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.

Black Sabbath - more like Slack Babbath

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Love

Amazing. One of the most influential albums of all time

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

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.

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

Like Cream, but way better!

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

Iconic 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

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?

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.

El començament del rock dur i el heavy metal. En realitat, blues rock dur i fort, acompanyat d'un so primitiu i una producció de mímims, que en aquest cas glorifica la música. Les lletres, la veu d'Ozzy i els efectes sonors fan la resta. A més, conté dos dels grans clàssics del génere i la década, 'N.I.B.' i la mateixa 'Black Sabbath'

5/5. 2 legendary 😎🤘

5 stars obviously c'mon

The first four Sabbath records are flawless. The absolute origin of metal music, their self-titled debut is not only dark, thick, and heavy, but also very playful. So much modern metal forged in the wake of this album is performed by better musicians, but very few exhibit the creativity and willingness to experiment to the extent that Sabbath does here. It's over 50 years and this continues to inspire bands to grab a guitar and stare into the void.

I love Doom, and it is so vital in a Doom fan's knowledge base to have this album.

Wonderfully heavy. Notes of electric gloom. An acceptance of death.

38min long of solid good

GOAT

5.5…. A classic among classics….16, grade 9, long hair ,army jacket, work boots…teenage angst….what’s not to love…absolutely cherished this album.

A classic.

Take your 5 stars!

Perfection.

Ein Meisterwerk, das muss so absolut mindblowing gewesen sein damals, den härtesten Song den davor jemals jemand gehört hat war Helter Skelter von den Beatles und dann kommen Black Sabbath einfach mit dieser Teufelsmusik um die Ecke. Ozzys Vocals absolut on Point und bis heute einige der besten Riffs ever auf dem Album. Hat zwar nicht so ikonische Tracks wie Paranoid aber insgesamt als Album einfach von vorne bis hinten perfekt. Funfact Tony Iommi hat irgendwann zwei Finger halb verloren und hatte dann so Plastikprothesen mit denen er die Gitarrensaiten viel krasser ziehen drücken spannen whatever konnte was maßgeblich zu diesem Sound beigetragen hat

Fragen: - Wie kann das Album an einem Tag recordet worden sein und so geil klingen? - Wie kann man Heavy Metal so geil in einem Album ausbauen und manifestieren dass so vieles danach alt aussieht? - Wie kann man gleichzeitig entspannt Doom Metal miterfinden dass dann aber trotzdem wieder 10 Jahre ignoriert wurde? - Wieso wurde die Mundharmonika danach im Metal nicht weiter gebraucht? - Wieso wurde Hair Metal danach so corny? - Wie kann man aus den nichts so mystische (gute) Texte schreiben? Kurz: Safe eins der 10 wichtigsten Alben aller Zeiten. Mit Paranoid dann nochnmal wichtiger und großer. Ich liebe das düstere drückende und die psychdelischen vibes die aus den späten 60ern noch mitschwingen. Einziger Kritikpunkt ist dass das riffing etwas wiederholend ist, gehört aber auch iwie zu dem Trance Zustand dazu. Für meinen persönlichen Geschmack eine 4, hier gebe ich eine 5 (also gebe ich nicht kann ich ja nicht mehr aber ich tu so als wäre das nicht passiert)

Gotta give full 5 star respect to the originators. Great musicians. Must have been wild to hear this the year it came out.

Vibes

Holy shit, I forgot that this is one hell of an album

Love Black Sabbath. This is such a great album, and historically very significant as a genre originator. Factoring in historical significance, this is an easy 5 star. The musical talent in the band reinforces that as well. The drumming especially is awesome.

Classic for a reason. Timeless. Played it twice.

13 de fevereiro 1970

One of the most influential albums ever made. An explosive rhythm section, fuzzy guitar riffing and ozzys oddball vocal performance all made for something very distinct in the early 70s, but even thought it's been ripped off a million times and not novel sounding any more the strength of the songwriting still is better than most albums in its genre. The opener is the standout with it's tritone based riff and eerie atmosphere but the groove heavy blues rock of NIB also is incredible. Basically every riff is catchy.

