Reviews (page 4 of 17)
I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Important for metal but overall quite mid. Love the drumming tho. Blueprint of all metal that comes after this. Iconic.
The late, great Prince of Darkness and the boys. Is this the first metal album? I always forget how bluesy it is but fuck me if it isn't spectacular.
Fire AF
Perfect
muy bueno
8 very good long songs which I lik
Full of powerful guitar solos and I love it! It’s organic, and the drums are perfect. No over the top arrangements on this album. The main rule is: keep it simple, keep it organic and this will be a classic.
Ugh. Not my cup of tea, but I listened to it for the first time. Wasn’t as bad as I expected. Interesting part of music history.
FAVS (top 3): black sabbath, behind the wall of sleep, sleeping village mençoes honrosas: N.I.B., wicked world gostosinho gente dahora de ouvar, nem parece q tem mais de 40 min de duraçao passou voandoooo eu amo! nota final: 4/5
RIP Ozzy
Not my main vibe but I still enjoyed it😛
after sitting through innn-gadda-da-vida, this was a breath of fresh air.
none for me fanks
The album is . . . less enjoyable (musically) and less interesting (lyrically) than either Paranoid or Vol. 4. But you have to respect the band’s early, settled commitment to this sound. And, of course, how it helped christen heavy metal music.
Y.. no es icónico, pero es excelente para haber sido los los iniciadores.
Not massively into any of the tracks, but the guitar playing, many of the riffs and the bass lines are really good.
Don't mind the music of Black Sabbath, love the guitar. For me, not a fantastic album, song by song, but enjoyed it as a whole. Actually quite like The Wizard, Behind the Wall of Sleep and Evil Woman. Could be a 4 or 3.5 rating.
My English roots are and are feelin rockin. Left me inspired and I'm happy to have listened as I believe this is essential listening!
My first exposure to Black Sabbath Album, feels like the sound is the roots for all other song out there. I love how the metal blends to somehow jazz and soul and rythm. I don't know how to describe it, but it surely and unskipable album. If you skip one it feels like you missed the story they wanna tell. I listened to this melody and sound wise, not lyric. Maybe next time.
an interesting listen
had to be wild hearing black sabbath for the first time. "n.i.b." slaps. the rest is ok. but big points for kicking off doom.
Decent album
Great album by one of the best 70s bands.
Great first choice. The beginning of heavy metal. The guitar riffs were the first of the time. Nothing like it before and a lot tried to copy after.
8/10
Was expecting abrasive proto-metal but was surprised to hear more like classic rock tuned a little darker. Very good. Also, I’m a sucker for sick bass lines what can I say?
Echt noice!
Thank God for this palette cleanser after Kid Rock. Black Sabbath goes so hard. This is sooo good and every member of this band is so talented. Black Sabbath has better albums for sure, but this is a great debut. Actual rating...4.5 Liked Songs: The whole album is great, but "Evil Woman" is probably my least favorite.
4.5
Love how you can hear hints of everything Sabbath would hone in on with their later albums.
Having now listened to more bs 60s/70s jammy psych crud than I’d ever want to…this doesn’t stand out to me as much as people make it out to. At least this wasn’t as slow as the other Sabbath entries, but man something about their oft used slow riff tempo really irks me
Ozzy did a lot of the same vocal cadence on this one that was fun to make fun of.
Mejor canción: N.I.B Canción que menos me gustó: Evil woman Puntaje general: 8/10 Notas adicionales: Locura la guitarra
fuck yeah
Songs aren't all available on Spotify in my area rip :(
Me parecio bueno, temas copados. Pero ninguno me impresiono digamos. Si rescato el dato de que se grabo en un solo dia y el disco que dio inicio al heavy metal. Sin embargo, me parece "normal"
Ya conocía este album, icónico. Tiene joyitas como NIB
Black sabbath= fresco y sorprendente, rock pesado sin empalagar ni un gramo. The wizard= muy buena armónica y la guitarra un lujazo, mezcla de country con heavy metal. Behind the wall of sleep= gran riff y solo de guitarra, todo guitarra acá. NIB= TEMAZO bajo increíble, entrada de la guitarra y letra 11/10. Evil woman= medio blues, el bajo se lleva la atención y sorprende en el estribillo para bien entra a los me gusta. Sleeping village= armonía entre lo tétrico y lo psicodélico, FUA mete cambiazo son 3 canciones en una, tiene panderetas? Increíble. Warning= solo de guitarra de 6 minutos desde un tsetseo hasta una distorsión muy marcada, parecen varias canciones pero ojo no aburre, la más jugada de todas sin dudas, cuando dice a little big too strong pega fuerte Ozzy muy bien. Wicked World= entrada disruptiva, letra simple pero efectiva, la guitarra es fenomenal viejo. Puntaje final= 8/10
Better than I anticipated.
Could have been worse
DOOM METAL!
(4/7) liked the instant Halloween vibes at the beginning but skews a little too jam heavy for me
Great instruments and solos
Black Sabbath: me gustó mucho la guitarra del final The Wizard: me sorprendió la harmonica amé Behind the Wall of Sleep: epic la guitarra N.I.B.: me estás jodiendo lo que es ese bajo morí Evil Woman, Don’t Play Your Games With Me: tercera fav. la escucharía en el día a día. Sleeping Village: me encantooooo 🌟 Warning: epic solo. top dos Wicked World: son muy cracks posta nunca había escuchado un álbum de ellos y creo que no conocía ninguna canción. me gustó más que nada la guitarra, pero como combinan los instrumentos en los solos me sorprende mucho está muy bueno. me sorprendió también lo que me gustó para ser un álbum de metal. overall muy bueno, pero no lo escucharía tan seguido.
