FEEL THE POWER
Normally I don't care for tributes. Who wants to hear other people perform your favorite band's material in a grossly subpar manner? I'm going to make an exception here. This isn't a collection of has beens and never weres, this is Black Sabbaths' peers and contempories trying their damndest to pay tribute to the grand daddy's of metal. Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Rob Zombie, Dave Mustaine, there all here. These songs all rock heavy and hard and each musician and vocalist has added something special to the chosen song. I bought this album back in 1994 and it remains one of my favorite CDs in my collection. Check out the absolutly CRUNCHING versions of "Symptom of the Universe", the "Wizard", and "Children of the Grave"...

On of the most amazing tribute albums ever
This album is extremely good. All songs are amazingly covered by various famous bands like Megadeth, Sepultura, Biohazard, etc.
I became a big fan of Black Sabbath after hearing this album. This is a must have album for anyone who listens to rock/metal.

Worthy Tribute, Wise Purchase
I found out about this CD roughly 10 years ago and it still gets regular play and is a necessary addition to anyone who is a fan of hard rock and/or Black Sabbath. I really enjoyed some of the spins put on some of the songs and the creativity added that enhanced some of the originals. Some of these songs actually sound better than the originals and most of them tend to hit harder. This is how I have them rated in iTunes and on my iPod based on the 5 star system:

After Forever (5) - Great opening song, excellent guitar work.

Children of the Grave (5) - Hit it dead on with the update to the original, standout vocals.

Paranoid (5) - Sped up considerably from the original, and works very well.

Supernaut (4) - Good job on the intro and music, just seems a bit long, but hardcore industrial fans will appreciate it maybe a bit more than I do. Probably a 5 if it was condensed a bit, at 6:42 it just drags by the end.

Iron Man (3) - One of Sabbath's classics, just didn't buy this remake with Ozzy. Doesn't really do anything to improve upon the original, but considering the song itself, it's not going to drop too low. Not terrible.

Lord of This World (2) - Didn't care for the original much, nor this one. CoC did a good job of not butchering it, I just think it's a weak song to begin with, would have rather seen them do some other songs, as they're a solid band that got their talent wasted with this one.

Symptom of the Universe (5) - I really enjoyed this one, it's getting criticism from people on here, the guitar part at the end is vintage and brings it back down, thought it was overall good creative spin put to the song. I generally don't dig the whole death metal voice thing, either.

The Wizard (5) - Favorite cut on the album, driving, and i'd say better than the original. The vocals are phenomenal, couldn't have been done any better.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (5) - Probably a close second to the Wizard, this one is amazing as well, and probably another upgrade to the original song.

N.I.B. (5) - Classic bassline, vocals could have been a little cleaner and maybe mixed a little better, but not bad at all.

War Pigs (Live) (5) - There's another cover of War Pigs on a Faith No More studio album that is worth catching if you enjoyed this one. I like both, it's a hard song to pull off.

Black Sabbath (4) - Very well done, a good closer to the album, does justice to the original.

Overall, the album gets a 5, and i'd recommend it to even casual Sabbath fans. You won't be disappointed, and the price is probably fairly low by now.

Sabbath inspired them!
Black Sabbath truly is the greatest metal band of all time. So it is no surprise that all of the rockers on this compliation were motivated by Sabbath to do what they do today. Whether they get in the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame or not Black Sabbath is really a legend. A HEAVY METAL LEGEND.

Above average tribute album to a legendary band
The first "Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath" tribute album is one of the best tribute albums ever to be assembled, and while not all of the versions here are great representations of the songs from the legendary band, it is still an above average tribute album that deserves to be in any Sabbath or older hard rock fan's collection. Hardcore and rap/metal pioneers Biohazard do a solid cover of "After Forever", while White Zombie superbly remakes "Children of the Grave". Megadeth's lightning speed take on "Paranoid" is worth the price of admission alone, while Ugly Kid Joe turns in a surprisingly great rendition of "N.I.B.". Faith No More's live version of "War Pigs" may grate on some people's nerves because of Mike Patton's vocal change up's, while 1000 Homo DJs' "Supernaut" cover is underrated. Sepultura turns in a cover of "Symptom of the Universe" which is lacking, while sludge masters Corrosion of Conformity turn in a solid rendition of "Lord of This World". Ozzy and Therapy?'s "Iron Man" is essentially the exact same as the classic Sabbath track, while other contributions from Type O Negative, Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson & Godspeed, and Bullring Brummies (featuring Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Rob Halford) are pretty solid. All in all, "Nativity in Black" is a great tribute to a legendary and influential band, and it's certainly much better than the second NIB tribute album.