God Is Dead?

"God Is Dead?"
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album 13
Released	19 April 2013
Recorded	c. August 2012 – January 2013
Genre	Blues metal[1] doom metal[2]
Length	8:54
Label	Republic
Writer(s)	Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"The Devil Cried" (2007) "God Is Dead?" (2013) "End of the Beginning" (2013)
Music video "God Is Dead?" on YouTube

"God Is Dead?" is a song by rock band Black Sabbath featured on the album 13. It is the first single from the album, and the first with Ozzy Osbourne since 1998's "Psycho Man" and "Selling My Soul" from Reunion. The song was released via an MP3 download on Amazon.^[3] It was also available as a free download to those who pre-ordered the full album on iTunes. The song in its entirety was posted on the official YouTube channel in promotion of this. Both the song title and figure on the single's cover, by Heather Cassils, are a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher who is famous for saying that "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?".^[4]

"God Is Dead?" reached No. 6 on the UK Rock Charts.^[5]

The music video, directed by Peter Joseph, known for the Zeitgeist film series,^[6] was released on 10 June 2013.

The song was featured in the second promo for the sixth season of Sons of Anarchy, a FX network television series.

The song won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance on January 26, 2014.^[7] This was Black Sabbath's first Grammy Award in 14 years.^[8]

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Tony Iommi – guitar
• Geezer Butler – bass guitar
• Brad Wilk – drums

References

1. Black Sabbath – "13" review at Allmusic
2. http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/04/listen-to-black-sabbaths-new-song-god-is-dead/
3. "God Is Dead?: Black Sabbath: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
4. "13 — Black Sabbath Online". Black-sabbath.com. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
5. "2013-05-04 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles Archive". Official Charts. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
6. Black Sabbath (10 June 2013). "Black Sabbath – God Is Dead?". Vevo. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
7. "Black Sabbath Wins 'Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance' Grammy Award". Blabbermouth.net. 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
8. "Black Sabbath Gives Statement About Grammy Nominations". wcsx.com. 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2014-01-26.