stressful work process. Black Sabbath spend five months in the studio. Tony Iommi has later commented on the experience:

We were getting really drugged out, doing a lot of dope. We'd go down to the sessions, and have to pack up because we were too stoned, we'd have to stop. Nobody could get anything right, we were all over the place, everybody's playing a different thing. We'd go back and sleep it off, and try again the next day.*

Probably not the most healthy environment to create music in. Never Say Die was released on the 28th of September 1978 and did fare pretty well in the charts, reaching number 12 in the UK charts and number 69 in the US charts. It was nothing compared to earlier achivements though and the reviews of the album were generally not favorable.

The music songs vary greatly in quality and highligts are few IMO. The title track and album opener is by far the best track on the album. A real Black Sabbath classic. The two next tracks Johnny Blade and Junior´s Eyes are respectable and good rocking tracks. But from then on the album goes from mediocre to below average reaching bad on the last song Swinging the Chain which features drummer Bill Ward on vocals. Swinging the Chain is a basic blues song made a bit more heavy because of the distorted guitars. Maybe it´s just me but generally when a band resorts to playing simple blues instead of developing their trademark sound it´s almost always a sign that they have run out of creative ideas. Air Dance touches jazz/ rock which doesn´t become Black Sabbath well IMO and Break Out with its brass arrangement is a rather odd choice for a Black Sabbath album. It´s nice that the band wants to explore new territory but it doesn´t work well for them.

The musicianship is great as ever but Ozzy Osbourne does sound a bit uninspired on some of the more mediocre tracks. It´s as if he knew these songs weren´t that good and he really didn´t care to make them better.

The production is a bit more raw than the production on the predecessor Technical Ecstasy (1976) which was a more polished affair. Especially the guitar sound is more mean.

Never Say Die comes of as a very mediocre album from Black Sabbath. I wouldn´t call it a below standard album though and the album does feature at least one Black Sabbath classic and a couple of respectable songs. A small 3 star rating is warranted.

After touring for the album Black Sabbath spend almost a year writing and rehearsing for a new album but the band´s and especially Ozzy Osbourne´s abuse of alcohol and drugs deteriorated to a point where it was impossible for the band to keep working with him and Tony Iommi made the decision to fire Ozzy.

Tony recalls: We were all doing a lot of drugs, a lot of coke, a lot of everything, and Ozzy was getting drunk so much at the time. We were supposed to be rehearsing and nothing was happening. It was like 'Rehearse today? No, we'll do it tomorrow.' It really got so bad that we didn't do anything. It just fizzled out.*

Drummer Bill Ward was chosen to tell Ozzy Osbourne that he was fired. Bill Ward recalls:

I hope I was professional, I might not have been, actually. When I'm drunk I am horrible, I am horrid, Ward said. Alcohol was definitely one of the most damaging things to Black Sabbath. We were destined to destroy each other. The band were toxic, very toxic.*

So Ozzy Osbourne era Black Sabbath ended on a sad note. Fortunately both Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne would continue seperate succesful music careers.

*Tony Iommi and Bill Ward´s comments are taken from Wikipedia.

The last Ozzy Sabbath album and, after Technical Ecstacy, I'd say the weakest Ozzy-era album. Though not an abomination, it is not a very consistent album. There are some solid, rocking tracks in Never Say Die and A Hard Road (the latter being, shock horror, a Black Sabbath song which is actually cheerful), and Junior's Eyes and Air Dance are also fairly enjoyable. Most other tracks, while not bad per se, are forgettable. The album peters out towards the end, with the frankly pointless Breakout and dull Swinging the Chain.

Definitely not a terrible album: there are some good tracks, but they're not worth wading through the more numerous mediocre tracks on the album. One for the collectors.

With Technical Ecstasy, Sabbath hit rock bottom. Never Say Die couldn't possibly be any worse and luckily it wasn't. There's nothing here levelling with earlier glory but a few songs are worth hearing for Sabbath fans.

The original A side of the album is acceptable, Never Say Die might even pop up on the occasional best off. It sounds more like Kiss then like Sabbath but it's a decent song, be it rather sloppy, both in execution and recording. Johnny Blade has an intro that might make you think you're inside a Rainbow album. Also Junior's Eyes will never be a Sabbath classic but it isn't a bad track neither, slightly bluesy and with good melodies but again it's must have been performed in Ozzy's bathroom after a sleepless night. Terrible sound.

