Black Sabbath

p cool

elsker det her album, klar 4/5, måske endda 5/5 hvis man er sød.

Nr. 158/1001 Black Sabbath 3/5 The Wizard 4/5 Behind the Wall of Sleep 4/5 N.I.B. 4/5 Evil Woman 4/5 Sleeping Village 4/5 Warning 3/5 Wicked World 3/5 Average: 3,63 Though I like their later albums better, this is still a really good record.

What an album opener. Bring a big fan of metal, I would have loved to have been there at the time when this album came out just to experience the title track, having heard nothing of the sort before. Easily one of the best doom/stoner metal songs of all time, and it arguably was the first one to exist. Sadly the rest of the album doesn't live up to these lofty heights. Sabbath would go on to achieve greater things in their next two albums, but the rest of this album is a bit meandering. The wizard is ruined by the harmonica imo, and Evil Woman was an unnecessary cover inclusion which is sounds like the band didn't even want on the record. They recorded the album in less than 12 hours and mixed it in one further day, so I can't help but feel if they spent more time making it tight rather than practically a live album it could have been an all time classic.

Makes me want to light something on fire. Love the wizard

Venturing into the dark and heavy realms of Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album has been an experience that, quite frankly, didn't quite resonate with me. I found the tracks on this album melded into one another, making it challenging to distinguish them or find that hook that pulls me in. There wasn't a moment or a song that leaped out, demanding my attention or leaving a lasting impression. There were instances where the instrumentals shone, offering glimpses into the talent that has made Black Sabbath iconic. Ozzy Osbourne's vocals were, for lack of a better word, okay. They fit the mood and tone of the album well, even if they didn't particularly stand out to me. It's clear that this album carved new paths in the rock genre, introducing elements that were revolutionary at the time. This appreciation, however, comes more from a place of respect for its historical significance rather than a personal affinity for the music itself. Favourite Tracks: Black Sabbath

Badass

Creepy woman album is good

Ground Breaking album that set the stage for metal to come. Enjoyable and iconic

One of the great early metal albums

So heavy, so riffy, so cool. It's amazing that Black Sabbath started a whole genre of music with this one album. I've heard this album before, but the only track I was familiar was The Wizard, which was head and shoulders above the others IMO. They're all great, and the uniqueness and novelty of the sound Black Sabbath created can't be overstated. Five stars.

Not my cup of tea, but inventing a spooky genre is pretty cool. Ozzy’s voice earns points for uniqueness and power. You can definitely hear the blues influence. 3.0

One can hear early heavy metal, but it's more bluesy than I was expecting. It's pretty good and Ozzy does a good job. 3.2

The cowbell on “The Wizard” at 2:11.

Much much better than I thought it would be

Amazing album from the godfather of metal.

This is definitely a great album, and anyone who likes metal or hard rock definitely needs to check out this album, and pretty much everything else from Black Sabbath. Anyways it’s hard for me to be super excited about this album on the flip side, because I grew up hearing Black Sabbath in the background, so it’s kind of old news for me, but I also don’t want to discredit them either, and the influence they’ve had in the music industry.

incredible from start to finish.

This takes me back to when the album came out and my older uncles listened to it over and over forcing me to listen over and over. Thankfully it is a great album.

Oh yeah !

I didn’t get Black Sabbath until I looked at the billboard charts and saw what was popular when they started. That’s when I really understood how new they were. The miss albums like this. A collection of songs that flow and tell a story.

Love hearing some bluesy sabbath. Found a new song or two I liked.

Agree with Spang’s logic. 4. Much blusier than I expected having only been familiar with Paranoid as my Sabbath baseline.

Don't know if this is a 3 or a 4, but it’s definitely 1 star less than Paranoid… so, I listened to Paranoid and gave it a 5. Guess this is a 4?

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.

HAIL SATAN!!!!!

Chill.

Possibly the best song the band made was the self-titled opening track, but overall, this album gradually loses steam as the tracklist progresses

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

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

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

Just don’t dislike the world, or myself, that much

Black Sabbath off of Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath! This album has songs that are very Black Sabbathy! I dig it, personally.

A classic album that was part of my childhood

Nice listen

Arguably the birth of heavy metal. Definitely a motherfucking beast of an album.

Three Stars

A lot of people recognize Blue Cheer as the first metal band but I think Black Sabbath really pioneered the metal sound that we recognize today. Even the lyrical content is much more dark on this record especially. This was definitely one that kids had to hide from their parents.

This is actually pretty good stuff, fun and listenable despite the dark themes and attitude. Nice variety of sound and some very good guitar work. A great start for a band, but for Ozzy and the group, it's all downhill from here to the Osbornes.

With hindsight, some people may look back at this debut and scoff at it for not being as good as Black Sabbath’s later works, but I believe you need to listen to albums in the context of when they were released. This was the first in a line of influential albums and it was also pioneering a new twist on blues-infused rock that would later be credited with starting the doom metal genre. It deserves respect even if it’s not perfect.

Had never really appreciated this as a full album before, had only really listened to the hits off it. Amazing separation of the individual instruments and vocals.