J’aime beaucoup le « build-up » de Black Sabbath. Ce n'est en revanche pas tellement mon genre musical de cœur, mais pour l'époque, c'était impressionnant.
Surprisingly proggy, amazing through and through
It was just too early in the morning today
Been listening to this since I was in high school. Absolute classic!
its so iconic that its hard to rate seriously
All hail the prince of darkness!!
Sleeping Village and The Warning were unavailable on Spotify, so had a quick detour to make sure I got the full experience.
I know all the usual Sabbath songs so it was fun to listen to a bunch that I'd never heard before. I can definitely see why they're so influential.
First time listen Never heard their first album before somehow. While I think it's a good listen in its own right, I think the most interesting aspect is hearing the beginnings of their style and consequently one of the driving forces behind metal as a whole. You'll hear some shit that sounds 20 years ahead of its time in one second and then a blues rock lick will remind you this is somehow an album from the 70s. You can still hear those influences on later albums but the blues influence is especially prominent here. Really enjoyed it Favorite tracks: The Wizard, NIB Least favorite: Evil Woman 4/5
Highlights: The Wizard, Behind the Wall of Sleep, N.I.B. I never heard any of the tracks from this record so it was new to me. Wizard was interesting because I didn't expect this mix of country and metal. Otherwise it kinda felt relatively familiar - be it familiar in the context of Sabbath or familiar in general. For the latter I have already given the country example, but I can also say that N.I.B. sounds a lot like a Clapton track. So it isn't as metal and dark as I expected it to be. Warning singlehandedly killed side B for me. Overall it was ok, but not something special. Highlights will remain inrotation.
Eh, it was very.....OK. Never heard this first album. Expected a lot better given knowing what classics they would have in the future. I'm sure at the time this was pretty unique. Would never listen to this again.
Love it! I've heard the wizard in isolation before, but it made it even better to hear it within the album. This is going to fast become a heavy rotation album for me. I'm pissed It wasn't before. I can only imagine how hard they'd have gone live back in the 70's. No notes.
Again more approachable than I thought!
great!!
Not my favourite Sabbath album but of course it’s a 5. Cited - correctly or incorrectly - as the birth of metal, but regardless of that the album is solid. Revisiting this it was really evident to me how well it flows. Paired well with the gym too.
Loved it, it was intense all along
goated
I will give this a 4 and that is saying something as I am not a big heavy metal fan.
It's just the same motif stretched over 40 minutes. Only giving it three stars because it's a decent motif
Inte så mycket att orda om. Solklar femma för mig.
Man kan inte ge annat än full pott till världshistoriens första metalskiva, även om a-sidan är överlägsen och skivan tappar lite riktning i andra halvan. Titelspåret låter lika elakt idag som det måste gjort för 46 år sen. 4,5/5 avrundat uppåt.
Vilket band. Så jävla tighta. Så har listan inte med Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 😭 Det måste vara någon form av brott.
perfekt rock
Sjukt fett men kanske lite mycket samma riff för en femma. Ska tilläggas att jag mekade cykel under tiden. You wouldn't like me when I mekar cykel
I don’t remember the first time I heard Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut, but I know I was blown away. The opening track, Black Sabbath, is one of the most ominous songs ever recorded. Lead singer Ozzy Osborne sounds like he truly is horrified as the figure in black stands before him. Especially during the “Please, God help me” ad-libs he wails before the band goes into the thunderous main riff of the song. Apparently, the lyrics were written after bassist Geezer Butler woke up and saw a figure in black at the foot of his bed. I remember as a kid being afraid of Ozzy’s music and Black Sabbath because they were devil-worshippers. But if you listen to a lot of Sabbath’s lyrics, they are trying to warn you about the devil. It’s like Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue said about their song Shout At The Devil, “We’re telling people to shout at the devil, not shout with the devil.” Black Sabbath, the song, may be the best opening track of an album ever. Track 2 is The Wizard and it’s a weird, but incredible song. Ozzy breaks out the harmonica for this song. The harmonica, what? Yeah, back in the 60’s and early 70s, harmonicas were a big instrument. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, blues bands, they all used the harmonica. Black Sabbath didn’t know any different. And truly, the harmionca adds this kind of edginess to the song. When thinking of Black Sabbath, you’re not necessarily expecting it. Apparently, the song was inspired by Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings books and was also a metaphor for their drug dealer. Great song. Track 3 is Wasp/Behind The Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I. B., at least on the North American version of the album. Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep starts out very jazzy. Black Sabbath must have been jazz lovers because drummer Bill Ward and bassist Butler are one of the best rhythm sections, and they really swing. When you listen to this album one time, focus on the drums and bass. Behind the Wall of Sleep has a super heavy riff and Ozzy’s vocals sound incredible, but the piece of the resistance is N.I.B., which starts with an iconic bass solo from Butler before guitarist Tony Iommi hits the world with one of the most well-known riffs in metal. Oh yeah! Then the lyrics sneak up on you as Ozzy is singing about loving the person he’s singing to and how he can help them. Then it turns out Ozzy is singing from the point of view of the devil. Now, I can see how that would scare people. It scared me when I was a kid and had no maturity or ability to read between the lines, so to speak. The song isn’t trying to bring kids to the devil, it’s warning them about the devil. But forget that crap, Wicked World is next and its riff is FAT. Wicked World, track 4, isn’t as well-known as the rest of the songs, but it’s a groove, man. And the lyrics? Whoa. “The world today is such a wicked place Fighting going on between the human race People go to work just to earn their bread While people just across the sea are counting their dead. A politician's job, they say is very high For he has to choose who's gotta go and die They can put a man on the Moon quite easy While people here on Earth are dying of old diseases.” It’s amazing how a song written over 50 years ago can still apply today. It’s mind-blowing and sad, as we as a society are still stuck in the same old rut. We need a new Black Sabbath to come around and, if not save us, then give us a good soundtrack as we circle the drain. The last song on the North American release is A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning. Warning isn’t about the devil or the impending doom brought upon us by our politicians and billionaires, but it’s simply about a woman. A devil woman! Well, not really, but Ozzy knows he should stay away from her. The band is at its top lick on this song as they jam and enter a flow state of riffasticness. Plus, in the middle, you get a guitar solo from Iommi that can’t be anything but divine. This album is a classic, and it’s where real heavy metal started. Led Zeppelin was heavy for their day, but Sabbath are the fathers of heavy metal. If you’ve wondered or were curious about metal, listen to this as your gateway album. If you don’t like Sabbath, metal might not be for you. This is a must-listen album for historic purposes and for good, clean fun purposes.