After those 3 it's completely over. All that's left is the pedestrian cliché rock of Hard Road and Shock Wave or incredibly lifeless attempts at pop-rock like Over To You. Bill Ward's vocal on Swinging the Chain is better then his contribution on Technical Ecstasy but the song is possibly worse. Third-rate blues performed by amateurs at your local pub, that's how it sounds.

A modest 2 stars.

After total disaster of Technical Ecstasy, Black Sabbath released their last studio album ever with Ozzy on vocal.

Ex-Colosseum II Don Airey came with keyboard addition in band's sound. No, no way return to form. Nothing great, nothing new.

But in comparence with previous album, this one is more focused, more energetic, and at least listenable.

There are even few stronger songs there. Again simplistic and a bit monotonous, all of the same tempo and rhythm, it still sounds as lower than average but Black Sabbath album.

Strong sign of Ozzy's Sabbath era down, this album should be interesting for band's fans and collectors mainly.

Total mark 2,5.

Black Sabbath - Never Say Die (1978)

Never Say Die - 9/15 Johnny Blade - 8/15 Junior's Eyes - 7/15 A Hard Road - 6/15 Shock Wave - 5/15 Air Dance - 4/15 Over To You - 3/15 Breakout - 2/15 Swinging The Chain - 1/15

The real slim shady...

Never Say Die is the absolute worst thing Ozzy era Black Sabbath ever did. I can't even go into song by song detail. I don't have the time or energy. Instead, read the individual song ratings, applying them to this personal Dustin Tate impersonator I whipped up:

9 - If nine was six... 8 - A REAL Rock and Roll Doctor (What's in your anus? Sabbath Tickets!) 7 - Sabbath tickets to their Never Say Die touring concert 6 - ...It'd be an oral sex joke 5 - I got five fingers, but only need one to give this due respect 4 - I've Heard better noises come out of my grandmother's bathroom... 3 - ...I think that's where this was recorded 2 - Getting close. Speaking of close, I would rather be shaving 1 - The number of records this sold.

I hope this saves you and me some valuable time.

One of the most underrate Black Sabbath albums, and with good reason. Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne was taking a turn for the worse, as he would later be consumed with alcohol and drugs, and the band altogether were lacking the creative and innovative ideas that they were having a few years back. Though the albums tracks are nowhere near as bad as the ones on Technical Ecstasy, the album overall is not essential listening.

1.Never Say Die - Easily one of the best and most rocking tracks on the album, is completely different from anything Sabbath has ever done before. Crunching riffs that don't really sound very heavy are combined with some of Ozzy's best vocal performances. Great drumming and excellent bass playing, as Bill Ward and Geezer Butler totally rock. Some decent and revitalizing lyrics are injected into this four minute pop song. (9/10)

2.Johnny Blade - One of the most hated on the album is actually one of my favourites. A totally spacey dose of synthesizers is added to a totally trippy riff. Don Airey adds some great moog riffs and synth fills. The shuffling beat, augmented by Osbournes average vocals, is made possible by the great playing of Tony Iommi, who shows his place in the band. Some terrible lyrics that are barely standable, only made wanted by the great music. I just don't understand the hate towards the track. (8.5/10)

3.Junior's Eyes - Originally from the past vocalists writing, Ozzy had to recreate everything with the track. This leads to some subpar and uninspired playing, though groovy basslines and heavy effects on guitar playing are added for good measure, just don't add up. Terrible vocals from Osbourne, as he just says it with a whiney and annoying voice. Terrible lyrics about Osbourne's past, nothing but a dull track. (5/10)

4.Hard Road - Another hated favourite of mine. Though the lyrics are honestly terrible, the playing of the track is energetic, to say the least. Ozzy's vocals at their most whiney, might seem like a bad track, but on the contrary, it's very good. Excellent bass playing from Butler, and the drumming is heavy and are played in an almost garage rock type of way. A lost gem. (8.5/10)

