Black Sabbath Reviews

The debut album of Black Sabbath, who ended their career some years ago with "The End" tour, appeared 50 years ago in the early twilight of the new decade, when heavy metal as a concept did not yet exist. Of course, there were some songs like Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" and Cream's "Crossroads," which already pointed the light in this direction.

Even though "Black Sabbath" has been put on a record countless times over the years, you still have to stop for a moment to admire its appearance. The album cover is still menacingly beautiful and mysteriously functional, you could put this on the wall as a large canvas. The thunder and doomsday bells that start the album also seem to rise directly from the world of the cover and it is a perfect opening for the album. "Black Sabbath" itself starts the work and there is no need to present this song any further. The song becomes the cornerstone of the album and the beginnings of heavy metal as a whole.
The name of the band taken from Boris Karloff's horror film and the pressing music taken from the film were something completely incomprehensible at the time. At the end of the song, the tempo is increased and Tony Iommi rolls the first of his dozens of future king riffs. It was no wonder that Sabbath quickly gained a reputation as Satan worshipers and parents were horrified by their children's new fandom.

Another highlight is the catchy "N.I.B.", which, according to the often heard theory, did not come from the words Nativity In Black but came from drummer Bill Ward's beard. Also released as a single, the cover version "Evil Woman" sounds very fitting to Sabbath's more melodic style, even though the band themselves made the song reluctantly and out of necessity. "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", which was still playing in the set list of "The End" tour, has also retained its mystical charm, although the sound world of the original album makes you wish for more weight and faster pedaling.

According to their own words, the band was a blues-based band, and this can be heard on the album, for better or for worse. Songs like "Warning" and "Wicked World" were built from a jamming base, the band just playing without thinking about where the song was going. In the 1970s, this kind of material had its place, but when listened to today, and especially in comparison to Sabbath's later production, some of the songs fall badly. Ozzy Osbourne's vocals, like the music, are raw and unpolished, and the arrangements don't come together in the same way as the previously mentioned highlights.

Black Sabbath developed heavy metal in its time and with that this record has its place. Its status as a historical work cannot be disputed. On the other hand, as a purely musical entity, it is not even in the best third of Sabbath's discography. Just a couple of years later, the band released the great album "Master Of Reality," which I recommend to start getting to know the early roots of 1970s metal.