How could I not give this a 5? What a debut album! What a band! The album that started a musical revolution. Bangers start to finish.
Well, I was pretty excited to listen to this...until I saw it features my nemesis. Songs longer than 7 minutes. I have fish brain. I can only hope it's interesting. I actually did like the other album I heard by them enough to give it 5 stars, so theoretically this should be good? Let's see... Wait, why is there a different version for the U.S.? That's kind of annoying. I'm listening to that one tho 1. Black Sabbath - I'm not wowed by this but it's good 2. The Wizard - Ooh, I love the start. WAIT THIS IS ABOUT GANDALF??? 3a. Wasp/Behind The Wall of Sleep - I loved that intro, wow. Is it bad lyrically this is reminding me of Kate Bush's Hounds of love 2nd half? 3b. Bassically/N.I.B. - Okay, that being called "bassically" is kind of iconic. Me thinking N.I.B was a love song then...OH shit. still a vibe. Wow guitars, nice 4. Wicked World - Okay, immediately love that guitar riff, holy shit. 5a. Bit of Finger - I don't why they meshed the tracks together like this? This one is cool as fuck tho, I love the eerie vibes. 5b. Sleeping Village - Okay love the guitars. theyre great, I can't deny. 5c. Warning - Oh, this one is a cover? Okay, so this one is cool, I like it, but... I guitar solors were kind of a lot on first listen. They were cool and all, but they took up so much time. I know and understand that's sacrilegious to say. sorry. They might grown on me with repeated listens I did like this overall...I'm not sure if I should put this at a 4 or 5...hmm. Fuck it, it's a 5 cause of LOTR
genuinely so goated. i probably prefer paranoid but this is one hell of an album. NIB is probably my fave but i like wicked world and black sabbath alot too. also I love the album cover so much, its so strange and raw
very technically impressive
Not for me
Classic album. Don't like metal generally but this was Rocky enough for me. Timeless
Pretty good tbh. Wipes the floor with that god awful Deep Purple album I heard a few months ago. Ozzy’s lyrics are… rudimentary… but it doesn’t detract from what is a solid collection. Best: The Wizard. N.I.B Worst: Warning
Listening to it now after decades of metal and all sorts of metal variation, its hard to put yourself into the shoes of a teenager in 1970s England hearing this for the first time. Does it still slap hard? Yes, the guitar riffs are crazy, breaks open the doors of metal, atonal in all the right ways, Ozzy is amazing vocally before it becomes a self parody. While it has been surpassed in dozens and dozens of ways over the last 50+ years, sometimes the original is still incredible and seeing the genesis of a genre is amazing.
pure magic
Not the great revelation I was looking for unfortunately. ⭐️⭐️
Fine not really my thing
It's just quite...dull? The songs are slow, lacking in dynamics and every now and again they break out into a riff. Quite strange.
Ozzy is the man!
Very good but you can definitely tell it their first album
It's amazing that this was in 1970. The guitars are wonderful. That being said, I'll probably give their later stuff a try instead of replaying this one
Hmmm on this one i don't like the metal :(
Its very evil sounding i don’t like it at all i would never wanna listen to this at all its so bad as well.
I think they would go on to perfect this sound on their later albums, but I think this perfectly lays out the foundation for what metal music would become. Some absolutely fantastic tracks on here with the title track and N.I.B in particular still standing up there as two of the best songs in the entire genre. The other songs here are all varying degrees of good but there's nothing here that matches the heaviness of those two. This is far from my favourite album from these guys but this is still a super impressive debut that holds up against most of what modern metal has to offer. Fav Songs: N.I.B, Black Sabbath, Warning, Evil Woman Least Fav: Sleeping Village 8.8/10
First ever Black Sabbath album listen. I liked.
OK, I thought the first was better
Wizard - what a track!
Not bad. I thought the other Black Sabbath album, Vol. 4, was better though
ganz cool, teils ehner langatmig, nüt wo bsunders blibt, songstrukture?
RIP Ozzy. He was truly one of the legends. This is my last Sabbath album and can honestly say I like them much more than I thought I did. And I realize during The Wizard that people will deal with things in music they like that they will not in music they hate. This is a song about a wizard. If this was a different band these lyrics would overshadow everything else. These guys hate politicians...that's a message I can get behind. This album is better than I anticipated as well.
It’s easy to underplay how sophisticated an album this is. Yes, there’s Ozzys banshee howl, and the riffs are endless. But there’s so much more that. Bill wards drums swing, far more jazz than metal and the bass brings a supple rhythm to everything.i
Favorite songs: The Wizard, Wicked World
One of the more rare entries where it’s abundantly clear why it’s on this list. Rightfully so
Hot take: second half of the title track is kinda not good
Bra album, inte min smak
Inte min favoritgenre men go gitarr och ett hyfsat album
I liked this. Wasn't expecting to be into metal but hey
N I B So good and so definitive.