I like Black Sabbath the band. I like Black Sabbath the album. I do NOT like Black Sabbath the song; if you’re going to spend 4 minutes on the intro, you better be building to something really good! Thankfully, after that bad start, the album gets going with The Wizard and never looks back. The songs feels really consistent, like chapters of the same book (which may explain the long intro song), without getting boring or too repetitive. Though some of the guitar solos could’ve been shorter, or just better. Can’t say I enjoyed it as some of their later stuff, but a great listen if you skip the first song.

Ozzy is a funny geezer and everything, but these lads have never really been for me. A bit much, just chill out a bit. Having said that a 2 would be harsh. Simpsons: Yes

Feel like I'm handing out 5s left right and centre at the moment. Love Black Sabbath, though I've mostly just listened to their Best Of album. The majority of these tracks feature on that album. The ones that didn't weren't quite as good, though that could just be because I'm so familiar with the others. Strong contender for my favourite album so far.

I have listened to Black Sabbath before, but never really listened to a full album in one sitting. When I looked at the tracks I didn't recognise any of them, but as the album went through I did start thinking, yeah I have heard this before somewhere. Solid album, will deffo go back and listen again

Sat in the theatre at work in the dark with this playing. Was great to hear soo much of the album that I would have missed otherwise. Some really interesting stuff happening, really enjoyed the vibe of most of it but has a few moments I got bored. Opened amazingly, the ambience got me right in it and loved the first song The Wizard lost me, really didn’t enjoy that Behind the Wall of Sleep I really enjoyed, the slight delay with the vocals between L+R was such a cool effect that enhanced the song NIB & Evil Woman were great Really liked Sleeping Village Warning didn’t justify its runtime for me but it wasn’t bad, I just felt it didn’t go anywhere.

i actually loved it not what i thought at all

it was good the rain was cool i got a bit bored towards the end

Better than I could imagine, even though I've already listen a few songs of Sabbath :D

nice

En ollut ennen kuunnellut. Nyt ymmärrän. Klassikko.

Where it all began!!

Whether it’s 100% accurate or not, it’s pretty cool to listen to an album that’s credited with starting an entirely new genre

The beginning of metal!

I'm going to be weird and give it 4. My scoring system makes no sense, and this is hugely influential, but it's not as good a record of songs as Paranoid. It's still great of course. Black Sabbath, NIB, Warning the obvious standouts.

I've only heard the "Paranoid" album. Hearing the first few notes from the title track, I wonder how much Spinal Tap took from this one. I didn't like how the songs seemed to medley into each other so much. And some of the lyrics are a bit naive ("Wicked World" in particular). But I can definitely see the progression from here to the next album, and songs like "Black Sabbath" to "War Pigs" and "Paranoid" in the next album. The drum work, has a very jazzy feel at times. Reminds me of how Bruford was in Yes in those early years. I keep meaning to listen to more of Sabbath, get the origins of metal. Hopefully it's more developed than some of the stuff on this. Maybe I was expecting more hearing "Paranoid" so many times. But this is indeed the first step. So keeping that in mind, I'll give it a 4 for being so revolutionary. Top tracks: "The Wizard," "N.I.B."

It's a very solid debut but it's not as good as Paranoid, released later that year. Granted, the title track is just a perfect reflection of the album cover and their whole dark, occult motif especially with it's gloomy, rainy start and downtuned guitar. It is a true gem. So is the Wizard, although it is completely different - uptempo, frenzied, and with a variety of tempos and sounds (even Ozzy harmonica) from the get go (not just toward the end). I wish it was easier to find the original European release because the bandmates praise the sheer simplicity of the original recording. I found it on Youtube, though I'm still not sure if it's any different from the North American pressing other than swapping out Evil Woman (a remake) for Wicked World (its B-side and Sabbath original). One thing I noticed is there's dead air between some of the tracks (maybe that was just the way the contributor uploaded it) so you more distinctly know the end of Behind the Wall of Sleep (Wasp is still a tiny intro medley) and start of N.I.B. (Bassically is again still a tiny intro medley but it is awesome - all Geezer Butler on those bass licks). N.I.B. is a super clever song - kudos to Geezer for the lyrics (the devil falls in love) and Ozzy for vocals that set the mood, and of course Tony Iommi for some kickass power chords and plucking. While I like that the North American version went with Sabbath originals only, Wicked World is so-so and maybe feels like not quite the right fit. Evil Woman had bass lines that fit better given the preceding Bassically/N.I.B. The final medley of Sleeping Village to Warning is cool (with A Little Bit of Finger being the 53 second plucking and slight vocals intro to the former). All in all, it was really only Wicked World that was a minor letdown, and I welcome the reason for it. Plus, this album is probably the first heavy metal album - completely different than anything before it and influencing so many albums and artists after it. For that, I'll overlook its weaknesses and rate it as high as Paranoid.

Never really listened to BS before and it’s not my type of music, but I think it’s a really good album of its type. The first song alone had my heart pounding in a good , creepy way.

it was so OK. kind of nothing.

Ozzy’s distinct voice. Guitars. Melds together well. I like it but not a must own for me. Not something I’d seek out but can enjoy it.

Solid album to rock out but no particular song grabbed me

What an opening track: the eponymous track "Black Sabbath" on the album of the same name, sets the scene perfectly, created a new musical genre, and changed music forever. It's a shame I can only give this 5 stars.

