I really don' know how to begin critiquing these two big idols that I really admire and follow for years now. I am going to try and be as literal as possible with this one. I have been anticipating for a long time now (6 years) this release, but so far I haven't been very pleased with the outcome of this CD. However, it is definitely a lot better than "Down to Earth". It contains 10 songs, which 2 of them are slow ballads, and one I find very random (Lay Your World on Me).

I cannot describe "Black Rain" as being a bad release, but when you are dealing with such great and influential musicians, you at least expect something better than average. Zakk Wylde's work here is very good, but because I know he can do so much better, it has disappointed me a little bit. Same goes with Ozzy's vocals, great voice but the feeling is missing from it. So far I have distinguished 3 songs that are really good: "I Don't Wanna Stop", "Black Rain" and "Countdown's Begun". The rest of the songs are moderate and just simply good with nothing much to offer. Zakk Wylde's solo's are excellent but once again they remind me of sounds we have heard before in Black Label and Black Sabbath.

However, I will add this CD in my collection even though it's not their best. I know they have raised the bar very high with previous releases, so I will eventually appreciate this one too.