5.Shock Wave - What the hell? After some new and synth-dosage to the max direction, this horrible track shows up trying to rock. The vocal harmonies are probably the worst I have ever heard from Osbourne in my life, as his lazy ass trys to come up with a decent vocal melody, but ultimatly fails. A good guitar riff wasted from Iommi, as the riffage in the track is classic, but is a failure due to nature of the vocals. (6/10)

6.Air Dance - We get back to the new direction with a poppy underrated jewel, as the shining guitar riffs and steady drumming and acoustics are set to the top of the mix. Osbourne's melody is great, but the way he sings it is very unemotional. Even if Ozzy can't get it right, Airey does. Great piano work is on the track, which sets an almost jazzy emotion. One of my favourites. (8/10)

7.Over to You - A rehash of Hard Road, almost identical in tone andplaying, cannot surpass the greatness of that track. One of the worst of the bunch, as the unconsistent playing and vocal performance really hits the band hard. At least Butler and Ward add some great rhythm to the track, as it would be wasted by the nonsense of the lyrics and the totally wannabe symphonic chorus that really suck. (4.5/10)

8.Breakout - An oddity, as it could have worked out better with the sludge of the drumwork, but has an almost happy feel to the guitar riff. The slowed down drums don't work with the jazz of the horn section, and is one of the worst experiments in the history of the band. (0.5/10)

9.Swinging the Chain - After a really bad track, we get a "nothing special" track. Bill Ward fronts the track, and adds some good vocals, at least they are much better than anything Ozzy has done on the album. The music isn't really complex and sounds the same as anything else from the album, but the new vocals refresh the dated. A decent closer, but it can't really connect. (6/10)

An album I have mixed feelings about, as it's a good album, but also has the worst track of the Sabbath's history on it. I have to give it 3 stars for it's good songs, but it is ultimatly inconsistent. I think you should check it out, only if you are willing to be slightly dissapoint from what came before (Except Techincal Ecstasy) and after it.

The final Ozzy fronted Black Sabbath album. Or to be more precise; the final Black Sabbath album with Ozzy Osbourne handling the vocals. Who were in charge of Black Sabbath at that time is not known. Neither is the purpose with this album.

The band were strung out on various chemicals and brewery products at that time and that is my only excuse for this album. It is OK to experiement a bit. But preferable with some good material and a coherent strategy. This album is all over the place with some pop rock, calypso, AOR, a bit hard rock, art rock like Roxy Music and other not particular desireable influences.

Don Airey has moved in and become the fift member here. Not officially, but he has a lot of work on this album. He does a great job on material not worthy his attention. The title track is a great song. The rest is pretty dire. This is an album where Black Sabbath lost their way. Thankfully, only for a brief moment.

2 stars

What you think about "Never say die" depends a whole lot on where you come from. If you like me started off with the early stuff or even the Dio-years I suspect you'll find "Never say die" a bit tough to chew. God knows I did. I took me years and years to come to grips with it. But like all other "hard to break"-albums the reward is greater than the effort when you see the light. I seldom or ever meet anyone who gets the same kicks out of this album as I do. It's simply a question of seeing it in another light. You cannot see it as the equivalent of "Sabbath, bloody sabbath" or "Heaven & Hell", you've got to see it as an album in itself, not comparing it with other releases. And I gúarantee it, if you get past that obstacle you'll find alot to cherish.

"Never say die" is for me one of the top albums in the Sabbath discography. The music stems out of frustration and anger, which makes the music so raw, despite it's well produced and sometimes slick, jazzy sounds. It may be a confused album in the sense that the band kind of lost it's way in a haze of drugs and alcohol but still it's both concise and together in a way that astounds me. What you have is a progressive, jazz-tinged heavy rock-album, far from the bluesy debut or the furious "Master of reality". Well, that's only just true. The jazz and progressiveness of Sabbath was always there but this is slicker and clearer. I can honestly say I love every track on the album but adore "Junior's eyes", "Air dance" and "Shock wave". It's a marvellous album. Bloody marvellous. Sit yourself down, drop your conventions and listen to the last breath of the Ozzy-era (so far, at least) and be amazed at it's greatness. It may be the last stand of an epoch buth what a last stand it is!

