(Review from sapattivuosi.net, metal-temple.com)

Sapattivuosi (Sabbatical Year) started out as a spare time activity between a few old-time mates, playing Black Sabbath songs. At some point, an idea to translate the original lyrics into Finnish; the band’s signature came into existence with excitement, noise and very little thought.

After two full albums of Ozzy-era Finnish Black Sabbath covers, the singer Hannu Paloniemi moved to another town. Halmkrona, Aunesluoma and Vehmas started to cherish the idea of making an album of Dio-era Sabbath songs. Marco Hietala (of Nightwish and Tarot) joined in as the new singer. After endless timetable hassle, and a long waiting period, the album “Ihmisen Merkki” was finally finished in the early 2009.

The band respectfully follow the original arrangement with minor adjustments to fit the music to Finnish sounding lyrics. The lyrics don’t sound out of place at all which is a pretty amazing accomplishment. This enciting work gains one level-up by Marco Hietala’s passionate performance approaching the originals as a genuine die-hard fan.

Line-up:
- Marco Hietala / vocals
- Janne Halmkrona / guitars
- Antero Aunesluoma / bass
- Simo Vehmas / drums

Track List:
01. Pelon Lait (Neon Knights) – 3:52
02. Maalaistytto (Country Girl) – 3:58
03. Uneen Hukkuneet (Children of the Sea) – 5:39
04. Tuli Ja Maa (Heaven and Hell) – 6:19
05. Laki 666 (Mob Rules) – 3:23
06. Valtaa (Voodoo) – 4:46
07. Yo Saa (Die Young) – 4:34
08. Ihmisen Merkki (Sign of the Southern Cross) – 8:31

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