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Nativity in Black, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Black Sabbath | 
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| Artist: Various Artists
Label: Priority Records
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy Used: $7.07
You Save: $9.91 (58%)
New (5) Used (17) from $7.07
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 33211
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 724352609529
EAN: 0724352609529
ASIN: B00004TB8P
Release Date: June 6, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Sweet Leaf | | • | Hole in the Sky | | • | Behind the Wall of Sleep | | • | Never Say Die | | • | Snowblind | | • | Electric Funeral | | • | N.I.B. - Primus w/ Ozzy Osbourne | | • | Hand of Doom | | • | Under the Sun | | • | Sabbra Cadabra | | • | Into the Void | | • | Iron Man (This Means War) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A selection of popular Black Sabbath songs interpreted by longtime metallic favorites (Megadeth, Slayer), newer rock kids (Godsmack, Static-X) and a wild card (Busta Rhymes) makes for a fun, if surprisingly middle-of-the-road, listen. NIB 2 is the first release on Ozzy Osbourne's own record label, and one of the CD's dozen tunes features Oz doing the classic "N.I.B" with pranksters Primus; however, there's not enough of Les Claypool's bass peeking through on the otherwise stellar title. Static-X's otherwise distinct techno take on "Behind the Wall of Sleep" loses the song's inherent groove. Megadeth's true-to-the original version of "Never Say Die" is rollicking. Pantera doing the dirge "Electric Funeral" is not as aggro as one might hope; on the other hand, Slayer turn in a raw and dynamic version of "Hand of Doom." Truly unique renderings come from California band hed(p.e.), who do a trippy, hip-hop/funk version of "Sabbra Cadabra," and from Busta Rhymes, with his take on "Iron Man." Ultimately, though, NIB 2 proves that Sabbath did it first and best, and there's really no improving on the original. --Katherine Turman
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 The first NIB is better July 28, 2006
I heard the Nativity in Black part 2 , and except for Slayer , Megadeth , Pantera & Primus which are the best covers on this edition ,the rest of the tracklist (well System of a Down & Busta Rhymes renditions are ok)didn't do much. I prefer the first edition instead.
 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.... March 14, 2006
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
VARIOUS ARTISIS - Nativity in Black Vol. II
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This album may be a few years old now but after listening again to this the other day I had to leave my 2 cents.
First off cover albums are very difficult to review so I will do a song by song review and average the total score.
1. "Sweet Leaf" - Godsmack - 4.5/5
-A great opener - Godsmack really nailed this track on the head... They gave it a bit of their own edge but still kept the premise of the song.
2. "Hole in the Sky" - Machine Head - 4/5
-Machine Head seems to do either really good, or really, really bad... Luckily this falls within the first.
3. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" - Static-X - 2/5
-Just not feeling the vibe - too `electric' and just too much like Static X...
4. "Never Say Die" - Megadeth - 4/5
-Mustaine does a good rendition but I feel like something is just missing on this cover that stops it from being great... Then again maybe it's just Mustaine.
5. "Snowblind" - System of a Down - 4.5/5
-My favorite song on the CD that sounds little like the original but brings an entirely new element an already classic song.
6. "Electric Funeral" - Pantera - 5/5
-Probably the best cover on the album... Phil and crew do an amazing version of this tune.
7. "N.I.B." - Primus (featuring Ozzy) - 5/5
-I feel bad for Geezer Butler.... Les Claypool schools the old school master on this version... and having Ozzy sing the Vocals only makes this track better.
8. "Hand of Doom" - Slayer - 5/5
-This actually sounds little like what you'd expect Slayer doing a cover to sound like... A very mature sound and probably tied with Pantera for the best cover on this album.
9. "Under the Sun" - Soulfly - 4/5
-Though significantly heavier than the original this is still very well done... Love the breakdown!
10. "Sabbra Cadabra" - Hed (pe) - 2/5
-Yeah it's just weird... Not in the good way like the S.O.A.D. Cover... This is just odd.
11. "Into the Void" - Monster Magnet - 3/5
-Just not feeling this track... Not bad, just not great...
12. "Iron Man" - Busta Rhymes - 1/5
-Yeah umm... ok. "I work hard to take care of everyone of my N!&&#+$..."
I like Busta for rap but please don't EVER!!! Cover Sabbath Again!
TOTAL: 44/60 = 3.66 Stars (rounded up to a generous 4 Stars)
Truth is if you are a Sabbath fan and you like some of the bands on here it is easily worth your time and money... However, if you're a 70's Purist I probably wouldn't bother....
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A mixed bag that seems to never fully engage. June 26, 2005
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
First of all, I'd like to point out that this is a tribute album. That is, other bands interpreting Black Sabbath's music, making it their own to some degree. Seemingly banal, I feel that it is important to stress this since so many reviewers say to listen to Black Sabbath instead. The reason to listen to this disc is to see what other bands (perhaps some you like and some you dislike) do with the music. People who like System of a Down, for example, may like the cover of Snowblind whereas someone who thinks SOAD stinks may seriously dislike their cover since it has their signature all over it.
That being said, how do I think these tracks stack up?
1) Godsmack "Sweet Leaf" - One of my favorite Sabbath tunes, and I like Godsmack. I think it is a good cover, but agree that this is slightly before Godsmack really got it together.
