Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970)
Genre - Heavy Metal
There are many countless bands in the world of a variety of music genres. Very few bands can take credit for pioneering a whole new music movement however. Black Sabbath was one of those few bands. Black Sabbath fused the elements of blues, jazz, and rock with some heavy distortion. At this point of time, Black Sabbath was a one of a kind band. You'd have a hard to find another band like them during this time period. Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album would influence an entire generation of musicians. Forty years later, Black Sabbath is still hailed as one of the most important albums in the heavy metal genre.
Black Sabbath discovered their signature sound almost accidentally. The band's heavy riffage and dark lyrics take their influence from that of horror movies. While the band members were rehearing in the studio, there just happened to be a movie theater across the street showing a horror movie. The movie theater just happened to be a showing a film that was called Black Sabbath. While people were lining up to see this movie, bassist Geezer Butler noted that it was "strange that people spend so much money to see scary movies". Having said that, the band decided to write darker music influenced by horror films. Before you knew it Ozzy Osbourne wrote the song lyrics to "Black Sabbath", one song then turned into multiple and the result would become the band's first album.
Black Sabbath - Heavy, doom sound to influence many to come, dark melodic riff, only among some of the things that make this song a classic. Ozzy saying, "Oh no, no, please God help me" still sounds amazing and sends goosebumps to this day. Ozzy's voice is probably the deepest here than any other song, he attempts to go for low note that he can't reach at times. Despite how awful I believe Ozzy is as a singer and in my opinion his voice sounds the worst on this album, it fits very well with the music. A faster riff is what finishes off this song which showcases Iommi's sololing, this reveals to the world the gifted guitar player Tony Iommi is. 10/10
The Wizard - It seems that every band had their harmonica-songs back then. Some people hate harmonicas and others can tolerate them, so you'll either love or hate this song. "The Wizard" is a really fun and catchy song. Bill Ward's excellent drum work is enough to hear this song alone. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are on their game as well. Ozzy would be my only complaint, however his voice works rather nice on this song as it is pretty mesmerizing on here. 10/10
Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B. Essentially two songs combined to fit a long track length. Another inventive single-note riff can be found here on "Behind the Wall of Sleep", with a bass line that rambles all around underneath the singing parts There is more great work from Bill Ward. An okay song to listen to but not exactly my favorite. 7/10
"N.I.B." got Black Sabbath in some hot water back in the day, it lead to many to believe the band were satanic. People really should learn what the first-person literary device is. The song, "Black Sabbath" is a narrative, a fictional story. "N.I.B." is just a story from the Devil's perspective, a love song so to say. It's a shame countless people jump to conclusions and judge instead of taking time to understand anything. The song is a reminiscent of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love"; musically talking. The song's slow break downs are the highlights of the album, this song is also pretty hypnotic with the riff. "N.I.B." is an early hint of what things the band would do later on. 10/10
Wicked World - At any given rate this is a classic from Black Sabbath. Nice single-note riffing opens up the track, this is a bit faster and a bit more difficult than the material up to this point. Bill Ward executes a simple but excellent fill that sets the pace for the main riff. Geezer plays some great bass lines for the vocals, if you are listening to this though on a crappy sound system you'll miss this and some of the finer points of the song. "Wicked World" is the only track on the album that makes a political/social statement, this would be the topic of another Black Sabbath song months later that would be titled "War Pigs". 9/10
A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning - Another two songs combined into one long track length is present here. "Sleep Village" is what many fans consider filler, however it's a pretty nice intro for the "Warning", and it's not really bad to be honest. The gloomy feeling is perfect for this album, this is also one of the few rare times you'll ever hear a harp in a heavy metal song. Ozzy's voice is deep and shaky here, however it is effective and filled with some emotion. If this is just plain silly or it just works, it is up to you. Overall this is a wonderful short track 7.5/10
The "Warning" is a pretty long blues cover song, yet somehow it manages to fit well with the album. Essential this song is really all Tony Iommi, Mr. Tommi manages to put inspired and interesting soloing, it is like jazz jam almost. The song is worth checking out for the doom atmosphere and for Tony Iommi's guitar playing throughout the song. 10/10
An essential album in the history of heavy metal. When this album was first released many critics didn't seem to enjoy it too much, those very same critics years later placed this and other Black Sabbath albums on their top 500 albums list. This album is often hailed as the first heavy metal album, and one of the finest in the history of rock music. The album is excellent, easy to find, and pretty cheap... if you're looking for the regular CD versions and not the deluxe editions that is. Fans of blues, hard rock, and heavy metal or all sorts should find something that they like on this album, be it the creepy "Black Sabbath", the musically amazing "N.I.B.", or the excellent solos found on "Warning".