'Never Say Die!' - Black Sabbath (4/10)

By this point in Black Sabbath's career, the album title seems to be a pretty spot-on indication of the band themselves realizing they were losing it. The band's past work "Technical Ecstasy" wasn't necessarily a bad album, but in the context of following six classics of heavy metal, it could only disappoint. Of course, based on what I had heard from others, I was not expecting much different from "Never Say Die!", the last album Black Sabbath would do before being revived by the vocal talents of the late Ronnie James. Although it's relieving to know that Sabbath would yet release some great material with Dio, "Never Say Die!" is a whimper, arguably even less successful than "Technical Ecstasy". Once again, Black Sabbath may not be total goners here, but they might as well be; the band's eighth studio album is one that should be overlooked.

Stylistically, Black Sabbath developed and tweaked their sound quite a bit within a few years, exploring heavy metal, progressive rock, and everything in between. Although it was no surprise to hear Sabbath doing something new in "Technical Ecstasy", their new, more straightforward hard rock style was void of both the heaviness and sophistication that defined each earlier album. "Never Say Die!" continues this lackluster rock sound, although the music is arguably even worse off. It's no secret that Black Sabbath had been going through some problems over the years leading up to this, and it's evident that the constant arguing and drug excess had gone too far. Although Sabbath still manage to cobble together a functional collection of songs, the performance feels muffled, and the songwriting seemingly done out of obligation rather than inspiration.

"Johnny Blade" is a perfect example of how far Sabbath had fallen. Although it still shares Iommi's thick riffing style and Ozzy's nasal vocals in common with an album like "Paranoid", nothing really stands out as being impressive, or even that much enjoyable. Whether the blame may be pointed towards the muffled production or the paint-by-numbers approach to his rock riffs, Tony Iommi feels like a declawed lion here, his usual genius with the guitar clouded by ambivalence and 'x' number of different drugs they were taking at the time. Even Ozzy's vocals- which had blown me away only years earlier with his delivery on "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Sabotage"- are strained and lifeless.

"Never Say Die!" is not without its merits, of course. In particular, the song "Air Dance" is a refreshing break from the boring hard rock formula, taking in some unique jazz structures in a piece which could have fit into the band's 'prog' era easily. "Break Out" is also an interesting song, taking the jazz approach further with a big band arrangement and brilliant saxophone solo. These moments feel very out-of-place in the context of an album that sounds as if the band had given up on trying to progress their music any further. "Heaven & Hell" would hear the band playing with a revived vigour. "Never Say Die!" is fortunately not the end for Sabbath, but it's a dismal way to end the classic line-up for one of the greatest bands in rock history.

I made a tape of this off an l.p. borrowed from a friend. Not liking the original sequence, I changed it and actually made an improvement. What that tells me is there is good music on this album, but that it is also a sloppy package. This is not classic Sabbath, nor is it the pit of excrement that some seem to think it is. The album came during perhaps the lowest period in the professional lives of the band, and that is in evidence here. The tunes do not have the same spark as earlier releases. To give them some credit, they were eight or nine years into their careers and burnt out. Touring, internal conflicts, massive amounts of drugs and alcohol were all taking their toll. Ozzy would soon be fired, while Bill Ward's increasing psychological troubles would force him into rehab. (A friend of mine saw them live around this time, and watched in horror as Ward completely lost his $hi+ and with a screaming fit demolished his drum set in the middle of the show.) It is a miracle these guys turned anything out at this time, much less something that is actually pretty decent. The sludge guitar of the past is traded for a sharp, brighter sound. That bite is nowhere more effective than in the first section of Johnny Blade, which also features one of Tony Iommi's most cutting riffs. This is one of the best moments of the album. Unfortunately, this song descends into something that merely rocks instead of shredding your earbones. There is a lot of creativity in this album. In fact, I would say it is one of Sabbath's most experimental. This may sound odd since many of the song structures are pretty basic. Lack of inspiration required a whole other level of effort. So we hear some of Ozzy's best singing in the band, very melodic in places, and in lower ranges. We also get a number of bridges and production values that add layers of sound not often heard with the Sabs. Breakout, Swinging the Chain, and Air Dance, are all unique. Black Sabbath gives us some jazzy passages, dips into what might be called soft rock (hey, every album of theirs before this also had a soft tune on it, so don't complain too much), gives us an arena-rock anthem, and rocks us as few other bands can. Over To You demonstrates the good and bad aspects of this album best: Ozzy sings quite well on it, yet the melody and drums are repetitive. Both Iommi and Geezer Butler compensate for this with some carefully crafted and tasty guitar and bass parts. The problem is, even with all this diversity, they don't sound so much like themselves anymore. It is as if they were trying to adopt the many sounds popular at the time. Being Sabbath, Never Say Die still sounds like Sabbath, but being caught in a vicious cycle of problems, it is also kind of generic. It was their professional seasoning that saved this album, but the internal and personal strife of the band members also made it the last of an era. If you have any familiarity with Black Sabbath, you know that they are not a true Prog band, but are rather one that has a broad influence on rock music. If you are new to Sabbath, don't start here because the album is so problematic to the serious listener. If you are well versed with the classics and wish to expand your experience of Sabbath, this is a good place to go. Don't expect Paranoid, however. Keep your mind open, allow yourself to rock, and listen carefully to how all of this is put together. It won't convert you, but it is worth hearing. Three stars.

