Black Sabbath

Imagine: It is 1970. The heaviest thing you'd ever heard was Jimi Hendrix, maybe a little Blue Cheer if you were really spicy. You're browsing in the record shop and see this spooky looking album with a grainy picture of a woman in a field on it. You buy it out of curiosity, and bring it home. You pop it on to your record player, and are greeted with the sounds of rain. And then, suddenly, thundering guitars, playing an evil riff, with a man yelling at a satanic figure giving him nightmarish visions. Nothing could prepare you for this. It was unlike anything else at the time. And it STILL holds up today.

“You can only trust yourself and the first six Black Sabbath albums.” -Henry Rollins

yess, instant 5/5. first heavy metal album in history.

Black Sabbath - more like Slack Babbath

One of the greatest collections of riffs known to man. I don’t have a bad word to say about this album. The highlight for me: Geezer Butler’s intrepid bass lines. This album does not give a fuck what you think about it. Too much reverb? No way, no such thing! Another tempo change? Sure, the more the merrier! Two guitar solos at the same time? Fuck it, why not?!

When a much younger me was a pre teen and getting into heavy music I remember reading about Ozzy Osbourne. He bit the head off a bat? Parents hated him? The Jesus Krispies were picketing his concerts? He was all the things a rebellious youth could ask for and I was all in. Diary of a Madman was one of the first cassettes I bought with my own money. Paranoid was the first song I learned to play on bass. Ozzy was the first concert I went to. I was lucky enough to see him in '84, '86, '89, '92, '04, twice in '05 and '06. Three of those shows were with the original Black Sabbath, bucket list gigs for me. I've loved this album and all the Sabbath albums as long as I can remember. Thanks for the damn good times Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill.

On a monday morning, looking at this album cover, I wish it was October. This is the perfect spooky album opening up quickly with a mention of Satan as this evil vile woman stands in the wood ready to curse an unsuspecting bloke...or maybe she already has? Is she the Wizard? We can't be sure, but the vibe Sabbath put out on this album is insane. The distorted guitar, the harmonica (a devil in disguise type instrument), and I just heard "lucifer" as I write this. I can't imagine how the young and old of America took this album when it came out. Were they scared? Were they repentant? All I know is I'll be coming back to the altar to listen to some of these hellish hits. And in fact, I did, listening to this album again with my brother. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to keep the Sabbath holy.

The birth of heavy metal. Still finding it's way here but they were blazing a trail afterall. I find Black Sabbath's music to be delightfully heavy and thoroughly enjoyable. Some of the most infectious riffs ever. Love the interplay of guitar and bass. Love the tones. Perhaps the greatest example of a band taking a theme and unintentionally turning it into a whole genre. They tapped into something people didn't even realize they were hungry for. Critics hated it at the time and shit on it. Look at the original reviews of their albums from Rolling Stone and then look at how they then have to flip and eat crow and give their albums like 5 stars and include them in their top albums of all time lists now. To me heavy metal is like comic books, an art form that at the outset was seen as juvenile and crude but has gone on to mature and gain more respect over time (hell, you could say the same if rock and roll itself). And like comic books, I think if you don't get into heavy metal in your youth, it can be harder to find your way into it later in life. Black Sabbath are easily my favorite heavy metal band and the key to unlocking all that came in their wake.

Finally some Sabbath! I actually haven't heard their debut before, but of course I've heard "The Wizard." The lore behind this thing is fascinating. Recorded in twelve hours, with Tony Iommi's plastic fingers forcing the guitar into a dark dimension. Every track on here bangs, I'm stupefied. The jazzy drumming that opens "Wicked World" blew me away. I also love that the version I'm hearing mashes songs together, like someone just found these recordings in a collapsed garage and tried to piece it all together. Not sure what else to say, this is a perfect album. Favorite tracks: The Wizard, Black Sabbath, Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B. Album art: Love the text, love the colors, and this picture genuinely scares me. I was looking at this last night on my phone and it terrified me, like I was going to see this woman take a few steps toward me or something. 5/5

When you order Led Zeppelin from aliexpress.com.

The first heavy metal album of all time and it's by the Prince of Darkness. All-time great. \m/

More grooves and toons than I expected but mostly riffs, riffs, riffs, riffs, riffs, riffs, riffs. Not bad in theory but in practise led to me zoning out, making this background music with pretensions. Some humour, musically speaking. How much Ozzy's voices adds to the mix is up for debate. Not so the lyrics. They're dumb as all hell. I'm being stingy with the rating. I feel I've got to protect that second star.

A young band had an idea. What if we make music that’s…scary. The rest is history.

This is the third Sabbath album I've gotten and I still gotta know: how the hell is this guitarist so fucking good?!?!?

Excellent album - always forget how bluesy early Sabath is - good introduction to Black Sabath for those who aren't massively into heavy metal.

I have no time for heavy metal and I’ve never really listened to Black Sabbath. I assumed it would be noise for about +40 minutes. Couldn’t have been more wrong. They clearly have their own sound, but what happened to metal after this. So much sh*t!!

2 Incredibly boring for how famous it is But gotta give it credit for being "the beginning of metal" or whatever. N.I.B is great. Triumphant. Nothing else really feels doomy as it should, but just kind of compliant and boring. Nothing feels dirty and scary like the cover, which is amazing btw.

This is what I wanted from this whole experience, to discover total GOAT classics. That was awesome and I love Ozzie’s voice. Super cool.