Genre - Heavy Metal
There are many countless bands in the world of a variety of music genres. Very few bands can take credit for pioneering a whole new music movement however. Black Sabbath was one of those few bands. Black Sabbath fused the elements of blues, jazz, and rock with some heavy distortion. At this point of time, Black Sabbath was a one of a kind band. You'd have a hard to find another band like them during this time period. Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album would influence an entire generation of musicians. Forty years later, Black Sabbath is still hailed as one of the most important albums in the heavy metal genre.
Black Sabbath discovered their signature sound almost accidentally. The band's heavy riffage and dark lyrics take their influence from that of horror movies. While the band members were rehearing in the studio, there just happened to be a movie theater across the street showing a horror movie. The movie theater just happened to be a showing a film that was called Black Sabbath. While people were lining up to see this movie, bassist Geezer Butler noted that it was "strange that people spend so much money to see scary movies". Having said that, the band decided to write darker music influenced by horror films. Before you knew it Ozzy Osbourne wrote the song lyrics to "Black Sabbath", one song then turned into multiple and the result would become the band's first album.
Black Sabbath - Heavy, doom sound to influence many to come, dark melodic riff, only among some of the things that make this song a classic. Ozzy saying, "Oh no, no, please God help me" still sounds amazing and sends goosebumps to this day. Ozzy's voice is probably the deepest here than any other song, he attempts to go for low note that he can't reach at times. Despite how awful I believe Ozzy is as a singer and in my opinion his voice sounds the worst on this album, it fits very well with the music. A faster riff is what finishes off this song which showcases Iommi's sololing, this reveals to the world the gifted guitar player Tony Iommi is. 10/10
The Wizard - It seems that every band had their harmonica-songs back then. Some people hate harmonicas and others can tolerate them, so you'll either love or hate this song. "The Wizard" is a really fun and catchy song. Bill Ward's excellent drum work is enough to hear this song alone. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are on their game as well. Ozzy would be my only complaint, however his voice works rather nice on this song as it is pretty mesmerizing on here. 10/10
Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B. Essentially two songs combined to fit a long track length. Another inventive single-note riff can be found here on "Behind the Wall of Sleep", with a bass line that rambles all around underneath the singing parts There is more great work from Bill Ward. An okay song to listen to but not exactly my favorite. 7/10
"N.I.B." got Black Sabbath in some hot water back in the day, it lead to many to believe the band were satanic. People really should learn what the first-person literary device is. The song, "Black Sabbath" is a narrative, a fictional story. "N.I.B." is just a story from the Devil's perspective, a love song so to say. It's a shame countless people jump to conclusions and judge instead of taking time to understand anything. The song is a reminiscent of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love"; musically talking. The song's slow break downs are the highlights of the album, this song is also pretty hypnotic with the riff. "N.I.B." is an early hint of what things the band would do later on. 10/10
Wicked World - At any given rate this is a classic from Black Sabbath. Nice single-note riffing opens up the track, this is a bit faster and a bit more difficult than the material up to this point. Bill Ward executes a simple but excellent fill that sets the pace for the main riff. Geezer plays some great bass lines for the vocals, if you are listening to this though on a crappy sound system you'll miss this and some of the finer points of the song. "Wicked World" is the only track on the album that makes a political/social statement, this would be the topic of another Black Sabbath song months later that would be titled "War Pigs". 9/10
A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning - Another two songs combined into one long track length is present here. "Sleep Village" is what many fans consider filler, however it's a pretty nice intro for the "Warning", and it's not really bad to be honest. The gloomy feeling is perfect for this album, this is also one of the few rare times you'll ever hear a harp in a heavy metal song. Ozzy's voice is deep and shaky here, however it is effective and filled with some emotion. If this is just plain silly or it just works, it is up to you. Overall this is a wonderful short track 7.5/10
The "Warning" is a pretty long blues cover song, yet somehow it manages to fit well with the album. Essential this song is really all Tony Iommi, Mr. Tommi manages to put inspired and interesting soloing, it is like jazz jam almost. The song is worth checking out for the doom atmosphere and for Tony Iommi's guitar playing throughout the song. 10/10
An essential album in the history of heavy metal. When this album was first released many critics didn't seem to enjoy it too much, those very same critics years later placed this and other Black Sabbath albums on their top 500 albums list. This album is often hailed as the first heavy metal album, and one of the finest in the history of rock music. The album is excellent, easy to find, and pretty cheap... if you're looking for the regular CD versions and not the deluxe editions that is. Fans of blues, hard rock, and heavy metal or all sorts should find something that they like on this album, be it the creepy "Black Sabbath", the musically amazing "N.I.B.", or the excellent solos found on "Warning".