Classic metal album, and my favorite from Sabbath

easy 5

Insert Beavis and Butthead head banging here

Good album. Would rate it 8/10.

Love it from go to whoa. Bass & slapping drums that fit snuggly, guitar solos that added to the songs.

The wonderfully dumb alpha and omega.

A true classic

Classic down tempo metal!

Pioneros del heavy-metal. Rock con mayúsculas. Inconfundible voz, acordes y estilo.

What a classic!

Very excited by the intro. Yeah, really liking this. I can hear how influenced Ty Segall is by Black Sabbath in these songs. Each of these songs are just instantly likable. I don't love the vocals but they aren't unbearable and there are so many redeeming qualities to the music. I was of course aware of Black Sabbath but had never listened to a whole album. I think I'm a new fan. Wow, Wicked World almost sounds like a jazz tune at times. Yeah this album kicks ass. Love the way the songs mesh together. Liked it even better on the second listen, and was better able to appreciate the expressiveness and vulnerability in Ozzy's vocal delivery.

Classic. Amazing start to finish.

✊🏻🎧

Paranoid will always be the best Sabbath album in my eyes. But Black Sabbath birthed a genre, and their music perfectly captures the atmosphere of Birmingham and their origins. 5/5.

Didn't need to listen to this to give it 5. Did anyway. A fantastic record.

OMG, I am so excited! I question the must-hear nature of some album choices, but this is a dead set classic that kicked off a whole genre. Still with reminders that they were, at heart, a heavy blues band, they have descended down a path to a new place. I listen to contemporary stoner metal and doom, and I can hear the direct influence of this seminal work being played today.

The very first heavy metal album - it's a legend!

Class 👌🏻

O começo do esplendor do metal

Heavy metal.

Scheinbar sind auf dem Album nur 5 Wörter die mehr als 2 Silben haben lmao. „Black Sabbath“ ist schon ein krasses Statement für ein Debüt, ahead of its time wird zwar imo ein bisschen inflationär gebraucht, aber hier ist es sicherlich angebracht. Der Opener hat halt quasi Doom Metal begründet, wenn nicht Heavy Metal überhaupt. Man hört noch die Nachklänge von Blues Rock, aber das hier ist definitiv was neues. Mega geil durch und durch wird abgeliefert, die Produktion bringt auch jedes Instrument zum scheinen (Sogar den Bass!). Ich kann gar nichts schlechtes darüber sagen… Außerdem eins der geilsten Covers überhaupt.

First time I've heard this album. Thought it was brilliant. Loved the sound. to think this was out at the end of the 60's

Incredibly enjoyable. Set me down a rabbit hole of listening to loads of their other albums having never listened to them before.

One of the most important musical albums in people's history! The first "heavy metal" album at all! The sound of the album has got the roots in rock, hard rock, jazz, blues and psychedelia with adding of heavy distortion and creating completely a new genre. It was a starting point of separation heavy metal from "rock and roll" and also a prototype to a lot of future rock musical genres. This album was also credited as the first record in sludge / stoner rock and goth genres. Long guitar solos reminds of progressive metal sound. Also Kurt Cobain wanted Nevermind to sound more like Black Sabbath so this albums also has got an influence to alternative rock and grunge sounds. Completely must listen and must have in collection if you re a fan of hard rock / heavy metal / alternative music!

Fucking sick

How many times a band makes a debut like this?

Pure metal gold

Oh hells yes.

The album that melted my mind as a child and set me on a path that 40 years later has not disappointed. One of the true GOATS.

One of the classic great Metal albums, and I've heard it many times before. Though listening this time, several years after the first, I now see the blues influences better. The same kind of driving bass and simple melodies that would go on and become the basis for Funk and Disco. Neat stuff that.

Yes, \_ _/

#5 Black Sabbath was awesome!!! 1st 5 stars!! Music was the kind of stuff I love!!!

Grondlegger van de metal-scene. Nog heel wat rock 'n roll en blues invloeden in dit album, en dit wordt gesmaakt!

5/5

Ett mästerverk.

SABBATH!