Standouts: "The Wizard," "NIB" (my favorite Sabbath track), "Wicked World" Lyrics- 3/5 Vocals- 4/5 Instrumentals- 4/5 Vibes- 3/5 Overall 4/5 Black Sabbath is iconic and I do enjoy listening to them, while not being overly familiar with their discography. This album has some great tracks, but what really stands out to me are the instrumentals. They just resonate so well, they sound grimy in a very calculated way. Fuzzy in a very precise way. Ozzy when compared to other vocalists is not the best, but his voice is instantly recognizable and iconic and fits perfectly with the vibe that Black Sabbath cultivates on this record. I do think though that this record is weaker than some of the other stuff I have heard from them. However, since this is my first full Sabbath record I am keeping an open mind.

Horns up! Theatrical but not campy. Love the blues foundation and insane composition. Black Sabbath is a master class album. Rest well, Ozzy.

I somehow missed Black Sabbath in my early teens when I listened to a ton of hard rock. I don't really understand how and why I did, but, hey, it happened. Anyway, listening to them now, I hear how great they were and the major role they played in a whole offshoot of rock music. What's particularly interesting to this album, at least the way I experience it, is how it doesn't sound stuck in time to me the way so many albums from the past can sound. I read the Wikipedia entry about how it was recorded, and I honestly believe that played a very big part in helping the album not to sound too much like the year in which it was recorded and produced. The band went into the studio and performed their live set, recording the whole thing in about 12 hours. Not much at all was done to the tracks in production. I just can't shake the feeling that had they gone the usual route with lots of overdubbing, effects, and so on, it would've been fine but would very much sound like a rock band in 1970 than what it sounds like to me. Fantastic.

Another iconic album that has been in my collection for many years. The debut album from Black Sabbath, an album many credit with creating Heavy Metal (TM). Unquestionably iconic. That said, this is not my favorite Sabbath album, and I never owned it on vinyl. I think they were still developing as an entity at this point, and their next 4 albums are objectively better. But that just means “really good” instead of “outstanding”. Overall, it’s just not as “tight”, as their latter albums, which is supported by the reports the whole thing was recorded in a single 12 hr session, with virtually no overdubs. Evil Woman is the only cover version in the Sabbath catalog, and it strikes me as an A&R man’s addition is search of a hit. I’ve often wondered how much better this could’ve been with a bit more care in the process, a bit more faith from the record company. But this is the first, the one that defined (not redefined) heavy music. And there’s a several great songs. This is a solid album, groundbreaking. But I’ll still prefer Paranoid, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, or even Vol. 4. All of which I owned on vinyl since the 70’s. Another solid 4/5

Снова ситуация, когда нам дают альбом не за проверку временем, а за его инновативность на момент выхода. в целом я не против, но опять же, если уже есть параноид, который мелодичнее, тяжелее, более цепляющий и просто лучше - так ли важно знакомиться с зачатками всех этих качеств на дебютнике? ИМХО - нет. Для себя на данном альбоме ничего нового не услышал, эпохальныхриффов не завезли, те что есть - немного сырые и неубедительно сыгранные. звук отстроен странно - в первой песне почему-то гитара одна и отведена влево (хуевое решение, право всегда более тащит), но в остальных вполне себе присутствуют стереопара с двух сторон, ну то есть они знали, что так можно делать, че в первой-то забили. В песне N. I. B., вероятно, самый годный риффак и охуенное бассовое интро, но при этом когда оно заканчивается и начинается дисторшн-басс - он звучит просто отвратительно, как зубами по жестяному ведру. Тексты какой-то херковский дроч на гот-эстетику, ничего информативного и бесконечного-вечного не несут. Каверы - это отдельная тема. Evil Woman звучит, конечно, прикольно, но ощущается полнейшим рассинхроном с основным тоном пластинки, непонятно нахуя оно здесь вообще (на параноиде, кстати, больше бы зашло наверн, там и сама заглавная песня чем-то похожа). А Warning - это продолжание традиций ебучих Кинг Кримзон, которые были уверены, что имеют право на студийном альбоме останавливать песню и 5 минут вяло ковырять свои инструменты, издавая рандомные унылые ноты. Хронометраж в 10 минут абсолютно не оправдан, хотя где-то в ядре композиции находиться вполне себе годный песняк. ну я лично оцениваю такой экспириенс в 6/10, не думаю, что каждый человек обязательно должен это послушать

A load of mad Brummies go on a no-frills garage-psych blues rock tip and heavy metal is born. Can't fault them on that front - their brutal take on the prevailing sounds of the late 60s went harder than what had come before, partly through necessity (Butler was new to bass and was keeping it simple, detuned strings were more forgiving on Iommi's home-made fingertips). Throw Osbourne's morbid lyrical leanings and full-tilt vocal style to the mix, coupled with the fact the album was recorded in just 12 days with virtually no overdubs, and you have the key to the formula. Here's the rub though - it's a formula that runs out of ideas fairly rapidly. The second half in particular is a real chore to get through, and by the time you have reached the end, there is little from the opening couple of tracks memorable enough to have stayed with you. If air guitaring round your living room to endless pentatonic guitar gymnastics is your thing, then fine. For me, there are nowhere near enough real hooks to reel me in and hold my interest. Historically notable, of that there can be no doubt - but then, so is Stonehenge... ultimately, it's just a load of rock that really does nothing special or relevant in 2025.