The beginnings of Heavy Metal. Brummie brilliance

The ultimate in a debut album. Gods of heavy metal.

this was pretty neat and i had only heard N.I.B. before. black sabbath is a super cool introduction to this album and the wizard sounds like the blues version of cities on flame with rock and roll. N.I.B. was the only other one that really grabbed me but the overall sound was cool. hard to believe this is the first heavy metal album... from humble beginnings, right? favorites: black sabbath, the wizard, N.I.B.

Raw, rough & melodic rock. Great voice of Ozzy ... a masterpiece

A brilliant and beautiful album. The beginning of so much that I love and a true example of how Black Sabbath and other early pioneers of heavy music were very much making "real music" that matched what else was coming out at the time, both in quality of the musicianship and of the songwriting. While they would continue down a path to establish their style with bigger "hits," this album feels so real and raw, as it was just coming from a very honest place as they wore their inspirations on their sleeve but did it all in their own way.

Another one that changed my expectations. I thought Black Sabbath were more metal than this. Great riffs

Its ok

Unbearable noise

9/10

Dark heavy metal/hard rock. Man there's so much to say about this album. Black Sabbath created one of the most influential albums of all time with their first album. The roots of doom metal can be traced to this very album. I've heard this many times before but the riffs never get old. The production is just perfect, not too clean and not too messy. Bits of weird psychedlic sprinkled in here and there. It's just an incredible album. Without a doubt, timeless classic. Not even a question, of course I'll keep revisiting.

It had some moments but overall it was kind of boring with stupid song lyrics, tedious over-riffing and I'm not into all that Satan/Prince of Darkness image crap.

It’s amazing what this album accomplishes in a little under forty minutes.

solid classic but kind of background noise. no standout tracks for me but that is the nature of 5 long tracks. The most interesting part of the album is the history of it being the first true metal album

amazing how punchy & fresh this still feels despite hearing it & infinite clones over the years perfectly themed down to the album art. lyrics are over the top spooky, sick bluesy tone, the SHREDDING! love the song length/structure as well.

Great Black Sabbath sound but first album is not great like later albums.

Outstanding!!! Groundbreaking!!

The voice surprised me on the first track. I appreciate the “heavy” but still slow start. It makes the sound spooky. Second track got country feeling with the harmonica. Third track I enjoyed the least. Fourth track Wicked World felt more bluesy. Final track was alright just pretty long but I did get into the groove later in the song. Overall solid and I respect what it was doing at the time. I think I’d return to the album but not on a frequent basis. Also I consider 3 to be a solid rating

Listening to this album made me want to eat a bat

I can see why it’s on the list and I appreciate it for its significance. It must have been utterly revolutionary when released in 1970 despite its roots in blues and other classic rock of the time - did I enjoy it? Yes, will I listen again? Maybe not for a while :) Good game Andy - fun!

Quite simply one of the best albums ever made. End of.

Funky heavy riffs, no better opening song for feeling of dread and doom. Enjoyed it.

5 stars. Precursor of so many metal genres. It’s a staple of how to write great riffs and of how doom metal should be made.

Gema

This is goofy music.

I appreciate what they were going for and how this album was instrumental in inventing a new genre.

Tony Iommi's guitar work on this album is incredible. I like how there is some blues fused with this birth of metal. Stellar album with nice arrangements.

Solid one for me

Interesting start to the heavy metal era. This kind of sounds like led zeppelin but a bit heavier. They really developed the sound for paranoid, this is...dare I say... A little dull. In the context of it's time it's revolutionary, doesn't really hold up in 2024 for me though

Early Sabbath was the soundtrack for those days spent with friends in a shed out back while restoring BMX bikes and trying to keep CLR off our hands. And while Paranoid and Masters of Reality probably spent heavier rotation in the tape deck, I remember quite a bit more of this than I realized. A decent debut with some weird touches. That harmonica and juice harp...

it's got good quilters and beat. ozzy isn't my kind of singer but I do enjoy the classic ones

Not bad. Who knew?

I’m impressed! I totally thought I wasn’t going to be be able to stand at… But it was good to have on!

Obviously a very important album, birthing heavy metal and all. But they massively improved on everything here on "Paranoid", which is a much better album. The first half of this is great though;

Enjoyed listening to it - oh no is this a sign of aging? Familiar. Had to rate it 3 as first album picked!

They could not have chosen a more sinister opening track or album cover to represent themselves in their debut. This album is an incredibly raw, impactful, and influential work. I love the low, deep vibes. N.I.B. Has always been one of my favs. 4/5

Lots of good songs. Black Sabbath, The Wizard and Warning. Not what I expected.

Always love returning to the roots of good music. Still sounds a little dated and Ozzy is Ozzy, but the music is fantastic. Top tracks: Black Sabbath, NIB, Evil Woman, Warning

An absolute classic, kind of hard to listen to as an entire album in the modern world. But I played this album to death as a teenager in the 80s

Didnt know this one. Its great

Amazing!

A much easier listen than the first couple of albums, but I just am not a fan of the popular vocals of the 60’s and 70’s

It is what it is, a bit hard rock, a bit dark, a bit fun.

Not a fan....