Classique! J'adore et ça me rememore plein de souvenirs 5*

Surely and factually genre defining. I didn't think metal could hold so much blues influence, but damn they make it work. This album was probably one of my most worth listens and also one of the more intriguing ones. This album resembles the birth of metal and reading about that while blasting these tunes has surely opened the tab on a good and lasting memory

I love evil music! I want to listen to music that would get me burned at the stake in the 15th century! The spooky Halloween atmosphere is awesome, too bad it's May right now. Full of bangers - the title track is a contender for best metal song of all time. "N.I.B." was sick, so was "The Wizard". I gotta say, thanks for using the harmonica in its intended form - a horror instrument. Take notes, Bob Dylan - I don't want to hear your screeching piece of rusty metal in an otherwise beautiful song. The harmonica is a demonic instrument that summons demons.

muy muy muy verga

Wow this fucking slapped hard. MASTAPIECE!

The origin of all things devil-horned \m/

Now here's one I've heard often enough to give it a straight 5 without re-listening, even though it's been quite a while that I last heard it. Of course, I still re-listened and it was a pleasure to do so. Not only was this the album that originated metal music as we know it today, but it has also stood the test of time really well and is still a great album when listened to today. Favorite tracks N.I.B. and Warning

This album has one of my favorite songs of all time.

Yes! This album starts so heavy with the devils chord and it commands your attention. This is a landmark hard rock album and a great one that still holds up. Favorite Tracks: "Black Sabbath" "The Wizard" "NIB"

Desde el momento en que de muy pequeño vi este LP en casa de mi abuela me fascinó e intrigó. Era una portada totalmente distinta a los demás como película de horro y... con un vampiro! Cuando por fín lo escuché probablemente entre 11-12 años no hubo marcha atrás. Fue un sonido exactamente como esperaba lúgubre, distinto a cualquier cosa que había escuchado hasta ese momento y que me atraía/asustaba enormemente. A pesar de la cantidad de nostalgia el disco tiene un mérito propio enorme que creo casi nadie puede disputar. Ese inicio y transición de el rock pesado a crear lo que va a ser el metal, la cantidad de influencia que tiene y la inventiva de la banda en toda esa época inicial son innegables. ¿Es un disco perfecto? Seguro hay peros que algunos le pueden poner; se sienten inicios de ese cambio pero también eso lleva a cierta inconsistencia, a ratos se siente demasiado blues, a ratos demasiado rock setentero que se puede sentir muy similar a otras bandas y a ratos se siente esa luz de innovación. Sleeping Village puede ser una canción no tan buena, Warning puede ser demasiado larga, The Wizard suena casi de un disco distinto con su harmónica característica. No importa, son minucias cuando se contraponen con el peso, relevancia y calidad del disco. Esos discos que a pesar de tener más de 50 años han envejecido con la mayor gracia posible. Hay un par de discos de Black Sabbath que se puede alegar son aun mejores pero no se le puede quitar mérito y, aunque pienso que la calificación está más que justificada, tampoco hay forma de quitar mi parte subjetiva en tanto al grado de importancia que tuvo esta banda y este disco en particular en cimentar las bases de todos mis gustos musicales posteriores. No había más que decir, era un 5 cuando vi la portada y después de escucharlo con gusto una vez más después de incontables ocasiones nada cambio.

Still great. Spent all day listening to Sabbath after

my favorite songs were the wizard and NIB (but that one is like together with two other songs). i thought the guitar solos were super cool, the lyrics were wild, and i could really see how this changed the course of metal music.

Only thing to really say is, "Sabbath fucking rules." A record that, even over 50 years ago, everyone is trying to clone and improve upon. Delightfully occult, heavy, and just makes you want to headbang. Contains my favorite Sabbath song: "N.I.B.", once described as "the raucous defiling of Cream", a better description I cannot supply. Favorite tracks: "Black Sabbath", "Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B."

Damn! Everyone kills it in this group. Ozzy is legendary obvi, guitar wails (and solos are much better than van halen imo), bass is dark and rich, and drums take it to the next level. Love NIB, love it all