Not for me
Ozzy <3. Dobra płyta na 5
10/10 no notes
9/10 sólido, gratamente sorprendido de tanta base blues. Canción preferida: The wizard
fuck. yes. RIP Ozzy 🖤
Not as good as the previously-reviewed Paranoid, but still pretty damned good. Their self-titled song is the best thing on here, but overall the amazing trio of Iommi, Butler and Ward just no how to craft heavy rhythms and riffs infused with melody. It's funny that contemporary reviews criticized them for sounding too much like Cream, and I hear that a bit (the riff from "Sunshine Of Your Love" is lifted wholesale at one point), but regardless "Black Sabbath" and "The Wizard" are total Sabbath, and they only start sounding really conventional when we hit Side Two.
it's good even if I don't want to listen to it
It's good. Not as cool as No. 4 or Paranoid, but I like it.
Very cool, first dip in for me and very much enjoyed it
No notes. Classic.
This was alright. I preferred Paranoid, but this still rocked out. Was a bit surprised to hear harmonica amongst the dark sounding rock of most of this album. NIB is the only song that sounded vaguely familiar. (3)
This might sound bad but besides the opening track it’s kind of… boring? It feels wrong to say it, but it might have to do with the spotify mix being thin. I wish I had a punchy first pressing or something, but there’s so many great early Vertigo label albums that this pales in comparison to.
🎧I know, this is the album that birthed heavy metal, and nothing else at the time sounded anything like it, and it’s a bonafide classic. I don’t think it’s that great. Give me Master of Reality or Vol 4 or Paranoid though, and I’m a happy camper.
This wasn’t buns I just don’t think I like death metal/hard metal. The harmonica threw me off
1. Black Sabath - 4:38 up tempo, malo sporije, ali odlicna muzika, 3.5/5 2. The Wizard - bas dobar ritam, 4.5/5 3. Behind The Wall of Sleep - slicno kao prosla, 4/5 4. N.I.B. - Sympathi for Devil, mnogo pre kraja ocena, nisam pogresio 5/5 5. Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games with Me - prva koja mi ima malo vise metal ritam, opet mi ima neki poppy prizvuk u refrenu, 4/5 6. Sleeping Village - vise instrumental, odlican prelaz na sledecu 4.5/5 7. Warning - 6:05 kakvo przenje, (od 3:16 krece ozbiljna solaza, ali ovo uff), na 7:00 krece drugi deo, 5/5 8. Wicked World - pocetak obecava, politicka 4.5/5 Ukupno: 4.5/5
Can only imagine what it was like to hear this in 1970. They obviously fleshed out their sound more from here but you can’t deny the influence of this album on what came afterwards.
*It's interesting how much heavy metal started out influence so much by blues rock. This would more likely be released by the Black Keys today as opposed to a metal band. *Overall fantastic groundbreaking album
Ive heard this album a few times, and every time I listen to it I’m amazed I don’t listen to more Sabbath.
Pretty a8
Way sicker than I thought it’d be (no offense Ozzy RIP)
All fundamental metal sounds charming in retrospect. Great to hear Ozzy singing like he doesn't know what he's supposed to sound like yet. 3.5
the saviors of rock and roll. especially after listening to so much else from the 60s during this exercise, this must have been like a lightning bolt
A bunch of people being scared because of an album with a song on it about Gandalf is the funniest thing to me
This really feels like Tony Iommi’s band much more than Ozzy’s, given how many times it abandons typical rock song structure for riffs and guitar noodling. That’s a good thing when the riffs are interesting, which is often the case here, but it makes it a bit hard to recall the songs after a while. Good for a first album, but I think they could have tightened up and improved it by removing some of the less interesting noodle breaks.
whatever. only listened to bc of ozzy
🤘
De verdad pensaba que el metal no era para mi. Gracias Ozzy por mostrarme que estaba incorrecto. Una voz que fácilmente distingues de cualquier otra e instrumentos que la complementan de una manera increíble.
Not as great as their follow-ups but whoa what an earth shaking debut.
This great album can only be rated 5 stars! Genre determining Full of cool guitar riffs Full of cool bass lines Amazing drumming Ozzy’s unique vocals One of the best metal albums of all time!
fav songs the wizard n.i.b satan blues, 666, riff 70/100
meer genoten dan gedacht
Ik ben niet vaak in de mood voor dit maar het is wel goeie
I find the younger Ozzy voice so beautifully distracting that it's difficult to pay much attention to anything else that's going on around it. They have better albums than this, but this is still a joy to listen to. Seriously though, that voice, it's like a gift from the heavens.
Day 9 — Black Sabbath — Black Sabbath (1970) Listened: Mar 3, 2026 Genre: Proto-Metal / Doom Metal Vibe: Dark horror heavy metal Highlights: • The Wizard • Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / Bassically / N.I.B. • A Bit of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning Impression: Great from start to finish. Great riffs and dark lyrics create an epically haunting vibe that defined the genre. Rating: 3.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes
Black Sabbath was still looking for their sound, they found it on their second album. Still, it had hints of the great music to come
Hit after hit, THE Ozzy era album.
GG
Something about thus stage of heavy metal doesn't work for me. No rhythm and the sing song delivery of Ozzy feels weird. Solos put in in weird ways too.
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Can't imagine how mind blowing this must've been in 1970.
This album might not be as catchy and filled with hits as Paranoid but honestly that's ok, it's amazing in its own way. Initially I didn't like it as much because it's more of a slowburn, but once it hits it really hits. The crushing walls of guitar, the dark atmosphere and creepy vocal performances just create a world of its own. From the heavy guitar riff of the intro track to Ozzy's manic screaming the song feels like entering hell, and the rest of the album feels like that hell breaking down in front of you slowly. These guy must have been batshit insane to have released this in 1970, but hey at least we got a streak of classic albums out of their insanity.
