BLACK SABBATH: '13' Album Review From ARTISAN NEWS (Video)

An invite-only listening party for BLACK SABBATH's new album, "13" — the first in 35 years to feature bassist Geeezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and singer Ozzy Osbourne — was held on Wednesday (April 10) at The Montalban in Los Angeles, California.

The following eight songs were played back to a small theater full of select media and VIPs:

* End Of The Beginning (8:07)
* God Is Dead? (8:54)
* Loner (5:06)
* Zeitgeist (4:28)
* Age Of Reason (7:02)
* Live Forever (4:49)
* Damaged Soul (7:43)
* Dear Father (7:06)

Check out a video report from Artisan News below.

BLACK SABBATH members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler surprised a crowd of fans and journalists by showing up unannounced at the end of the listening party. According to The Pulse Of Radio, the three bandmembers were greeted with cheers and thanked the audience for listening to the eight tracks aired at the event, which was introduced earlier in the evening by Ozzy's son Jack.

Loudwire noted the "bluesy," groove-oriented and heavy feel of the songs, saying, "Upon first listen, it's clear that BLACK SABBATH's '13' will be a standout metal album of 2013. Fans will hear a lot of what has made the band legends in the first place while experiencing the freshness of some new music."

"13" is due out June 11 on Vertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!" They have sold more than 70 million albums together.

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

BLACK SABBATH will make a rare television appearance when the band performs a new song on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". The episode is set to air on Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS-TV. The band will world premiere a song called "End Of The Beginning" from "13". The episode's plot follows the "CSI" team as they investigate a series of murder that resemble the sins in "Dante's Inferno", with the trail leading the detectives played by Ted Danson and Marc Vann to attend a SABBATH concert.

Although SABBATH vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has extensive TV experience thanks to the now-legendary reality series "The Osbournes", he told The Pulse Of Radio he's generally shied away from showing up on the small screen. "'The Osbournes' was like an experiment that went way over what I ever expected it to do," he said. "Sharon and I have been offered so much TV stuff, but I can't stand it, you know. I mean, I don't like to see me on TV, I don't like to see me on film or anything, you know."