Perhaps the most epic introduction to any band in the history of recorded music, the opening title track is one of my absolute favorite Black Sabbath songs, and worthy of the 5/5 rating that I will inevitably give this one all by itself. Iommi and Ozzy get most of the credit, but Geezer's bottomless bass and Bill Ward's frollicking jazz set so much of the tone on this one, and out of the gate you know you're dealing with something different. The harmonica lead in on The Wizard throws a nod (or a challenge?) at Jethro Tull while dredging deeper and muddier depths than any of their contemporaries had imagined, and all before comparing sleep to death and the devil demanding the love of a mortal woman. At first listen, it may sound front loaded, but the second half of the album isn't particularly skipable, as Sleeping Village/Warning delve into their proggier side and show immense technicality for a freshman effort. Retrospectively my #3 Sabbath album behind Paranoid and Master of Reality (which is a crime to have left off this list), it undeniably ushered in and laid the foundation for an entire new genre of rock, and would blaze a path for countless others to follow.

I grew up afraid of Ozzy. A lot of music was criticized in the 80’s for its bad influence and he was the poster child. The Blizzard of Oz album cover, the use of religious icons and mentions of satan in lyrics, the blood and gore, the bat decapitations and rumors of puppies thrown to audiences for slaughter before the band would go on, even the “bad boys” in scouts who played his music on repeat during campouts - all reasons for young me to stay away. Of course, his family would later go on MTV and he would prove an endearing, humble, and earnest father and grandfather - talk about cognitive dissonance. It wasn’t until the mid 2000s when I saw a tribute band with some friends that I gave Black Sabbath a listen and discovered I had been missing out. I cannot imagine how foreign this album must have sounded in 1970 - the song Black Sabbath is one of better album openers ever. Is this really their debut? This is an amazing album throughout, the music is fresh, surprising, and harmonizes well - Ozzy’s vocals are arguably the weakest component but I can’t imagine it being anyone else. It just fits. Favs are those with long guitar interludes - Black Sabbath, Wall of Sleep and Warning. IMO this is their best album and its hard to believe it’s 55 years old. I watched the “Back to the Beginning” concert 3 weeks ago and was moved to tears by the tributes, the sincerity in Ozzy’s words and voice, and the love for and from his original band mates. It’s on brand that he would pass so soon. RIP. And thanks for being a part of this creation. 5/5

If this list has taught me one thing, it’s that Black Sabath A-sides, have nothing in the B-sides. This is absolute carnage and chaos, but controlled in such a delicate, precise manner. Rock and fucking roll, man.

Love

Amazing. One of the most influential albums of all time

3 stars if it was any old album. 4 stars for being the first metal album, ever. 4/5

Looking back I wish I’d given Paranoid 5, especially in light of all the awful metal that we’ve had subsequently. I love the portentous storm and bell ringing sound effects leading into the title track. Like the Paranoid album it treads the fine line between silly and serious (or stupid and clever), being both enjoyable and pompous at the same time, and the song is great, swampy and heavy and then galloping, all propelled by excellent drumming and bass playing. The lyrics are also good - whereas later metal bands used satanic imagery to try and shock in an adolescent edgelord way, here the story is more about the religious fear of evil. The Wizard in the same vein is great too, and everyone is happy when the wizard walks by. Little bit of Led Zep to Behind the Wall of Sleep but some nice bounce in the bass. NIB is great, some excellent bass again and I like the riff. I didn’t realise that Evil Woman and Warning were covers at first. I don’t know the originals but I like these, they fit the whole vibe well. And Sleeping Village is excellent, a nice bluesy groove, and the slightly middle easter riff is great, and it gives a slightly different feel to the album. I don’t think it’s quite as good as Paranoid, it definitely feels like the precursor to that album (which in a Beatle-esque manner came out only 6 months later), but it’s still an excellently enjoyable bit of heavy rock, with excellent bass, drums and guitar. If Paranoid should have been a 5 this is an easy 5. 🖤🖤🖤🖤 Playlist submission: Black Sabbath

This is a surprise to me. I though black Sabbath was all hard core rock. There is some swing in here that I was not expecting. The vocals are good too. I will likely listen again! 4/5

The birth of a new genre is always something that should be celebrated and listened to. 4.5/5

Of the first five Sabbath albums their freshman effort (this one , self-titled), while monumental and incredibly influential, is IMO the weakest of the five. The DNA/blueprint of all their best stuff is included in every note and track but it isn't as perfect as "Vol. 4" or "Paranoid", my 1 & 2 respectively. It's just not as polished and is more 'doom metal' than 'heavy metal' the latter which is more my speed and taste. All of that said, this is an easy (5/5). No question. It was the trumpeting for a new type of rock (metal, in general) and was absolutely revolutionary for it's time (1970!! There were still hippies & they were still a cultural force!). This is a definite 'must hear', and I agree fully with it's inclusion. I'm just splitting hairs, as usual.

106. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970) 6.8.26 Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 5 = 4.8 rounded up to a 5 "Is it the end, my friend?/ Satan's comin' 'round the bend'/ People runnin' 'cause they're scared/ The people better go and beware" I actually smiled a tiny bit when I clicked the button to send my 4-star review of White Light/ White Heat off into the void and saw this one pop up in its place. The smile was only just very slightly evil, and mostly because I know my morning will be a fun one, so forgive me if I lean a little giddy in my review. It has not been terribly long since I last listened to this, but I have listened to Paranoid in the interim as part of this project, and that one is a bit fresher in my mind so there might be some comparisons to be slung around. While I thing Paranoid is the band almost fully matured, and stepping confidently into the role of newly minted metal masters, this one I love a bit more for its raw, untempered aura of murky gloom. This is he only Sabbath record that is effectively creepy and gives off the earnest horror vibes that I think the band was going for. They legit tried to be a gimmick act with this, to translate the fear and excitement of those old movies they loved into music that would give you shivers. I think accidentally creating the mold for one of the most robust and varied musical subgenres ever was a happy accident. A0nd these guys would probably agree that they didn't set out to be trendsetters. Let's pull down the shades, dim the lights, and put on some pancake makeup and eyeliner, and don our capes... ( cue the thunder and lightning! ) A note on the track listing: As the UK and American releases of this can differ ( and between later pressings as well in the same country) I'm splitting the difference and including both "Evil Woman" and "Wicked World", but otherwise going with the original UK release with the separate track listings on side two. THE TRACKS Side A "Black Sabbath" - One of my top picks for the most atmospheric and vibe setting intros to any song or album ever. Vincent Price would give his left nut to have been this effectively spooky on "Thriller". The simple three note riff summons the devil from the pit, who emerges slowly, and plods towards before melting your face off. Uh... metaphorically of course. I can't stress enough how goddamn effective this STILL is on me. Maybe ( definitely) I'm getting worked up and over excited at the prospect of writing about this thing I love so much, but hairs legit standing up on my arm here. The church bell ( deconsecrated no doubt) as the accent on the third note is the icing on the cake. Before the riff comes back Bill Ward's drums sound like they are echoing through some dark forest at night, while Ozzy pleas for mercy from whatever apparition is darkening his bedside. By the time the energy builds and is released in the last fourth, Ozzy has transformed into some sort of doom laden town cryer, spreading the word. While not as heavy as they will ever get, and owing a huge debt to some of the psych rock that surrounded them, this still feels like some sort of unholy conflagration at the end. Massive. "The Wizard" - That bluesy harmonica gets me every time. And we get another all time great riff on the very next track. And an upgrade to 4 notes! Despite the seemingly happy lyrics about this awesome wizard who banishes all the evil from the land, the tone is anything but. This wizard most definitely has a dark secret he's hiding. We all know how those get their powers. Dark pacts with evil creatures ( like that guy in the first song). He can't be trusted! Or maybe it's just code for Geezer Butler's weed dealer. Who can say. Either way that's two classics in a row off the debut. Bam! "Behind the Wall of Sleep" - This one is waaaaaay more laid back, with some nice jazzy riffing ( am I crazy or is that a take on Brubeck's "Take Five"?!! ) and some even echoier Ozzy Vocals, which for anyone else would seem like a way to hide some deficits ( John Lennon) but doesn't affect Ozzy's uniqueness or power at all. This only suffers at all in comparison with the first couple of tracks and the lack of any legendary riffing. Surely Tommy Iommi has emptied that tank far to fast and we can only expect middling numbers at best for the remainder of their releases, right? I mean how may great rock guitarists generate more than a few iconic riffs in their whole career? Bonus points for the early Lovecraft reference. Take note on getting those title references spelled correctly, Metallica. "N.I.B." - That bass solo intro was a choice, huh? Man... Well, Geezer Butler Bassically wrote the lyrics to this one by himself, and he often gets over looked as a player, so I'll allow it. If you didn't know what was coming you might have gotten a little nervous there though. We crawl right out of the intro into this very scuzzy cousin to Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". We get lyrics from the point of view of Old Scratch himself. For a bunch of guys who very consistently denied all the Satantic connections, they sure do love them that devil shit. And sure a fascination with the dark side of human nature here is handled in a pretty literary fashion, but I think these guys knew exactly what they were doing. They weren't the humble steel-town rubes they played themselves up to be in some interviews. This is well thought out ,carefully considered stuff. Side B "Evil Woman" - For a VERY long time I did not know this was a cover. In retrospect it seems more obvious ( I've still never bothered seeking out the original as it can only pale in comparison, right?) as it has a sort of sing-songy chorus and feel that feels more by the numbers than most of their other stuff, and more like something that would be Thin Lizzy's speed. Is it still great though? I'd say yeah, but mainly from Ozzy's vocals. That said - I prefer the American choice to replace this track with "Wicked World", but not the track arrangement itself, which is kind of a mess and not a fan of the combined tracks. That said, the mid 90's U.S. CD release is the version I have probably listened to the most. "Sleeping Village" - The somewhat haunting, elegiac atmosphere opening this track is not effected in the slightest by the twangy mouth harp, and the transition into the more guitar heroicy section feels very natural. Ward's jazzy drumming needs a special callout here as we get some damn finessed bits that interweave with the layered multitracked guitars to create a very dynamic contrast when things slow down to flow into the next track. "Warning" - Another cover, but one that feels like a much more natural fit ( again I still have not heard the original) though does give off blues rock vibes from a mile away. Sabbath I am guessing turn the tone WAY down on it and make it their own. ( I did look this one up as I was much more curious about the changes and was surprised to find it to be adequately heavy, though as suspected much more of a standard blues rock piece with some off-putting Toms Jonesy sounding dude at the helm....ugh). It's worth noting that as unique and distinctive as his voice is, Ozzy has a crazy malleable delivery, able to convincingly pull off whatever mode the band tries, be it slow and doomy, fast and screechy or lazy and bluesy. Our man can even do vulnerable. But that comes later. When this one powers down around the middle and then revs back up and starts swinging into maybe the most self-indulgent jammy territory on the album, Ozzy doesn't miss a beat and ties everything back up with a bow at the end. "Wicked World" - Yeah, dig that crazy jazzy drumming you cats! Crazy that they left this off the initial UK pressings. While not at the level of the first two tracks or some of the iconic riffage in later hits like "Iron Man" the stuff on this track is no slouch AT ALL, and is up there in the B-riffs for Sabbath. Which is saying something as most guitarists would chew the tips of their fretting hands off to be able to come up with something like this. HIGHLIGHTS - "Black Sabbath" - "The Wizard" - "Behind the Wall of Sleep" - "Evil Woman" - "Sleeping Village" - "Warning" - "Wicked World" MIDLIGHTS - LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS After listening to this I can't say I've been moved to change my rankings at all, and the debut is maybe even more cemented at 1st place than it was before. I can't deny that the band's writing, composition, and arrangements get bigger, bolder, and more complex as the albums go on, but they never again feel as spooky and imposing as they do here. There's an electricity that is missing on those later albums that is replaced with confidence and mastery. Paranoid's the better, more competent and fully realized album, but this is still my favorite. There's only one more Sabbath album on here, unfortunately, and while it might not be the one I would have picked ( aster of Reality would have been my choice) it's still going to be a great one, and I look forward to it. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - As presented above is my ideal track listing FURTHER LISTENING - Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer - First Daze Here by Pentagram - Budgie by Budgie - Death Penalty by Witchfinder General - Bullhead by The Melvins - Dopethrone by Electric Wizard - Great Haunting by Earth Tongue