2) Machine Head "Hole in the Sky" - Wasn't really familiar with these guys, but they seem to be in the post-industrial, techno-inspired nu-metal crowd, which I'm somewhat ambivelant toward. Not a bad cover, but they seem to fall apart at the end.
3) Static-X "Behind the Wall of Sleep" - Another favorite Sabbath tune, but I'm not particularly fond of Static-X. If I liked their music, then I'd probably think this was a great cover.
4) Megadeth "Never Say Die" - I like Megadeth. I don't like this cover. Just seems like Dave Mustaine has lost his edge over the past decade.
5) System of a Down "Snowblind" - I like the Sabbath original, though it isn't my favorite. If you like SOAD, then you will probably like this cover (I qualify on both counts). And like me, you'll probably need to look at the song listing to figure out which Sabbath tune this used to be.
6) Pantera "Electric Funeral" - Great Sabbath song, great band, good cover.
7) Primus "N.I.B." - One of my favorite Sabbath songs covered by a favorite quirky band. I like this version.
8) Slayer "Hand of Doom" - this one is really good. Really good.
9) Soulfly "Under the Sun" - not bad. The first part of this is a bit weak, but the transition is great.
10) Hed(pe) "Sabbra Cadabra" - People pick on this one, but I like it. Something different.
11) Monster Magnet "Into the Void" - I like Monster Magnet and I like the Sabbath original. This is an ok cover, but really not the strongest Monster Magnet. Some high points in the song, though.
12) Busta Rhymes "Iron Man" - If you like Busta Rhymes, you'll probably like this song. Iron Man was never my favorite Sabbath song, so this cover really didn't sway my opinion one way or the other.
Overall, there are some tracks that make this a worthwhile listen. Unfortunately, some of the bands just never fully engage with the song, at times keeping the cover from being stellar rather than good (Godsmack) and at others leaving me disappointed (Megadeth). The real deciding point for most buyers will likely be whether you enjoy the bands covering the songs.
 Disappointing, nu-metal themed Sabbath tribute May 22, 2005
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
The first "Nativity in Black" Black Sabbath tribute album featured a great array of artists that owed their existance to the legendary band: Megadeth, White Zombie, Corrosion of Conformity, Faith No More, Type O Negative, Biohazard, etc. This follow up to that great tribute album, features a few metal mainstays (Megadeth, Pantera, and Slayer) but mostly a lineup of metal bands that gained popularity during the nu-metal boom, and it's closed out by Busta Rhymes. Yes, you read that right. Rapper Busta Rhymes, who for no reason whatsoever, appears on the closing track as he butchers "Iron Man". Before that, rap-rockers Hed (pe) butcher "Sabbra Cadabra" with a reggae like vibe; Metallica's superb cover would have been more than welcome here. Pantera's rendition of "Electric Funeral" is sadly disappointing, while Megadeth turn in a great rendition of "Never Say Die". Ozzy is here as well, along with Primus doing "N.I.B.", which is good and all, but surprisingly not as memorable as Ugly Kid Joe's cover from the last tribute album. Slayer's rendition of "Hand of Doom" is great, while Monster Magnet disappoints on "Into the Void". Machine Head's cover of "Hole in the Sky" and Soulfly doing "Under the Sun" start off nice but go nowhere, while Static-X, System of a Down, and Godsmack hardly manage anything worthwhile at all. If you're a Sabbath fan and you dug the commendable job done with the first "Nativity in Black" album, you'll be supremely disappointed here, and you're better off leaving this on the shelf.
From fawning to self-indulgent June 1, 2004
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
The first NIB tribute album perhaps suggested a second, more like a do-over. Nobody pushed the material in a compelling direction. NIB 2 is more a self-indulgent exercise by artists far to full of themselves given their meager talent. Once again, like 1,000 Homo DJs (a Wax Trax project that included great talent like Trent Reznor, Jello Biafra, Al Jourgensen) mutilated "Supernaut" on NIB 1, the aimless Monster Magnet ruined another Sabbath song crying for a great remake, "Into the Void" on NIB 2. The Magnet version sandwiches a pretty nice cut at the core of the song between several minutes, beginning and end, of typical Magnet noise-crap studio filler. "Supernaut" and "Into the Void" remain hit singles in waiting for any ballsy artist who'll step up.What I listen to on this album after a few turns...I'm not big on screamo, but Soulfly's turn on "Under the Sun" grows on me. Not bad. Slayer's rendition of "Hand of Doom" may outdo the original, less preachy and more urgent. On the other hand...Busta Rhymes's waste of time has so little to do with the original, it is bizarre. System of a Down's "Snowblind" eradicates all that made the song great without injecting anything worth hearing. Static-X is devoid of talent; they simply slap "Behind the Wall of Sleep" into their techno formula and go on. Pantera is simply flat and disappointing on "Electric Funeral." Godsmack recorded its version of "Sweet Leaf" a little before the band found its stride, so it is nothing special. And "Hole in the Sky" is far too powerful a song for Machine Head to do anything special with it. One wonders why Metallica, which owes its existence to Sabbath, never appeared on these tributes. It's not as though these recordings were devoid of capable artists. Just sounds as though, for the most part, they did not try very hard, or they were intimidated by the original versions of these songs. NIB 1 and 2 are wastes of time and money. Listen to Sabbath instead. Much more rewarding.
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