Awesome

Pretty cool, interesting to see how close to blues it got at times

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is better

Started decently then it stayed the exact same just kinda boring after three songs

If you asked me to pick ten instruments that I thought would be on a Black Sabbath album, harmonica wouldn’t have even made the top twenty. Emo Zeppelin.

Classic classic. Super short album, but very important. Good stuff.

own

Great concept album

Solid album.

Dark and stormy. It's the foundation for heavy metal to follow. A four will do as I am a bit more of a psychedelia rock fan but to most people this will easily be a 5 star album.

The birth of Heavy Metal and their greatest recording

It's all here. The tone, the lyrics, the moral panic. This is arguably the first metal album, but I really was surprised by it actually sounding like a metal album. Of course metal would evolve, but the roots are here and they sound great. The harmonica was a little much though.

Awful, demonic

heavy metal . NO molesta.

There's a few really good tracks on here, but honestly the fact it takes 4½ minutes of the first track before it becomes interesting is really not on. I get whiy the album is here, but it is not as easy or as fun to listen to as, say, Deep Purple.

It's inventive, but like what happens so often with this list, it's a debut album and not as good as other Black Sabbath albums. 3/5

short album. honestly didn’t think this would be my cup of tea but ended up liking it way more than i thought. goes hard!

Not my style. I see the appeal.

Sie waren die ersten und das hört man auch. Schwerfällig und bemüht aber nichts für mich. Aus Versehen war ich sogar mal an einem Konzert von Ozzy...

Title track and NIB are highlights. Not as strong as Paranoid, but damn good.

Loved!!!

A classic record for the ages. Typically not what I’d listen to regularly, and this was the first time I’ve listened to this record in full and it really has a great sound. Ozzy has an iconic voice and the music that accompanies is well harmonized and simply rocks. Really enjoy this one.

Pretty good album, a lot of quality and you can hear their style forming to what we know right now. It still lacks the firepower that comes later with amazing riffs and guitar solos. Even Ozzy's vocal is a bit underwhelming on this record. It takes time to achieve greatness, but this album is a good indicator of being on the right track.

Solid album but I like paranoid more

It's a vibe, but it's also kinda like metal Grateful Dead.

It's crazy to think how this was received in 1970. The heaviness and themes are common place now but in 1970 this would have been so very heavy.

Good guitar riffs. Not my vibe, but I understand why people like the album.

I like the music OK. I don’t care for his voice. My younger self can appreciate the album. My older self is over it!

This is my second Black Sabbath album to review, the first being Paranoid. I thought Paranoid was fantastic (I was familiar with a few songs going into it), so I had high hopes for this album too. Thankfully, my expectations were exceeded listening to this album. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to hear this for the first time when it came out. I’d wager a guess that Black Sabbath was the leading cause of shit-fits in 1970. The first track does a fantastic job of setting the tone for the rest of the album. The mood is dark, brooding, and Ozzy’s wails and pleas for help create a really unsettling sound. The guitar work on the opening track is fantastic too, and I loved how the slow and deep tone shifted to a faster pace towards the end of the song. That might be one of the best lead-off tracks of all time. “The Wizard” was fantastic too, and I loved how it showed the shared sound of blues and early hard rock. The harmonica playing really caught me off guard, but it never felt out of place. However, my favorite song on this album was “N.I.B.” I used to hear this song on the local hard rock station back in the early aughts (rest in peace, KLOL), and I loved it so much back then. I hadn’t thought about this song in almost two decades, so I was delighted when it came up on this album. I love Ozzy’s singing on this song, especially during the chorus. He's not a great vocalist, but man, his voice is perfect on “N.I.B.” The repeating guitar riff is my favorite part of the song though, and I love how it combines with the drum as the song build towards the chorus. The guitar solo(s?) is fantastic too. The rest of the album is fantastic too, especially the guitar playing, but I’ve run out of steam gushing about the opening track and “N.I.B.” to comment much further. Overall, this is a great album from start to finish. This album is dark and brooding, but also an absolute joy to listen to. Black Sabbath knocked it out of the park with this one.

First got me into metal despite it being a starkly different genre- at least through the contemporary metal perception. Solid and eternal.

Hardrock classic

Spooky, heavy, amazing. 5 stars

dobili me na prvoj, drzali me do kraja👀

brutalno mi je ovo bilo, uopce nisam ocekivao

dost dobro

If you build it they will come. Clearly the album that influenced so many future bands. This thing is so beautifully perfect in its imperfections. Tempo waivers, string drags, vocal cracks…and yet who cares. And the way it was recorded live from the floor makes it even more badass. Close to a 5 in my book.

Awesome album, terrifying album art. Loved this from start to finish, from riff to riff. The way they recorded this makes it feel like you’re listening to their live set. Just great, nearly a 5 for me.

Probably a good thing they didn’t stick to original name: The Polka Tulk Blues Band. Not quite the same ring. I wasn’t around at the time but I can imagine how different this felt to everything else at the time. And still relevant today. Shit, would love if something this came out now and set a path for the next gen of solid rock music! A solid 4.

God damn these licks are tasty! Thoroughly enjoyed this album. Rare case of me wishing an album was a bit longer. Easy 4* for me. Crazy that it was recorded in only 12 hours considering the influence on rock/metal. Good shit. 4.25/5

Just as I imagined this would be.