Ostensibly the birth of heavy metal. I’m a headbanger for sure and this still delivers. It’s the best atmosphere the band ever achieved. From the opening track with the rain into that heavy riff to the first lyrics, “What is this that stands before me, Figure in black which points at me.“ Crazy to think that an accidental at a sheet metal factory might be what lead to all of the heavy metal of the next few decades. Tony Iommi lost the tips of two fingers, down-tuned his guitar and played mostly power chords, and the rest is history. His methodically thick sound is the true star of this production, but Ozzy earns the Prince of Darkness title. His vocals provide the perfect compliment to the dark lyrics. The first time and now again here I was struck by how bluesy it sounds. Metal would lose some of that over the years, unfortunately. It’s always good to remember the roots were there though. So come for the track “Black Sabbath,” stay for “N.I.B.” This is the second Black Sabbath album I’ve encountered on this list. Paranoid had all the iconic songs, but i might prefer the debut slightly more. Also, crazy to think that these albums both released the same year. So yeah, Black Sabbath gets all of a 5/5 from me.

I've never been a huge Black Sabbath fan but they have my utmost respect for practically creating heavy metal as we know it. I can't imagine what it must have been like to hear this in 1970. That title track is bonkers especially when you consider when it was recorded. What at the time was even close? The Who? Deep Purple? Was the world ready for this in 1970? The album has a few low points for me, the lyrics are particularly meh in places (so it's a pretty good thing that I don't hold lyrics to a high standard in rock). Despite those moments it's got great instrumental work and is undeniably original. Big props for the harmonica on "The Wizard" (who knew Ozzy played harmonica?) and mouth harp on "Sleeping Village". Gotta' love a good mouth harp in a metal song (so basically this one and "Cockroach King" by Haken). I heard the Static-X cover of "Behind the Wall of Sleep" ages ago and had no idea it was originally Black Sabbath. It sounded like Static-X. That's a testament to both a good cover (they made it their own) and the fact that Sabbath is so fundamental to metal that decades of development later and their sound still works. Good stuff.

What more can even be said here? Not much, a heavy metal masterpiece and pretty much where it all began, easy 5 stars.

It bangs. Cracking guitar and drums.

Every Black Sabbath album is a jewel.

Bluesy metal, what's not to love?

Prior, my only full length album experience with Sabbath was Paranoid which btw is perfection and their debut holds up just as well. As soon as the intro to the self titled opener kicks in I knew this was just as great as their follow up. Not to mention that outro had me ascending. Just an incredible start to the record and a great introduction to this band and what they would go on to accomplish. Its so impressive to me that they found their signature sound so early into their career, especially being the first of their time to take this sound as create an entire project around it. Everyone is in top form here and gives everything they have to these performances. The riffs, bass, and drums are all creating this desolate sounds scape that allows the vocals to drag you into this dark and spooky world the band builds throughout. Not to mention some very interesting choice for a record like this with stuff like the harmonica in The Wizard. Widely regarded as the first heavy metal album and what a beautiful start to a genre. Great instrumentals, dark and at times unnerving lyrics, and incredible vocal delivery from metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. This thing is concise at just under 40 minutes and they fill every minute up with engaging music. Just an incredible piece of history that still sounds as flawless, if not better than it did at the time. R.I.P. Ozzy

I've been absolutely sleeping on Black Sabbath. If I had listened to this in high school, I think my life's trajectory would have shifted. There's so much to love here, between evocative lyrics, heavy chords, and a healthy dash of blues rock. Each performer is playing like their lives depended on it, together forming an unholy harmony of sound. This is the type of album this list should be highlighting.

I love everything about this album. Sabbath didn't just invent heavy metal in 1970, they perfected it right out the gate. There was also some serendipitous timing to getting this album today; Ozzy Osbourne was, and Geezer Butler still is, a big Aston Villa fan, and today was Villa's first European cup final since 1982. This album (turned up loud) became my soundtrack to the build up to, and celebration of, them winning the Europa League trophy.

