The Black Sabbath concert has been hailed as a mesmerising performance which proves once and for all that the lads from Birmingham, England are the undisputed gods of heavy metal.
Those statements are not wrong.
The lights dimmed at Auckland's Vector Arena and a demon burst out of the flames onto a big screen, as though it was the creature guiding us on our journey for the night. A deafening guitar riff sung out and a sea of black rushed towards the stage -- play time was over, the Kings had arrived.
Black Sabbath's final tour, suitably called The End, brings together Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and of course the prince of darkness himself: Ozzy Osbourne.
I swore I would stay away from cliches when writing this, but the truth is I have never been lost in such an electric atmosphere. These legends commanded respect, and boy did they get it.
None of the Black Sabbath icons have lost their ability to own the stage. The vocals from Ozzy were astounding, the riffs from Tommy mind blowing, and the bass lines from Butler could be felt deep in your chest.
A special mention has to be made of tour drummer Tommy Clufetos. He performed a drum solo that turned the crowd into a screaming frenzy. It was one of the most spectacular things I have ever witnessed and words can't do it justice (I highly recommend finding clips of him online -- you will NOT be disappointed).
They played songs from across their decade-spanning career, and it was classics like 'War Pigs', 'Children of the Grave', 'Paranoid' and 'Black Sabbath', which sent fans into a tailspin.
The crowd moved as one during these explosive sets, with hands making the rock symbol for as far as the eye could see, and Ozzy himself was almost drowned out by dedicated and excited punters.
The young and old came out to party last night, and if they're anything like me their eardrums and necks will be paying for it today -- but hell, it was worth it.
Black Sabbath continue their farewell tour in Dunedin on Saturday night.
