VARIOUS ARTIST – Sweet Leaf – A Stoner Rock Salute to Black Sabbath

How many tribute albums to the mighty Black Sabbath are in existence as of today? More than you can count on your bony and nicotine-stained fingers, that is for sure. Some are quite decent while others are simply horrible and a waste of time. Luckily, this brand new 2CD set tribute to the very gods that are Sabbath, undoubtedly one of the most important bands of all time, is pretty interesting and entertaining to listen to. The cast of shady bands and characters that grace "Sweet Leaf – A Stoner Rock Salute to Black Sabbath" include Norwegian favorites Ulver, Solace, Witch Mountain, Cancer Bats, Bloody Hammers, Stoned Jesus, Zakk Wylde, Mike Inez, and a whole bunch of others. We are off to a great start as the first three songs, namely "Into the Void" (Cancer Bats), "Dirty Women" (Mos Generator), and "Changes" (Bloody Hammers) are all really cool. Nowhere near as cool as the originals, but cool nevertheless. "Hand of Doom" (Death Hawks) is one of the most interesting and captivating songs off this tribute. It is mellow with an almost southern gothic vibe it, and it gives me the fucking chills. "The Writ" (Stoned Jersus) is rather awful, and "Hole in the Sky" (Scorpion Child) is not really all that interesting either.

Another one that I really dig is "Planet Caravan" (Machuca) due to its dreamy and psychedelic vibes. The version of "Solitude" by the Norwegian pioneers Ulver is brilliant and without a shadow of doubt THE highlight of this tribute offering. Well, that and the cover of "Hand of Doom". The version of "Iron Man" featuring William Shatner is terrible. Make sure you steer clear of that one. Consider that a friendly warning, my dear readers. You do not want to go there!

One thing that truly appeals to me are the covers of less-known masterpieces such as "Sleeping Village" (Witch Mountain), "Warning" (Wo Fat), and "Lady Evil" (House of Broken Promises). While the version of "Warning" hardly gets my dick hard, I salute Wo Fat for deciding on covering that one. A cover of a cover, essentially. "Sleeping Village", on the other hand, is excellent.

"Sweet Leaf – A Stoner Rock Salute to Black Sabbath" is definitely one of the best tributes to Sabbath that I havce come across yet, and there are some brave, bold, and wicked versions of certain old classics to be discovered here, so if this peaks your curiosity or interest then check this one out. Just remember what I told you about that version of "Iron Man" with Shatner on it!