Great listen!

Excellent debut album, although missing the correct vocalist for the band, Ronnie James Dio.

De los mejores debut albums de la historia

Some of the songs were pretty long but that wasn't a big problem. The melodies and the riffs were so beautiful, and I love the vibe

Big fan

Absolute bangers, classic groundbreaking fathers of doom metal

Ablsolute classic. The best one. GOAT. Listeted more than 1 million times and going to listed again and again. I remember when I've beed listening to this album for the very first time - oh my god, what a moment. Every, every god damn song is a true masterpiece, true gem. Oh man I love this album

music is love

Fuckin cool

What an album! This is perfect.

I find myself constantly turning up N.I.B. whenever it comes on. What a debut, game changing

Großartig. Unvorstellbar, wie das 1970 geballert haben muss. Und das haben sie einfach mal in 12h aufgenommen.

Already an all time favorite.

RIP

I think this may be a 10 record but I reserve the right to revisit notnso close to Ozzys death. RIP King

And with that, heavy metal - complete with all its durable tropes - is born. Killer riffs abound - a template for this band and much of heavy metal, emphasizing the riff over pure melody.The energetic if not yet overly tight rhythm section showing the bloom of its potential, and Ozzys distinctive vocals and ridiculously theatrical lyrics on top of all of it. Sabbath would go on to produce better albums, but they come out of the gates hot, and while the record loses a bit of steam toward the end it opens with a series of blistering tracks. There are some unusual flourishes here - in particular the blues orientation - that would not be repeated in future records. Any of Sabbath’s first five albums are 5 star affairs for me, and this one is memorable for establishing the template, both for themselves and for metal in general.

Så fantastisk

At the youthful age of 14 I hadn't quite figured out who I was or what I liked. I do know that I was a blue jeans, black concert tee and flannel shirt wearing freshman in high school who hung out with other kids I probably shouldn't have. We did typical stuff like smoke dope, sneak off campus for lunch, and on weekends we would go to the battle of the bands at the local roller rink. Our music was druggy stuff like The Doors and, of course, heavy metal. Even then I didn't really care much for heavy metal, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and others who I wasn't even interested enough in to learn or remember their names. But then there was Black Sabbath. They were different than the others. Rather than playing a mile a minute, their songs were almost in slow motion, like moving through quicksand. They were dark and gloomy with the obligatory satanic imagery and drug references but they were also just so fucking cool. Ozzy had a voice like no other, Tony's SG played bluesy riffs and tasty runs and the solid rhythm section could power through anything. This I liked, and I listened. Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, all in heavy rotation - all on cassette of course.. But it was the first album that really got a hold of me, titled simply Black Sabbath. I mean, the opening track just crawls right out at you, the thunder and rain, the ringing bell and then that main riff kicks in, slow and steady, Ozzy sets an eerie and ominous scene and it's moving like sludge - until it isn't. Tony kicks in and things start to get a little crazy and then holy shit that ending just floors me. I think that this is the probably the finest overall collection of songs they released. I can certainly do without "Iron Man" and even "Paranoid" but "The Wizard" is just a killer tune that I don't know if they ever matched again. I guess they recorded this in a single day, virtually live in studio, and I think that immediacy and intimacy comes through and makes this a landmark recording, and the start of a whole new genre of music. An essential album for sure. On a sad note, everyone doing this challenge got a Black Sabbath album today if they still had one unrated. Of course this was to honor the passing of Ozzy Osbourne who passed on July 22 at the age of 76. I know his health wasn't good so it brings me joy to know that he got to do the big final concert just a few weeks back. They never made anyone else like Ozzy, am not sure the world could hold more than one.

Das Debütalbum der britischen Band Black Sabbath wurde im Oktober und November 1969 in den Regent Sound Studios und den Island Studios in London aufgenommen. Die vierköpfige Gruppe, bestehend aus Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler und Bill Ward, gilt als Mitbegründer des Heavy Metal. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen Blues-Rock, Doom und Hard Rock. Charakteristisch sind die tief gestimmten Gitarrenriffs, langsamen Tempi und düsteren Klangbilder. Der eröffnende Titelsong „Black Sabbath“ gilt als stilprägend, insbesondere durch den Einsatz des Tritonus-Intervalls. Weitere bekannte Stücke wie „N.I.B.“, „The Wizard“ oder „Behind the Wall of Sleep“ zeigen den Einfluss von Blues, ergänzt durch eine zunehmend dunkle Klangsprache. Das Album markiert einen Übergang von britischem Bluesrock hin zu einer härteren, schwereren Ausdrucksform. Aus heutiger Sicht lässt sich darin eine frühe Form des Heavy Metal erkennen. Die Produktion ist eher roh gehalten, was der Atmosphäre zugutekommt. Das Album zeigt eine stilistische Eigenständigkeit und eine klare künstlerische Ausrichtung. Es ist weniger auf virtuose Spieltechnik als auf Stimmung und Struktur angelegt. Auch wenn es noch hörbar in der Rocktradition der späten 1960er Jahre verwurzelt ist, wirkt es durch seine Themenwahl und Klangästhetik ungewöhnlich und in Teilen vorausweisend. „You can’t kill rock’n’roll – it’s here to stay.“ Ozzy, Ruhe in Frieden und mach’s laut da drüben!