Classic Black Sabbath, but I prefer the Paranoid album

Black Sabbath is FIRE-the dark Beatles-Ozzy has a great voice-crazy you can’t really understand him today 4/5

good drums - 3.5

fun

Black Sabbath isn't my usual jam, but I can see why this album is on the list.

The blues parts were fine, but not something I'd ever want to listen to again.

Absolutely great metal album. Super spooky, in the horror sense, like what they were going for at the time.

I do love me a bit of Sabbath. These Brummie lads done good. Just the album cover alone send me into raptures. Not their best but this is the begining, it's like honey to my ears- so good it's beyond hearing, a resonance that permeates my soul. From the very first track with bell and ominous portent guitars paving the way for Ozzy's voice........

Never heard this album in full before. often silly lyrics. one of very few bands that can have a silly song about wizards that's not a low point Black Sabbath knew how to make an awesome groove right out of the gate. The guitar and bass playing similar lines weaving in and out of time with each other is so cool. My biggest gripe is that this would be even better if it dropped some of the guitar solos. very impressive for something recorded in one day music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

Endlessly funny that this is a document of some dopey British blues guys sort of accidentally inventing a genre. It rocks so hard. The line “without warning, a Wizard walks by” rocks so hard.

Another one I’ve listened to many times. Hoping to listen to some albums I haven’t heard before soon.

I could have done without the 25 jam but other than that this is a great album.

First impression: not sure if it's for me, I like a lot of the guitar but the singer's voice isn't my favorite Second listen: liked it a little more this time, probably wouldn't add it to a list of favorites but might give it a listen every once in a while. 3.5/5 stars

Seminal and fantastic. the tuning on the guitar to make it work. the use of the tritones to create a sense of malice in the sound. the lyrics having a darker theme. all around fantastic work that changed the world

This album doesn't have the same number of hits as other Black Sabbath albums but still gives us the classic Sabbath sound and icon Ozzie vocals. Some songs drag on a little so we'll dig for that.

And the world was inflicted with both heavy metal and Ozzy Osbourne ever since.

It's a cool vibe, no issues with this. It's a debut that definitely feels like the band has an idea of what they want to be, but haven't yet figured out or settled into their personas. It's obvious they're working on the recipe, but haven't discovered the exact makeup of their secret sauce just yet. I'm not a Sabbath fan specifically, but I've been a classic rock radio listener all my life so I know the hits. I can confidently say that I've literally never heard any of these songs before. From what I know of the band, this album feels like it was very much a vehicle for a shit ton of Geezer's occult and fantastical lyricism. They're onto something, but this isn't a wow moment for me.

Made me physically uncomfortable

El pilar fundacional del heavy metal, en sonido y estética. Está bueno aunque sin una dirección clara todavía.

Soo much goodness!

Nah. I felt this didn't showcase Ozzy's unique sound, and the songs were just plain boring.

12/10! Excellent!

Amazing album. I want more 10/10

Start of the album full of great songs and then the second half jam session got pretty boring

Black Sabbath's debut starts with the sound of church bells tolling in the rain. Atmospheric. It includes classic Sabbath riff fests such as N.I.B but also has prominent blues elements, particularly on Warning. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: N.I.B. Date listened: 03/02/24

Fun actually. Party and pot music.

WTF this is just a blatant rip-off of Tenacious D's sound. Pretty sick tbh.

Kann mir sehr vorstellen, dass diese Band eine grosse Fan Base hat. Lieder sind auch sehr nett, bin leider nur nicht damit gross geworden bzw. habe keinen Bezug dazu.

I would love to time travel back to 1970 and be around for this album's release. Seeing the creepy LP cover on the shelves, putting this on your turntable and hearing the birth of heavy metal. The first track on this record must have blown many minds - it's just so dark and evil for its time. This record is immensely influencial, and timeless. The songwriting and performances are incredible across the whole album.

Was alright nothing to write home about. I have always heard Black Sabbath was one of the bands and to me it was just alright.

Not too bad, a little doom and slow at times, but a decent record. Definitely influential. 3/5

The birth of metal itself. And what a way to introduce itself. Great opening song, and it keeps the energy up the whole way. Fucking awesome record

Oh, to be a teenager in February 1970 experiencing 05:15 on the opening track for the first time! There are some remnants of the former 'Polka Tulk Blues Band' in here, which makes this album drag a bit, now and then, and it's a debut after all, like, they have not fully arrived at what they're really doing aka inventing here, but I was stingy with my stars yesterday, so today I'll be generous and not wait for 'Paranoid' to put a Black Sabbath album into my favourites, where it belongs.

Always happy to hear some black sabbath

interesante aproximación al heavy para un no aficionado.

Liked it better than expected. Not a fan of Ozzy's singing (I know some really are), enjoyed the drumming. More interesting than most of, say, Deep Purple (though Ian Gillian was a fantastic singer). Innovative, obviously, and held my interest.