It is not my cup of tea. I find it too..might I say boring?
great, liked the N.I.B. a lot. the other songs just really sounds true to their names
Enjoyable & had that first metal taste to it. Being the first album from Black Sabbath, you can both here what sounds within their works they would go on to develop. Truly interesting to listen to an album that was both the birth of a extremely important band, musically, & what was essential the birth of Dark, Satanic, Heavy Metal, as a genre. The large, chunky & whirring guitar(s) through out are the real winner for us. Vocally & lyrically there is depth, but hearing the absolute & unbridled sounds from the guitar took all the lime-light. Like cream, but worse ~
Genre defining! Made by people who didn't quite know where their sound was or heading!
Again a three star rating. I liked it more than I thought I would. I do have to say that I loved the album cover. 16 year old me would have bought this for the album cover alone. It was an ok listen, a couple of songs that I liked, a few that I didn't like. Overall, it wasn't a bad listen but not anything that would put on the turntable again
6/10 - some good rock but nothing that I'd go crazy for
Spännande musik att lyssna på! NIB var najs
classic
This album was so fun to listen to. It is loud and colorful and the music was GOOD. I enjoyed it so much and kept on bopping along while listening to it. This will be going on my mental list of albums to listen to when studying.
Epic. I like the guitars!!! OZZY OSBORNE IS A SICK NAME!!!! Great atmospheric music
Nope!
The beginning sounds like what the news guy in Five Years was talking about but in a 70s rock way The Wizard was added to my Glam 'n' Rock playlist Behind The Wall Of Sleep makes me feel like I'm in tcoptp they studied guitar 6-7/10 Ig I'm bad at rating things lmao the good old times when a 8 song album went over 40 minutes
I enjoy some heavy metal, but I'm not a fan of the genre. Black Sabbath's sound has always struck me as very heavy classic rock, and I can definitely see how many regard their first album as the foundation of the heavy metal genre. I haven't explored their catalog that much, but I've listened to Paranoid, and, especially, Master of Reality, which I love, many times. I was glad to get the opportunity to give their self-titled debut a few spins to listen to it closely. True to its reputation, it's full of great riffs, dark themes, and, of course, Ozzy as he was still developing his considerable talent as a frontman. The album was certainly enjoyable, and it's clear why it has the reputation that it does. For my part, I experienced it as a very heavy psychedelic blues album. It was absolutely innovative and enjoyable, and, of course, "important" (TM), but not a masterpiece like Master of Reality. Four stars.
Not very heavy for heavy metal but that suits me just fine. Still, nothing really seemed to stand out for me? I couldn’t name a single track after listening or differentiate tracks from one another but maybe that’s just me
Very bluesy I like it alot. :3 8/10. I would rate it higher if it was longer
Not bad for classic rock. I’m not a fan of ozzy. But can see how this was a big deal
I’m now 4-for-4 with albums that would not have occurred to me to put on a 1001 must-listen list. They’ve all been good, just not what I’d consider representative of their respective bands. Unlike previous albums this is my first time hearing any of these tracks. If I were to listen to an instrumental version of this album, without Ozzy’s distinctive voice to guide me, I doubt I’d be able to guess it’s Sabbath. It’s probably just my ignorance and my relatively young ears, but it sounds more like something I’d expect to hear at Woodstock than a civic auditorium. Nevertheless you can certainly hear the beginnings of metal’s defining sound forming here. Interesting little time capsule.
8/10 great sound even tho its not exactly what i want from metal. you have to give it its props and all the songs are good.
Me sorprendió para bien, muy místico.
Pretty solid first album.
historically significant
I listened to a lot of metal this week due to this but this is the peak one - it’s really good I love it The guitar riffs are insane in warning and evil woman
this album was the creation of heavy metal. amazing riffs. bass and guitar are so good. (8/10)
I LOVE EVERYTHING W GOTH IN IT. also the guitar is cheff kiss in this album.
Not my album but the best slow metal album i have heard. Typicly not my type of speed but i did like this.
Good riffs, heavy and dark atmosphere. Too slow for my taste. I also only now realise that Jack Black sounds a lot like Ozzy.
It is a great album, it is really cool to hear how you can still hear some stuff of theirs back in the entire metal genre. At the same time I always find it funny to hear how close this is to something like Led Zeppelin, but we always put one in rock and the other in metal. To make slightly blasphemous confession. I've never really listened to Black Sabbath even though I truly consider myself a metal head. But I think I'll use this album as a starting point to take a deep dive.
It rips! Okay, NIB rips….
Sighted as hugely influential to birth of heavy metal so met with trepidation. Pleasently surprised how much I enjoyed it, particularly blues influences and 70s feel. 3/5
Tittelsporet er så drøyt forut sin tid. N.I.B. er fortsatt en av de beste hard rock / metal-låtene noensinne. Det er et lite dip på B-siden med Evil Woman, men det er et dip fra et skyhøyt plateau. Sabbath var kongen av hard rock. Iommi er det viktigste som har skjedd den elektriske gitaren.
Det er vilt hvor hard musikken fortsatt er, snart 60 år senere. Et av tidenes åpningsspor, og helt latterlig hvor bra Black Sabbath er.
Jeg veit ikke hva jeg kan skrive her som ikke andre har skrevet. Black Sabbath er rett og slett det beste rockebandet. Sånn er det
1st time I have ever listened to Black Sabbath and much better than I expected.
this one was alright
just a straight forward heavy rock album without bells and whistles. aged very well!
Still a banger.
The only metal I ever adored
Absolutely fantastic. So close to a 5, the guitar work is phenomenal.