This one means a lot to me. I have always loved Sabbath, and I feel a bit emotional writing this. I never got to see them live, and I still feel a bit gutted about missing the Back to the Beginning shows. I did see Ozzy perform solo at Download, and he played a few Sabbath songs, which was a real highlight. Ozzy might not be the most skilled singer from a technical point of view, but that does not take away from what he achieved. His voice, his stage presence, and the way he carried himself all made a huge impact. He helped turn rock music into something darker and heavier. With some styles of music, it is hard to tell where it all began. That is not the case with metal. It started here. This album took the psychedelic rock sound of the sixties and turned it into something slower, heavier, and more threatening. You can hear the roots of metal in every riff. Beyond the music, Ozzy became a cultural icon. He challenged more traditional ideas of behaviour and appearance. People remember the music, but they also remember the way he looked, the way he acted, and the way he lived. Death to all but metal, hail satan, rest in evil prince of darkness.

I am fucking gutted. I found out the news yesterday and honestly I shed a tear. Ozzy and Sabbath have been a constant in my life since I was a teenager. Metallica were the first metal band I ever heard but I can easily go months or even years without really listening to them. Sabbath were the first Metal band that I loved and in 25 years I’ve never stopped listening to them and I can’t imagine I ever will. Onto the album, it’s one of the great debuts of all time and definitely one of the most influential albums ever made. This was the first album of theirs that I owned and I was instantly hooked. Top Track - Black Sabbath R.I.P Ozzy 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

A genre defining album! I was never into the early metal but this album is solid start to finish.

“I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” By this logic, Ozzy is going to live forever, because I for one am never going to stop talking about how much ass he kicked. This is the debut album of not only Black Sabbath, but the debut album of Heavy Metal as a whole, and it is absolutely packed with bangers from top to bottom. I could listen to only this on loop for a year and still enjoy it. “N.I.B.” is my pick for favorite here. I can’t believe he gifted us with that gem right at the start of his career. I’m here to pay my respects and give this man the 5 stars he deserves. Fuck it, I’ll give him 6 stars. 10 even, we’ve just lost one of the last true pioneers of music, and I’m still grieving. We love you, Ozzy. Until I roll your next one and rate that a 10 as well. Rock on you absolute legend ❤️🦇!!

What a rad piece of music. Is it as good as Black Sabbath Volume 2? No. Volume 3? Not even. But its still pretty incredible. Especially given that this came out in 1970. Its evil and sinister and full of dark mythology. They incorporate the blues with the whining guitars, and even really cool harmonicas. The bass lines are heavy and fuzzy. This is fantastic. We're lucky to have it.

historicamente fundamental musicalmente fundamental só pedrada cabulosa

One of the best debut albums to come out of metal. Point blank period.

Dark, Slow And Sludgy Riffs for days. Kind of badass. My kind of metal. ~ Review in haiku

Sleeping Village and The Warning were unavailable on Spotify, so had a quick detour to make sure I got the full experience.

What a slam dunk of a first album. I don't consider myself a Black Sabbath fan but the melodic yet rockin guitar, the dramatic and gothic delivery of the vocals, the drum frills... honestly, what's not to like?

Great album.

I really like it. Not as strong as some other sabbath albums, but still great

Black Sabbath are one of those bands that I always feel like I should have listened to but haven't really - my knowledge of them begins and ends with Paranoid (which I do love). So, I would have been pleased to get this, even without the added poignancy of Ozzy Osbourne passing away yesterday. I can see why they were influential - some tracks were more bluesy than I was expecting, but you can definitely see the birth of heavy metal here.

R.I.P. Ozzy. Main man at the helm of this usually-random project must have paid tribute after Ozzy's death yesterday. OK, I'm now a Sabbath convert. Slo-mo heavyweight blues. Fast does not equal heavy. Ponderous (but tight!) rhythm section absolutely pinning it down on the slow build, while your guy riffs like a mf, double-time over the top, equals heavy. Embryonic new genre, still quite close to stuff like Cream, rather than later, speedier, more machine-metal offerings. Certified quality. Eldritch.

Their most solid offering to me. Doom and gloomy in a way their later stuff is not, I wish they had leaned into the spooky stuff more instead of becoming what I feel was a more generic band over time.

The dawn of heavy metal, and it is indeed heavy. This isn't the shiny hairband metal of the 80s but the deep, dark, and *somewhat* bluesy metal of the late 60s (released early 1970). The songs provide riffs that invite you right into the darkness, the original Hotel California trap. There is remarkable musicianship all around. As someone who thought he outgrew heavy metal, I have to give credit where it's due: there's enduring quality here. And they invented a whole new genre while they were at it. A lot more respect than I expected to feel.

So, I hadn't heard of this album in full. Only NIB one time ages ago, this slaps, but also has space for growth. 4/5 RIP Ozzy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkcRxCUZWB0

Highly enjoyable, esp. "The Wizard" which is superbly silly. Not quite sure why this album specifically is credited with inventing metal; there isn't much daylight between here and Led Zep I to these ears (at least, sonically) but it's all good RIP Ozzy - my tribute highlights the first time I heard the Prince of Darkness: "Shot In The Dark", a fun chart hit leading me to place him closer to Meat Loaf than he probably deserved!

I surprised myself by giving Paranoid top marks. Black Sabbath are a great find I.e. I obvs had heard them but hadn't listened. They blow away subsequent 'heavy' rock, thrash rock/doom rock/torture rock/pain rock/injury rock, out to the furthest fucking reaches of the universe. First half powerful - second half loses structure and its way. That all comes together in the next album.