I understand that Osbourne has been quoted as saying that this is the worst album he has been involved with and disassociates himself totally with it. Well I say.... good; he is hardly an arbiter of taste as witnessed by all his subsequent output and this sure ain't a 'heavy metal' album in the mould of say the cliched NWOHM and Iron Maidon that was starting to gain traction at the time. I've often wondered how Sabbath get a listing on prog archives. Well this album is a good reason why. For a start, Never Say Die is a mash up of different genres and the production is everything heavy metal isn't. This is, with perhaps the exception of the title track, a much more mature and intelligent offering. For example, even jazz rock influences are present. I have to admit, as a 17 year old at the time of its release, I was disappointed. However, with maturity and a crisp cd release, this is manna from heaven to my ears. Even the Bill Ward sang track sounds damn good. Air Dance is sublime and the lyrics poignant,,,,,,,,, who would have thought. It must have been a risk at the time to come out with such a left field album. Come the eighties, bands such as this kept strictly within the confines of their genre and to their detriment. The follow up with Dio was good I admit, but the end of the Osbourne era was sad and Sabbath would never be the same again. If you like Sabbath just for pounding riffs, look away, but if you like a bit of intelligence with your 'metal' give this a go. Great cover too.

A better effort than the previous release from Sabbath, some of the bite returned with this release. This was Ozzie's last studio effort with the band and I recall thinking to myself that I was done with the band at the time - I couldn't imagine Sabbath without Ozzie. Substance and alcohol abuse had finally claimed its victim and the demise of Sabbath Mk 1 was the result after a bit of an illness in the music starting with TE. As with the previous release - had this come from any other band new to the scene at the time it would have scored better with the Sabbath fans of old however it was a let down to the Sabbath loving public who loved the first albums up until the point of "Technical Ecstacy". My favorite track from the album is probably "Juniors Eyes". A release that all main stream rock lovers should perhaps get their hands on but for those who love their music beyond the normal hard rock sphere of things I would recommend a miss is in order. A three star rating from me as although this is not the Sabbath that I wanted to know this isn't a bad album by any means.

If Technical Ecstasy suffers of an unfairly maligned reputation, NSD really justifies it, and really smelled the rot settled in the band. Ozzy had been shortly replaced by Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker, but the Oz was back for this album, which is completely uninspired. NSD is a downright poor album, exuding boredom that even the album title screams out loud; and the grim pilot of death and doomy artwork is just as boring. Though maybe not as evident as on Technical Ecstasy, a few track titles just hint at the lack of inspiration that permeates through the album. Part of the problem is of course the very standard song structures, and Ozzy's voice, often bordering the annoying.

If I spoke of filler track in the previous paragraph, it's clear that absolutely no NSD tracks would've earned a spot on Master Of Reality or Sabotage, save (maybe) Johnny Blade, this despite a very poorly chosen synth early on in the track. The only other tracks really worth mentioning are the album-lengthiest Junior's Eyes or the more aerial Air Dance. The rest of the album is mostly made of lacklustre stuff, like the opening title track, Hard Road, Shock Wave, Over To You, Break Out (despite some brass arrangements ala VdGG's Jaxon)) or the closing Swinging Chain.