Having listened to "Paranoid" so many times, this debut feels like a dress rehearsal for that record. It's hard to hear it with fresh ears, but it completely holds up. The riffs are excellent, though I will say that by the time you get to the final track you feel like they're repeating themselves a bit. And as usual I find the guitar soloing in some sections to be a bit tedious. Even so, no one was making music like this in 1969/70- even their heavy metal predecessors like Zeppelin and Blue Cheer didn't sound anything like this. Excellent. FOUR STARS
The song Black Sabbath is about a man losing his mind as Satan approaches, but if you play it backwards it's about a man feeling better because Satan is going away.
There were heavy albums before this, but this is probably the first one that is recognizable as metal today. And it still holds up as one of the best metal albums despite all the innovation since. That's crazy - that's not true of early rock, hip hop, or electronic, to give some examples. The opener is a quantum leap in heaviness and atmosphere over anything else rock had done at that point. While proto-metal had often opted for fuzzed-out blues, the title track is crisp and clear, but slow and sinister. "N.I.B." is another highlight with its pounding riff; it genuinely sounds like it could have come out recently and has effectively dark lyrics. Some of this, like "Evil Woman," is just loud blues, but even those tracks are mostly great. Ozzy's vocals are excellent and Bill Ward is one of my favorite drummers. Few albums this innovative still sound so fresh 20, let alone 50, years later.
You know, I thought I would struggle through this album. But I really didnt, very much enjoyed the guitar work and the vocals from Ozzy! Very cool album overall, some great individual songs but also a v cohesive mix put together. Wow
Album cover harddd lot of riffs thats for sure. Haven't decided if I like this or not. so its pretty iconic however not my vibe
Black sabbath is peak
- Ah, here's that Zionist SAer again. - Ozzy's cadence, like a kid taunting someone, gets old fast. - A whole lot of nothing with the lyrics. - The guitar player is definitely talented and has a nice tone. - This music isn't bad and it has some interesting moodiness and bluesy moments, but it's not super compelling. Guitar riffs without a strong melodic base just don't hit for me. - I want to rate this a 2.5, but I'll probably round down because I'd never reach for it and it felt like it went on way too long.
It's been said a thousand times but the song Black Sabbath really did seem to capture the essence of the band and lay the blueprint of what was to come, although having said that, the rest of this album is generally a lot bluesier than that and than what I was expecting. The riffs are already there though backed by that swinging rhythm section that gives it a real deep groove and keeps it from becoming too stiff. They're both as essential as each other, yin and yang, perfect harmony. And the final key ingredient of Ozzy's vocals, which are unconventional and often erratic. He wasn't great technically but he has character and a knack for both knowing when to pick out a really interesting vocal melody as well as doubling down on the guitar riff to really hammer home the power of it.
very good album
The sinister vibes are strong, the playing is fantastic, and the medleys are a bit of disjointed mess, making this my least favourite of the three Sabbath albums I've gotten here
Black Sabbath--didn't love it but there were bits and pieces I liked and I found it largely inoffensive The Wizard--I don't really like it, the best I've got for why is that it sounds like a lot of other classic rock I don't like but I don't have a good sense of what the shared characteristics are there And then I stopped really paying attention to individual songs. Idk I didn't hate it, I've heard a lot of stuff I liked less, but I don't really want to listen to it again or listen to more Black Sabbath either. I can hear some of the influence this had on music I like a lot more.
Black Sabbath 3/5 The Wizard 4/5 Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/NIB 3/5 Wicked World 3/5 A Bit of Finger 3/5 Overall Album 3.6
Not for me… maybe if I was in an angry mood…
Black Sabbath - 4/5 The Wizard - 4.5/5 Behind the Wall of Sleep - 4/5 N.I.B. - 4/5 Evil Woman - 4/5 Wicked World - 4/5
It was fine. Ozzy still sounds like a Muppet. A few guitar solos were sloppy. random southern rock song.
I appreciate the blend of grittiness with the heavy and dark atmosphere of this album. Black Sabbath deserves props for pioneering a genre, and being so iconic in the heavy metal scene. Although, I perhaps feel that the historical significance and influence is lost on me as a listener, being personally not a fan of this type of music, I feel like this album could grow on me. This was definitely true of my second listen, and hopefully the same could be said of my third.
Can appreciate the music but just not my taste
I liked this
I had a tape of Sabbath's second album back in the day, but never heard this one. I was interested when track 1 (title track) came on - impressed that four guys from Birmingham came up with this style, and impressed that the album was recorded in one day just by playing through their live set. But, as has been said by others,, the album gets weaker into the second side - 'Warning' in particular is half-baked and bloated, I think not good enough to be on any record. After a bit more listening and reflection, I concluded this album showed potential (interesting guitar tone, Osbourne may have been a creep but could sing, etc), but is mostly unsatisfying rather than satisfying. It's Pretty Poor, 3/10.
Where has this album been all my life and why am I just now discovering it? When I was a kid, I saw the heavy metal album covers, thought they were creepy, and avoided the whole thing. People just talked about how it was satanic and about Ozzy biting the heads off birds and whatnot. Nobody ever told me it was actually good music, even without all the theatrics.