First time I've listened to an entire Sabbath album. It was a pretty fun experience, it's held up well. Loved the doom elements. Back half lost me a bit tho. Fav track: Black Sabbath 3.5

Loved this for the most part, real rockin. Easy to jam out to, and some great riffs and vocals in there. Didn't feel the back end held up quite as much but still a really fun listen. Three and a half. Fave track: The Wizard

Surely iconic, but not fully a style that I align with my favourite category of classic rock. Something about Ozzy's voice also, although it's legendary, kind of grates with me. Two and a half. Fave track: Black Sabbath

Really enjoyed this. Added a few tracks. 3.5-4/5

Atmospheric album but not my favourite. Pretty good though, high 2/low 3.

Great!

Good album. Spotify did not have 2 of the songs available. 3.5 stars.

No notes. Fucking magnificent

Nice album.

Hard Heavy Metal, kicking what was left of the 60s in the face. Like nothing you had heard before...

awesome start to metal even if its not usually my thing

Positiivinen yllätys! Ekat biisit hyviä, loppua kohden ehkä vähän lässähti

Classic

Classic that changed the world.

Never really listened to Sabbath. It's a lot lighter than I expected. A lot slower paced. Grungy, grinding, bluesy rock. It's pretty good, standard rock, a little light on melody with it's own unique character.

The first metal album

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath I was so happy to see this as my song for the day. I just got into Sabbath over the past year. Started to pick up the vinyl when I'd see it. But didn't know more than the hits and Ozzy. One thing I like about this challenge is that I take time to look up the album and to get a bit of context of what was going on during the recording. It's the digital version of sitting on your couch with the vinyl sleeve and reading the liner notes (god I wish artist would get back to doing that). With this album I learned that this album was played live, no overdubs. And they did it in 12 hours.That's just crazy. I also learned that Tommy Iommi had to Macgyver fingertips for a couple of fingers he lost in a sheet metal factory accident out of the plastic of a dish detergent bottle and had to tune the strings down to make it easier to bend the strings. And I got to listen to this amazing album! I sometimes think about what I've missed out on by not listening to things earlier in life, but I realize that I might not have been as open minded to different genres at that stage in my life. So I've been truly enjoying this experience. Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath is a 5/5 star album.

Eh. The first track is great, but it's downhill from there. Definitely a band figuring their style out.

Det er meget bluesy i forhold til senere Sabbath, men mærkeligt nok ikke på en fed måde for mig. Talte ikke rigtigt til mig

Another winner. Im sure they were a big influence on yesterday’s artist - Iron Maiden. Sabbath was a key player on in the first British heavy metal invasion. They are icons

metal mmmmm yeah

Love the music! Especially the low guitar sound. Very talented musicians. The super dark lyrics caused me to knock a few stars off the rating.

From the opening of the first song, I lamented that the album (version that I found) was only 5 songs. But they made up for it by being long. I found this album incredibly enjoyable, although I didn't love the lead vocals. It felt cutting edge. What can I say?? It rocks!

Classic metal / heavy rock. Can hear the many influences to other albums to come in the future. Really liked the sound quality and rawness hearing the bass strings being plucked.

Very good album. I'm not sure if I have ever actually heard the whole thing before. I would listen again. Very revolutionary for the time period.

Never have been a Black Sabbath fan.

Ich mach das Review gfühlt mitere pistole ah mim chopf 😂 S Album isch ganz easy, ich han irgendwie nid viel dezue zsege. Es isch guet aber haut mich jetzt au nid so übertriebe us de socke wies gwüss anderi lüüt duet :D Ja irgendwo zwüsched 3-4 lieht da. Sones 3.7/5? Idk

Oho. Warning ab 6:40 min WIE GUET BITTE?! tingles my brain. De Ahfang vo N.I.B au suuuuper lääss! Macht eif spass zum lose. Finds funny hend sies am friitig em 13. veröffentlicht. Ich muss sege d düstere gitarreriffs allgemein im ganze album findi cool, chunnt au 50 jahr spöter iwiie guet ah (de fakt dass de typ 2 Fingerspitze ned gha hett? Insane) hey allgemein machts mega spass das album z lose

Ich lieb dass ihren erste song und s erste album und d band gliich heisst. So hallou do sind mir. Es fühlt sich so chli wie e logischi folg vo led zeppelin aa, find d drums sind vor allem sehr ähnlich. Okee ich mach de lukas: de stereo stuff isch chli nervig uf Behind the Wall of Sleep Okee N.I.B. Findi sehr en schwache song, vor allem de text. Und s gitarre genoodel gfallt mer gar nöd uf de letschte paar songs :( De text vo de letschte paar findi au gar nöd guet, und denn spielt d gitarre amel gschmacklos irgend en scheiss ine. Ui nei sorry sevi

ersts metal album time. sehr moody, aber seehr bluesy. feeets solo tommy respekt hobla. the wizard isch meeeega zeppelin mit de harmonika und so. behind the wall of sleep. geils riff. huere hend die da alles i eim take ufgnoh. effekt uf de stimm isch geil. NIB bass intro geeeil. song selber au recht cool. Evil Woman. frau bös bösi frau. sleepong village goht recht hard riffs sind super. warning. achtung achtung metal time achtung achtung de bassist heisst geezer butler so en geile name. ok do ischer etz chli am noodle de tommy wicked world mega tempowechsel time. finds sehr doom metal mässgi mengmol mega prog und allgemein huere kreativs album. ozzy singt bluesiger als ichs vo ihm erwartet hett und de tommy spielt seehr geil gitarre. zum teil sind d gitarresoli chli genudel und d riffs nöd soo spannend aber es guets album.