Ozzy will get the boot once more after this album and the band would enter some kind of lethargy for a year or so, until they found a superb albeit diminutive new frontman. Ok, NSD might not be as bad or hopeless as I might hint at, but it's definitely their poorer effort of their first 15 years of existence. Don't get me wrong though: a poor Sabbath album was always superior to a Thin Lizzy, many Judas Priest or most Blue Oyster Cult albums. .

After two great SABBATH hits, SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH and SABOTAGE, the band seemed to want to take a temporary different direction with their music, by going at it with a more jazzy feel then the former. They released TECHNICAL ECSTASY to horrible reviews. The album shocked many people that BLACK SABBATH would release such a mediocre recording such as this (seeing as they hadn't before now). BLACK SABBATH did definitely get a generally bad rep in that year.

Two years later, however, they decided to come back with their 8th studio album, NEVER SAY DIE. The album certainly did better than it's earlier sister album, but definitely not by much.

The album still had pop-like notes and composition, however it was obvious they were trying to make a comeback from the last album. They concentrated more on putting heavy chords into the composition to make it sound more like their old music, yet also combining it with this new found feel Ozzy and the band discovered. To be honest, it doesn't sound bad. Yes, there are some slower parts that definitely don't hold much water, but it other circumstances they can retain some enjoyability. A lot of the time, Ozzy's vocals and lyrics support the album through some rough patches, and seem to give new light to the said medium, allowing for it to come back with a much more solid and steadfast feel.

Many people say that this was a poor way for Ozzy to leave the band to let Dio take his place for a few albums, which may be true. However, it is true that many people expect too much out of these early perfect-record bands such as DIO, or BLACK SABBATH. To that, I say give it a chance, and you may happen to like the faster SABBATH.

(Originally written for the Metal Music Archives on 9/3/14)

This review is dedicated to the fathers of heavy metal, the pioneers of prog-metal, the most innovative band of the genre(s), Black Sabbath. They have at least four full-blooded works of progressive metal, namely "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", "Sabotage", "Technical Ecstasy" and, of course, "Never Say Die" (1978). All of them were created long before the appearance of the now well-known term. One of the most commercially unsuccessful Black Sabbath albums, "Never Say Die" is a revolutionary work, failed to be properly appreciated. In fact, however, this is a brilliant creation, the first progressive jazz-metal album ever. At first, the title track 'Never Say Die' sounds like, say, a merely driving metal with unswerving heavy riffs, but soon, in the refrain, you can hear unusual guitar arrangements and excellent fast solos over Ozzy's voice, leading the song toward the next part. After the second refrain, the main theme suddenly falls into an unexpected atonal piece with improvisations of the classical guitar. This promising opener ends with a long, rapid and magnificent guitar solo.

Many years ago, after a few listenings to the second track 'Johnny Blade' I, already a great admirer of Genesis, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator and Yes, realized that this metal band had too intricate, composite structures to make a widely available album out of "Never Say Day". 'Johnny Blade' is one of the most progressive tracks on album, together with 'Shock Wave', 'Air Dance' and 'Breakout / Swinging the Chain'. Opening with a massive futuristic keyboard intro, 'Johnny Blade' rapidly moves into the heavy realm with regular changes of themes and tempos. With excellent complex arrangements, skilful playing and singing, this song has all the ingredients of the true prog-metal. The guitar seems to be a prominent instrument, but I need to say that each of the other instruments doesn't play only supporting roles; on the contrary, all the parts are different here, those of a varied and dynamic bass, teeming keyboards and strong vocals.

'Juniors Eyes' is a pretty unusual song for Black Sabbath. Mostly led by the bass, nearer to the end it surprisingly transforms into a real progressive rock jam with excellent interactions between guitar and keyboards. At the time, Tony Iommi was the most versatile guitar player. The drumming is also outstanding, and Ward never works with his arsenal in a straightforward manner. 'Hard Road' is the only disappointing track here. With the exception of a decent guitar solo somewhere in its middle, it is the most easygoing song on the album. So that's why, of course, it was reissued as an "A" side for the single a few weeks later.