The OG
Yah
Wow a second Black Sabbath album in three days. Is it really a random generator? That's actually a great choice for today. As I'm in a Sabbath faze right now . The first track is a massive one. It legitimately carries the name of the band. What a way to start a career. So dark, moody and majestic. The wizard is a great example for the blues influences of the band. Great drums. A very enjoyable song. 3 is another blues influenced track. Great vocals from Ozzy. N.i.b. is another killer track with awesome vocals and bassss. Amazing double guitar solo at the end. Geezer's bass on evil woman if what makes this track great instead of just good enough. Track 6 is a good different edition to the record, with the acoustic beginning. Great guitar work. Warning has a bluesy, almost jazzy feel to it. It's the longest track here and definitely takes you to a ride. It really demonstrates how good as a musicians and players the band is. A different thing than what you would expect from Sabbath, but very good. The closer continues with the same attitude. Interesting guitar sounds there. Sums a up a very impressive debut project. 4.3
Satan's a pretty weird dude
It doesn't really compute to me that this came out in 1970. Ozzy was a creative visionary!
peam alert?? so funny that slow sometimes-sludge-y doom metal was kinda first subgenre of metal to exist--it pretty much founded metal, or at least was like the first definitive time you could hear it and be like "that is metal" and not "ehhh that's kinda almost metal but [blah blah blah]" ive already heard this album before but its always a treat to hear it again hehe
black sabbath - last minute switch was good wicked world - cool ragtime beginning interesting profiles thru the song
As far as instruments go these were impressive, it was good idk
Such a blast from the past. The sound of this recording is so signature 1970. The guitar sounds, the mix on the voice, the big heavy rhythm section, the dark power chords. A real slog for me. I didn't like it then and still don't like it..
Really really enjoyed!
8/10 So we have established that before the Ozzy Osbourne comic book character of the 90s, there was an awesome band. I love the riffs, and I love how this had a subtlety and nuance that got lost in much of the genre that Heavy Metal became. Wonderful
Already listened lol amazing album my fav is the wizard
Ну хз. Озии легенда и т.д но блять какая то хуйня. Я понимаю что тогда такого не делал ни кто но блять залупа какая то
The Wizard - sounds like a group of wizards and demons and warlocks and aliens all having a party in a barn I liked it a lot more than I expected to, I would definitely listen again.
Очень отличается от привычного нам Black Sabbat. В хорошую добрую сторону. Как будто в закулисье зашел. На гаражную репетицию, где музыканты играют так, как будто их никто не слышит. От души и на полную эмоцию. Очч рекомендую
Although at times it sounds like unreleased demos, it's important to state how much I loved this album. Throughout, it puts you in an atmosphere of dread and despair, and holds up surprisingly well despite essentially being the blueprint for metal
dude this is one of the best albums ive heard in my life, amazing!
Legendary album. Not a single bit of filler and a great start for the metal genre 9/10
Solid album. Liked the jazz and blues influences and really liked the harmonica on Track 2. Can see why it’s so influential, but didn’t blow me away personally.
Отличный альбом, просто эталонные black sabbath, на мой взгляд даже лучше paranoid.
2,5 ster Max
talented players with mediocre songwriting
I’m a heavy metal and crooners fan. This album is first Black Sabbath and first heavy metal album. 3 of 5 songs added to playlist and album added to my library.
Title song and N.I.B are 10/10 tracks. First half of the album is outstanding, the B side just isn’t as solid though, with Evil Woman and Sleeping Village probably being a 1-2 of the weakest songs on the album. Still, can’t ignore the brilliant, ominous, deeply occult aura of this album. I’m sure parent groups must’ve hated this on release back in the 70s! Feels very ahead of its time. There’s a harmonica solo, THEN a bass solo. Incredible really.
SICK GUITAR!
I actually really liked this album, especially the song “sleeping village” and “warning”
Metal will never be my favorite genre but I thought this was pretty good. I especially enjoyed the guitars. I added “Black Sabbath” to my Generator playlist.
rip ozzy
Great sleeve, great tune.
Hell yeah! \m/_ wicked shit!!!
it was nice
I like this one but didn’t listen yesterday. Seemingly no time and just not in the mood. It’s great to be aware of my moods!!
Bluesy Zeppelin riffs with enough Satan to freak out the squares.
Legendary, but not so good for me
Is pretty good but enough Sabbath in this list now.
I was never a huge fan of Ozzy Osbourne's voice but it fits the atmosphere that this album is trying to get across. I enjoyed it. Not really any lows but it's also missing the highs that would make this a great album. Favorite Track: The Wizard I tend to give this a 3. But I factor in the impact that this album had when it was first released so I'm giving it a 4 - just barely.
Woah
muito diferente do que eu imaginava!
The Prince of Darkness Himself. RIP. Black Sabbath focusing on the dark and suffering part of the blues and incorporating some of the emerging psychedelic guitar trends and just going darker. And people loved it. Which caused them to lean more into going heavier and darker. The horror movie equivalent of music. The Black Sabbath track definitely embodies this (although I could do without the "OH NOOOOO"'s). What's funny is you can definitely hear why it was originally called "heavy blues-rock" in The Wizard with Ozzy on the harmonica (and there is definitely a cowbell in there, you can't hide that from me!) and in the last track. It's just so interesting seeing how metal evolved from blues, but it makes total sense. This may not have been their best album, but man it's a great one and a great debut. It definitely struck a chord with a ton of people since it went platinum despite all the critics hating it. I'm sure Paranoia is on here as well, so i'm excited to hear that one. I've heard these songs before, but haven't really listened to an entire Sabbath album, so it's really cool to hear the origins of heavy metal and the birth of a legend and genre.
Kietai
3.5 agréablement surprise
Absolute game changer. Nothing touched this for at least another 10 years.
La primera no me gustó, pensé en dejarlo. Lol Pero las demás canciones, 🙏🙏🙏 Me encanta el bajo, quiero aprender a tocarlo después de haber escuchar este álbum
Noen bangers, f.eks. The Wizard, men litt ujevn.
This was outer earth the days.