The first real Heavy Metal album: Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath featuring the song Black Sabbath. Even for the simple start of the genre, it does feature some very heavy riffs with some strong Doom Metal sounds sprinkled throughout. But for the most part, it is the early Heavy Metal and Hard Rock blend that Black Sabbath was and is known for. Even if the album in its entirety isn't the most perfect collection, the fact that the first ever album of a major genre is this consistent and great overall, is very much to appreciate. The sounds of thunder, rain and a chruch bell start the album with an ominous sound of Nature Recordings that transition abruptly into a Heavy and dark sounding atomsphere that back when this released must've sound straight up scary and disturbing. Although the song is much slower and more sombre than what most Metal will later become, it still is an absolutely incredible track. It slowly transcends you into a nocturnal and psychedelic nightmare that swings from one explosion to the next while in between it is fill with mystical lyrics that only strenghten the ominous feeling of it. The second part which picks up more speed almost feels like a chase before exploding into even bigger and greater soundscapes. If this song doesn't make feel uneasy, I can't help you anymore... This is perfect. 'The Wizard' goes more into the direction of Heavy Psych and Blues Rock with Ozzy pulling out his harmonica and giving us a Bluesy riff that is replaced by a Heavy guitar riff. If I'm being honest, this is what early Led Zeppelin tried to be but failed. It is heavy but still sounds entertaining and is extremely fun. While it isn't as perfect as the title track, it still shows as an incredible track full of great moments. I mainly prefer the more Metal songs than the ones that go more into Hard Rock. A more Psychedelic Rock touched sound finds its place on 'Behind the Wall of Sleep' which mostly shines with the weird and echoed vocal effects. The song itself starts too slow and doesn't really have enough to really work in that sense. The riffs and the guitar solo is alright but the album does much better. But I do think that the vocal performance saves this enough to still be considered a really good song otherwise... not so much. The albums best known song is probably 'N.I.B.' which, in my opinion, is like a better version of Sunshine of your Love by Cream. The riffs sound very similar but this song pulls the thing much better off. It is catchy, it is heavy, it has some great performed lyrics that match the whole aesthetic of the album and it just sounds good. The guitar solo is pulled off incredibly and no single second is wasted or out of focus. Easily a perfect song although I still think that 'Black Sabbath' is a superior Metal track. The albums second side is started with 'Evil Woman' (originally titled 'Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games With Me') and although the chorus is really catchy and great, the vocals are mixed a little bit too quiet to fully work and show what energy is actually behind the loud facade. I also think that there isn't mearly enough heaviness on this track. It just sounds a little bit pale and except the chorus and a couple moments here and there, it's just an okay song. Good but not too good. 'Sleeping Village' returns to the Heavy Metal but before doing it starts with another ominous intro that is mixing aspects of Folk with a Jew's harp that very fittingly works here to create that ominous feeling. After the heavy sound returns we get a mostly instrumental Heavy Metal Jam that has some aspects of Blues and complex structure sprinkled throughout. The song is really great even when Ozzy isn't shining here. It then transitions into the 10 minute 'Warning' which also closes the album with a mix of Heavy Metal and Blues Rock in the form of an even longer Jam that adds even more complexity at some points that it's nearly Prog and has other moments that get close to Doom Metal. It's an incredible closing track although some moments do feel a little bit out of focus and washed out but luckily not enough to hurt the song in a major way because it still slaps. favourites: Black Sabbath, N.I.B., Warning, The Wizard least favourites: Evil Woman, Behind the Wall of Sleep Rating: decent to strong 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Prefer Paranoid, but solid record. The cover is pretty cool.

Iconic album

Like Cream, but way better!

talented players with mediocre songwriting

Liked guitar but nothing was really memorable. Did not save any songs

glorified blues mid vocals mid-decent all around

RIP Ozzy. This is fine, but clearly not Sabbath's best album, but all of the elements are there - tight drums, awesome guitars, crisp bass, and a very charismatic (and fucking NUTS) frontman. They were a little too high-concept for their own good, but it's Sabbath. Sabbath rules.

🖤🖤🖤🖤

Sabbath’s cradle of the Brit blues scene is clearer on this record, but even on the modish improv track, Iommi’s proudly workmanlike, unfussy playing sets out different intentions. The ideas are all present, the opening to “The Wizard” is killer, and the title track and “N.I.B.” sit with their best. Uneven, but they’re a band I would’ve loved to have seen during this early spree.

Not really my thing, but I get it. RIP Ozzy

Pretty good. I’m so used to Paranoid, it’s hard for this to even come close. RIP Ozzy

Jeez. This is fine, but I don’t need Black Sabbath singing white mans blues about baby mama drama.

Birth of a new world here, glad I listened to it. Never going to listen again though.

not the type of music id listen to casually, but its great

I really keep going back and forth on this. I like how it’s bluesy, it’s interesting to listen to this knowing what Ozzy becomes, and I did have a good time listening to it. That being said some of the things this album does is objectively boring or flat out bad. Overall, did you know Tommy has no fingertips?

What felt like arbitrary riffing and solos for most of it. Playing is fine, lyrics are dorky. It’s inoffensive and I know it probably sounded wild at the time. Not for me. Interested to see how they develop as songwriters if there are more albums on the list.

Groundbreaking, sure. It’s also dumb, drowsy, disjointed. Tastes like Cream, only twice as heavy and half as fresh. Standout Tracks: Black Sabbath, N.I.B.