But then the first track on LP's side "B", 'Shock Wave', turns out to be the most complex and manifold composition on the album, consisting of several various themes, none of them being repeated until the end. Yes, the music is ever-changing, and therefore it is more diverse than probably anything by Threshold (who are clearly influenced by Black Sabbath, aren't they?). 'Air Dance' is not even a prog-metal song, but a highly innovative sympho-prog piece, very successfully combined with elements of jazz-rock. More than half of the composition is a delightful, very original, instrumental fusion with jazzy guitar solos and authentic symphonic keyboards arrangements. Generally, Tony Iommi's guitar work on this album is simply incredible. Never have I heard such inventive and masterful leads from the "best rock guitarists" of the '70s, Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page.

Unlike the previous track, open jazzy piano solos sound all over the next mid-tempo 'Over to You'. Amazing! 'Breakout' is a long instrumental intro for 'Swinging the Chain' with a powerful horn section, finely crossed by masterful jazzy sax solos. The band works effectively with the musical intervals so as to create a rich, complex and adventurous sound. Fast and quirky, purely jazzy improvisations of sax lead 'Breakout' into 'Swinging the Chain'. With Bill Ward singing, this composition takes Black Sabbath back into a heavier domain. 'Swinging the Chain' is a true prog-metal composition with some highly complex arrangements. With rapid changes of various themes, so typical for progressive rock in general, there are quirky guitar parts continuously crossed by improvisations of wind instruments. Ward's voice is quite pleasant. It is now well-known, that since then Bill could not do regular drumming for the band due to his illness. It's a hard job, clearly. But I suppose, it could have been possible to use Bill's talent for lead singing after Ozzy's departure?

"Never Say Die" is simply a phenomenal heavy metal album, probably the most important work that has contributed to the forming of progressive metal as a separate genre. Most, if not all, of the metal, prog-metal and related bands of the past and the present are followers of the great innovators of Black Sabbath. The early structures are taken by doom and extreme metal combos, while the band's progressive period (1973-'78) showed the way to go for the outfits like Mercyful Fate / King Diamond, Candlemass / Abstrakt Algebra, Fates Warning, Threshold, Tiamat and many others. It's a pity that the lack of support and the pressure on the part of the major labels forced Black Sabbath to stop exploring deep prog-metal realms after their most innovative work ever.

This album has received mixed reviews, mainly on the negative or average side, though. They're not all wrong, but Never Say Die! does have its few merits if you don't expect traditional Sabbath sound.

Title track opens the game and it's a good hard rock song. Not as heavy as classic Sabbath. Pre-chorus has very nice guitar. Overall, the album has very good guitar playing, including brief solo at the end of the track. "Johnny Blade" begins with cheesy keyboards but once it gets going, it's rather good "proto-stoner" with unusual drums. Second part recalls bands classic period and is a highlight here. Iommi's solo is very good once again and he has a real distinct lead guitar sound on the album as a whole. Kind of filtered and maybe with a ring modulator? "Junior's Eyes" has a cool drum and bass groove. Ward & Butler were such a great rhythm section. Nice sparse wah-guitar adds to the funk. Chorus aims at fist-pumping hard rock but doesn't quite get there. Guitar solo does, though. These first three tracks are my favourites of the album and unfortunately it's mostly downhill from here. "A Hard Road" is unoriginal boogie shuffle that goes on forever. "Shock Wave" has a good groove, but to me it sound like a leftover track from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. "Air Dance" is a softer song. Session member Don Airey gets to show his piano skills and does a good job. There's something about the songs multi-part proggy arrangement that reminds me of Queen. Faster ending, especially its first part, is just excellent but fades out too soon. Another highlight track. "Over to You" sounds like another SBS leftover. Instrumental tracks have in my opinion been the most questionable parts of earlier Sabbath albums, but "Breakout" here takes the cake! A kind of poor man's version of a slow doomy Sabbath riff and horn section playing along with it and soloing. You'll just have to hear it to believe. Whew! It segues straight to the last song "Swinging the Chain" that's sung by Bill Ward! What the...? It's a decent hard rock song and Ward isn't bad singer but of course doesn't get nowhere near Ozzy's force and charisma. Not a good way for the original classic line up of the band to go.

Never Say Die! lacks heaviness and above all catchiness of the bands early stuff. Rhythm section shines on groovier parts and Iommi's playing is excellent, but unfortunately his riff-writing is not this time. Two stars. Worth a listen or a couple, but approach with an open mind.