ja also was sölli sege

ah geez

😝

An interesting listen to what was probably THE first heavy metal album. it was full of doom and gloom, and heavy thunderous rock. Lyrics were uncharacteristically dark for the time, but by todays standards, you wouldn't even bat an eye at. Overall a cool album to listen to, and so weird to think that Ozzy Osbourne is singing. Best: N.I.B Worst: Sleeping Village 3.5 Stars

Blech

My god I love Ozzy’s voice!!! Sounds so creepy cool. Love the haunting feeling to the songs. Also the crazy shit Apple Music has to say about Iommi. “When he was 17 years old, a young guitarist, born Frank Anthony Iommi, sliced the tips off two of his fingers while working at a sheet metal factory in Birmingham. The story goes that he was so determined to keep playing guitar, he fashioned prosthetic tips out of melted plastic bottles and detuned his guitar by a minor third because the looser strings were easier to play. ”

Easy 5. Birth of metal. Iommi is a riff master.

I fully intended to go into this review saying ‘I was intending to give it a four because it’s not quite as good as later albums.’ While I do think that it’s a valid criticism, it isn’t as good as Paranoid, it’s also a pointless comparison. So what if it isn’t as good as Paranoid, it is still a fantastic album full to the brim of riffs, twisted and knotty as the roots of ancient trees. It is a masterclass in guitar drums and bass, to the extent that I cannot decide who performs best. And this isn’t to downplay Ozzy’s contribution. I love Ozzy’s voice, but it’s not the most important thing he brought to the band. That was his fantastic harmonica playing of course. Oh, and the fact that he’s one of the most charismatic performers to have ever existed. Outside of the influence context, I think that this is just a damn good Hard Rock album, of the sort that Britain did so well in the 60’s and 70’s. And because of it’s influence in birthing a whole new genre of music, this album deserves all the praise it gets

Similar to The Kinks where it was a bit of an effort

Buen sonido

In the late 90s I borrowed an all black, ominous looking CD from a friend who told me I had to hear this. The first song left me speechless and somewhere between scared and excited. That was my introduction to metal music, for better or worse, with Slipknot. I imagine that same feeling for the kids in 1970 who put this record on and heard something they hadn’t heard before, it was taboo and forbidden but oh so cool. Legends for a reason, still a solid album today. 5/5 devil horns.

The Wizard... more harmonica than I was expecting. Tremendous album! Listened twice! 5/5

This was a treat to listen to. Enjoyed each track, and of course, the Prince is awesome.

Meh...

4/5 awesome album. Love the guitar, never listened to the first sabbath album. Just wish it was longer!

this album is simply perfection

“They can put a man on the moon quite easy”

sorprendentemente me gustó.

Proper devil music, classic

The opening track still got me shitting

SCC.

Good

Beter dan verwacht

Hard

The album that influenced 50+ years of metal

They really came out of the chute firing

Good old Classic Metal Songs with Ozzy

Iconic album

Enjoying it more than I was expecting. Songs were too long in my opinion, but I like the instruments. Don't think commuting on the subway was the best atmosphere to enjoy it, maybe would like it better at home

This is heavier than I realized. Like, the sound feels weighty, and everything contributes to that broader mood of despair. I like it, but damn, is it surprising. Honestly, I haven't heard of this album in full and it surprises me how cohesive but varied it is. Like, it's very blues and very rock and very jazzy and there's a synthesis to all of these discordant sounds that does actually show how rock music was going to evolve in the future. Also, everything is so distinctive, it's so weird how in sync the sound is while each of the instruments are so *distinct*. Terrific stuff.

I certainly enjoyed but I don't think i'll be coming back. 3.5/5

Everytime I listen to Black Sabbath, I ask myself «Where did that come from?». After spending some time with this album, I do see how these four young musicians mixed their jazz and blues roots into something heavier than what the world had seen up to that point. It is, however, even clearer to see the influence they have had on what came after them. Brilliant album, that I listen to far too seldom.

N.I.B is a tune, but despite its historic significance, this dad rock venture just didn't hit for me.

Not for me.

אלבום מצוין! לדעתי האלבום השני יותר טוב אבל זה גם אלבום מדהים.

Wow, I can't believe this came out in 1970. I wonder what it was like hearing it then. I'm definitely not a metal fan but I can appreciate this. I even kinda liked it.

Solid hits although the album wasn’t on Spotify in full. Mandatory vinyl to own.

feeling like a fool for not listening to this before now. love the theatricality. had me dancing

Short album! Sounded fairly crude and elementary even by 1970's standards.

Cooley Album, rockig, aber auch nicht zu hart. Wohl das erste Heavy Metal Album.

3.5

So funny to listen to know. This supposed album of darkness and terror, while still an interesting album, does not hold the fear of its initial release date.

yes

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

Great album, I felt like one song started and blended right into the next.

Cover to cover bangers NIB is a classic Black Sabbath is so heavy

The birth of heavy metal as we know it.

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.