Ahead of its time, simple texts and extensive guitar solos; Ozzy's recognisable vocal with a hint of sadness in his voice, as always :) Definitely an album worth to be on this list 🦇
Неплохой альбом лично меня ничего не зацепило
A classic album that ushered metal as we know it. I didn't used to have much of a taste for the genre but in the last 5 years it grew on me with exposure. The genre pushing sounds of this album are still fun today and no one does dark better than the prince of darkness himself. RIP Ozzy
Timeless classic rock. RIP Ozzy
4.5/5
Pleasantly surprised by the album. Had a real dark soul sound to it. An intro to metal if you will. Probably won't listen to it again, but might look into additional Black Sabbath albums.
1/10
Classic, so good all around. Probably my favorite sabbath album
Didn’t really liked first few songs, but other seem better to me
Com forte pé no blues, esse disco cria uma atmosfera bastante densa e estimulantes ao mesmo tempo. Consegue fazer muita coisa com o básico, criando a base para o rock do futuro.
Really good
After reading the reviews, I was expecting something powerful and amazing. Had I missed something? Well, the album was okay. The intro to the first track was great, in particular. But it didn't really grab me. In that respect, I was a little disappointed. 3/5
Classic heavy metal and very well written guitar parts and solo riffs and melodies. It was a bit boring at times but overall it was still an enjoyable listen and I can tell even with just this album how much influence Black Sabbath has had on metal. 7/10, Favorite song: Black Sabbath
Not my cup of tea but can appreciate why it is a revered album, the drumming and guitar work are really good and Tommy Iommi knows how to write a riff but if your not into this style of early metal it’s a bit of a slog. 2.5
Obvious 5/5. Classic album. As are all the first 5 Sabbath records.
Where metal began. I'll be honest, I was not much into metal, or Sabbath, growing up. I came to Ozzy late, when he had become a human cartoon character. Now that I'm older, and going back to hear where it all started, I finally get it.
Liked guitar but nothing was really memorable. Did not save any songs
Cool. Stand-outs - Behind the Wall of Sleep - N.I.B.
This album is torture. It sounds like a bunch of noises together. I hate it. It’s so boring with zero good tunes
OK I fully get this The shredding is insane on this. Just the right level of boisterous without being too navel gazeY. Ozzy is brilliant and oozes cult leader. Also this album is funky as fuck, some killer baselines
Deliciously Dark and Demonic. The work of. Black Sabbath is solidly following the tradition of English Gothic Literature. Loved It!!!!!
Not as good as I was expecting it to be.
loved every song
Expected to hate. Actually enjoyed.
Actually liked this. Not everyday music but fun to explore. Didn’t know a harmonica could rip rock music like that
Quite disturbing, but that's the whole point right ?
not really my style but not terrible
Easy top marks for this album. I love the production and listening with headphones enhances the experience as you can hear each instrument individually. I'm a big metal fan, so this is an album I've listened to before. Some classic tracks, the opener just fills you with dread. The Wizard is a jukebox favourite of mine. My first 10/10 album! Hugely influential and still sounds great to this day.
Great
sinistro de bom
Solid original heavy rock
Not their best and I'm not a big fan of their best. For me 'Snow Blind' was their best ever song and none of these tracks come close. 'Warning' is especially cringe. 'Wizard' and 'Wicked World' keep this album from bombing. The latter was their first ever track played when they were called 'Earth' so I guess they got a lot of practice in.
Not for me. I know it is an iconic album but the sound wasn't for me.
En 1970 esto tuvo que ser el cague y la bomba al mismo tiempo. Me ha gustado como suena, aunque no me haya impresionado ninguna canción en concreto. De todas formas me guardé la primera "Black Sabbath". Otro para la cultura musical.
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.
not my jam but I get that people like it
The beginning of peak! Every groove is phenomenal; the only itch I could fathom is that harmonica, but this may be a perfect pioneer album. RIP Ozzy
This is not peak Black Sabbath but it’s pretty good, I loved the western folk rock within it. However we all know that when one becomes paranoid it becomes peak from within.
10/10 - I try to avoid giving ratings that are too highly inflated by “influence” or “creating a genre” if the album doesn’t hold up years later. This album holds up 50 years later. This album has one of the best album openings of all time and immediately creates an atmosphere for the rest of the album. This is a no skip album that is a 5 star album. Bonus stars for influence and creating a genre.
Enjoyable but metal isn't my favorite genre of music. The riffs are good and it's held up well over time. 8/10
Classic! Stark departure from most of the contemporary music.
i mean it’s good, but compared to ‘paranoid’ it’s much more…. shallow?
I’m not a huge Black Sabbath fan, but there’s no denying that this was groundbreaking stuff for its time. Although metal nowadays is so heavy that it completely eclipses the sound of this album, the songs here are still heavy at times, and they totally hold up as classic rock tunes. That makes this still a worthwhile listen, and a pretty enjoyable one at that.
first time really listening to black sabbath and this was pretty good. Don't have much to say just pretty good
Pretty good. I now understand the appeal of black sabbath and recognise their impact.
Dark, black magic masterpiece. Pre-metal. No skips.
I'm giving it 3 stars just because I can tell from listening to (most of) it that it was ground breaking and significant to the genre. I held myself to getting through one song and got through more of it than I ever expected to, but yeah, not for me. Won't be going back to this.
Good but fees more standard rock then their other sounds
obra prima
Great guitar riffs, love the moodiness of it all. Not the best album of Black Sabbath lyrically, but I do I think that it's a pretty good introduction to the world of metal.
grand guitars very clear drums
mmm i only liked two of them
Highlights: Black Sabbath, N.I.B. Lowlights: Everything after Evil Woman I didn't hate this album by any means, but it definitely is not something I'd listen to when I want a metal album. I enjoyed the first half very much, but the second half felt like they were just adlibbing to me, and most of the time it didn't really work. It was very interesting to hear how their sound started however and comparing it to what they became was fun.
nicht meins