Manipulations Of The Mind is intriguing proof of Geezer Butler's artistry

Geezer Butler's Manipulations Of The Mind collection is the most fascinating solo material from any of the original Sabbath members

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Geezer Butler: Manipulations Of The Mind – The Complete Collection
(Image: © BMG)

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While Ozzy Osbourne has obviously had the most success of any of the original four members of Black Sabbath out on his own, it’s Geezer Butler who has made the most intriguing albums. 

This four-CD collection has all three of those – 1995’s Plastic Planet, Black Science two years later (both under the project title g/z/r) and 2005’s Ohwork (under the GZR name) – and listening now emphasises how much Butler was prepared to step out of his comfort zone, taking genuine musical risks.

He draws from industrial metal (with particular reference to Fear Factory) and alt.rock, as well as paying homage to David Bowie and Lou Reed. This means that even now these albums don’t sound at all dated, and will probably surprise anyone who hasn’t explored the Butler catalogue. 

The fourth CD has rare and mostly unreleased demos, studio out-takes and live material, which somehow round out the story. 

Manipulations Of The Mind is a reminder that Butler is artistically adventurous, never prepared to take the easy path. An inventive body of work.

Malcolm Dome
Malcolm Dome

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.