Interesting, can hear the blues influence

With this album, Black Sabbath started heavy metal. They forged a hard, driven version of blues and rock with elements of psychedelia and ample use of distortion. Tony Iommi's technical guitar riffs connect Black Sabbath's music to both rocks' and blues' traditions of guitar driven songs. Ozzy Osbourne's unique, strained vocals pushed their music into something outside of those traditions. Sabbath's associations with the occult has plagued hard rock throughout its history.

Cool

Still a decent album, even if the song combos trend a little long for me.

The World wasn’t prepared for this album, I can imagine parents in the 70s being scared of Black Sabbath because it was so different compared to other music genres as it was the first Heavy Metal Album. And That’s why I love it.

NIB, evil woman

I used to be a huge Black Sabbath fan and loved the album years ago. But it's a lot of "guitar" music and isn't as great to me anymore.

great classic rock

Ozzy’s voice is extremely strong and the whole album has a depth I haven’t realized before.

not my cup of tea

Masterpiece of an album. It’s dark. It’s rough. It’s sludgy. It’s suffocating. I feel like I’m trapped and cannot escape. The music equivalent of Saw 1. This album is glorious.

Better than I expected. Always was turned off by the scary looking stuff but it wasn't terrible.

Stone cold classic and my first straight up 5 star.

Alfa metal. Great riffs, great vocals, great everything. Ez 4.5

Fantastic riffs. 4.5

Another classic. An easy listen with a bit of head banging.

Zu alt

3/5 intersting one but not enough

Really good actually. Sounds like black sabbath. Muddy, grungy, loud. Like it a lot

Jag gillar ju inte hårdrock så en trea på denna måste ju göra Ozzy stolt.

I'll always have a soft spot for Black Sabbath, between Ozzy's rending vocals, Iommi's guitar lines, the trendsetting bass tone, and the tight drums from the guy whose name I never remember. The debut album isn't my favorite though, and I'm always waiting for the plodding title track to make it to the fantastic outro. N.I.B. is the noteworthy track for me, with one of the classic rock bass lines.

Not my jam. 2/5

5*

Zzzzzzzzzz. J'ai eu du mal à terminer l'album jusqu'au bout. Terriblement ennuyeux et creux.

Los 10 minutos del tema 7 son pura magia.

An interesting debut. A lot more indulgent but not in a bad way. 5 longer style tracks that cover adjectives like droney, doomy and jammy. It's weird to me as this feels like something they would've done after their bigger hits like paranoid, iron man, sweet leaf and the like. It feels like a better album experience to me for some reason than paranoid which was always my go to.

Enjoyed the harmonica. Got a little repetitive. But I can see it's appeal.

Now I’m 100% sure, I do NOT care for Black Sabbath.

Solid heavy metal album that helped pioneer the genre. Great riffs, but Ozzy grew into a better singer as time went on.

Klingt veraltet

Great album.

Not for me.

BADASS guitar & drums, some of the best heavy metal riffs of all time. Love the structure/format of combining multiple songs on tracks 3 & 5.

Monster album. One of my all-time favorites

Instrumentally, it doesn’t quite get any more hardcore than this. Ozzy’s vocals fit in perfectly with the hard hitting drums, steady bass, and electrifying guitar. Everything meshes perfectly here and you have top tier talent in every facet. My problem is that with almost a forty minute run time made up of just five songs, you’re getting tracks that are unjustifiably long. They’re all epic, no doubt, but they could have toned it down just a notch with the guitar solos. 4/5

5/5

Heel gek album, een soort country hardrock? Mondharmonica komt in elk geval flink aan dit album te pas. N.I.B. heeft een lekkere gitaarsolo. Maar verder? Laat het me redelijk koud allemaal. Het is gewoon prima muzikaal maar ik vind weinig dingen er echt uitspringen. De vele en lange gitaarsolo's helpen daar niet bij. Shoutout Warning die 10 minuten(!) duurt!!! Is dit stiekem een progrock album ofzo?

- Das Debütalbum von Black Sabbath und für viele die Begründung von Heavy Metal. Ich würde dagegenhalten und behaupten, das erst "Paranoid" das erste richtige Heavy Metal Album ist. Der Titeltrack "Black Sabbath" ist sicherlich düster und "schwer" aber es gibt durchaus Led Zeppelin Songs, die da mithalten können. Zumal das restliche Album m.M.n. ein klassisches Bluesrock und Hardrock Album ist. - Ist ja aber auch eigentlich egal was es ist, denn es ist unglaublich geil!! - Oft gehört und trotzdem keine Minute langweilig. - Sound in der Remastered Version ist echt fett - Ich liebe jeden Song, einfach genau meins Rating: 4,5-4,75/5

- Was soll man sagen; einfach ein "komplettes" Album - Tony und Ozzy performen meiner Meinung nach sogar besser als auf Paranoid. Auch "handwerklich" finde ich das Album in Teilen stärker als Paranoid, - Jedes Stück ein absoluter Klassiker und facettenreich. Von Blues-Rock über Southern Hard Rock und Progmetal bis hin zu den Doom-Wurzeln. 4,5/5

- Kannte ich nicht vorher nicht, da ich im Metal einfach meistens in der Core Abteilung unterwegs bin - gefiel mir aber sehr gut, echt eine starke Platte

Pleasantly surprised.