Vol. 4

Way past all that angst of a 13 year old. Boring sluge of a recording fueled on Coke and it shows. Keep moving along, folks—nothing new here.

meh

As someone who pursues neither metal nor cocain, I'm not sure I'm the intended audiance for this one. I understand this is a very early metal album, but it's interesting how tame it sounds in this "modern" era. A certainly listenable album, but not my cuppa.

NGL, didn’t focus on the lyrics. But musically, I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. I’ve generally avoided Black Sabbath just based on the name - not going to apologize for judging, as they picked the name knowing it would provoke strong reaction. So, I’m thankful this was listenable and enjoyable.

good

Black sabbath at the height of their powers here

Listened Before? N Holy hell, I was today years old when I realized "Changes" is not a solo song by Ozzy. I did not like this album. Supernaut is pretty good, but the rest of it feels like a solo ozzy album (and not a very good one). There's even a gimmick song here "FX" that is literally just them high and messing with sounds. Not great, one extra star for being Sabbath. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Supernaut

Not really my style, but respect! Obviously iconic. Quite a moment in cultural history (70s SoCal).

4.5

Underestimated.

Fav song: Supernaut Interesting mix of production styles on this one, but some sound objectively bad (Cornucopia for example). Overall done classic sounding guitar tones, great riffs and awesome vocal takes from Ozzy.

Not their best (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath) but great nonetheless.

This doesn't feel like the most important Black Sabbath album at all and will forever be in the shadows of more deserving Black Sabbath albums. Maybe a bit deserved.

Yum

I wish the production/mixing was a little better, but despite that, this is yet another certified banger from Black Sabbath.

I could have easily died without hearing this one

I was only familiar with Black Sabbath's first two albums. So, I never heard this before. I like it a lot. However, I could only give it four stars because the first two albums are definitely five stars and this is not quite as good as they are. It's still rocks.

It's good but uneven.

Heavy early stoner metal. Some prog transitions. Hard and sludgy. Great vibe.

I'm not a fan of metal/heavy metal but this is beautiful and really surprised me. Osbourne's vocals and the instruments are heavy rocking but at the same time are also harmonic, symphony-like even.

Maybe not as strong as the first 2 albums. Still filled with great riffs and playing throughout. Every other band had to catch up 10 years to sound anything like Black Sabbath. The non metal interludes aren't as nice as in their self titled and Paranoid though.

:)

It’s Black Sabbath, so of course it’s foundational and amazing but the earwigs are just not as wiggy as I would expect. I don’t think that I was as impressed with the dub-sounds as others were in 1971. That’s the foolishness of 50yrs of time talking, I guess. Supernaut is the exception on this album - as in exceptional.

Probably their 4th/5th best album but some classics on here. Snowblind is the best track on here, Supernaut and Wheels of Confusion are also top tier Sabbath. Changes is a great song but its position in the album is very strange 4.25/5

Decent listen and kept interesting throughout, changes such as great song. High 3 on first listen, likely higher if I went back to it

Frankly, just not that interesting. I'd rather go back and listen to their second album. 2/5

Great

6/10

It’s not paranoid Can’t believe it it’s 1971

4 for 4

Never heard this album or any of the songs but really enjoyed it. They were way more than just OZZY

A great album from the godfathers of heavy metal.

Supernaut

Changes was great

Immediately when I saw the album cover, I thought this would be my first 5-star review. But no. Although this album contains a few of my Sabbath favourites, the album as a whole doesn't reach the highest peak of these reviews. Uneven album, contrary to my memories, surprisingly stale sounds. Still shining 4 stars.

Back in basics. This album has been spinning on my analog and digital turntable for years. Not the best Black Sabbath to me as an album, but still very good. I don't know if it's Ozzy's voice or Iommi's guitars but Black Sabbath goes never to backround-music -category. It is always music that needs to be listened.

This is one of my all time favourite albums. Black Sabbath did so much for the heavy music movement, that it is difficult to ephasize how important the band is, especially the first four records. They almost single handedly spawned the doom metal genre, but also had huge influence in all of the heavy and extreme forms of music today.

Love it

i really like black sabbath. thanks, dad.

Fine. I never really got into Deep Purple. As a place to start this album doesn't have the classics like "War Pigs" or whatever. It's okay. I should probably like it more because I love Led Zep and like Deep Purple. It could be a case of "not liking the sound of the voice" or it could just be that I only have a need for so much heavy rock... Yeah. It's alright. Sure.

Amazing that they were blinded by that much snow and their songwriting is still that good, must have had winter tires on….

Super biased here, i love Black Sabbath. This was never my favourite Ozzy’s Sabbath era’s album, but the riffage is massive, the sound one of their best and compositions are quite different. I would chose 4.5/5

245/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

Not my favorite Sabbath album, leaning a little too jam band for my liking. I will say that the guitar riff at the beginning of Supernaut is simply epic, and the fact that they wrote a whole song full of snow innuendos for cocaine is sooo Sabbath. Also, Changes was such a refreshing reprieve from the heavy/doom/thrash metal that's so characteristic of Sabbath. Really enjoyed that song.

Rating: 3.5 stars Favorite Song(s): Tomorrow's Dreams, Changes and Supernaut Least Favorite Song: Laguna Sunrise I really enjoyed the middle of the album.

A classic Rock band. Long songs with long periods of just straight music jamming and no lyrics. Dad music 100%. Wheels of Confusion was eh. Liked Tomorrow’s Dream. Liked Changes. FX is just crazy I felt like I was in a fever dream. Supernaut was a banger. Snowblind is good. Cornucopia is aight. Laguna Sunrise is pleasant and calming, a welcome reprise in the midst of the chaos of the rest of the album. It reminds of me of something that would play in the background of a Legend of Zelda game. St. Vitus Dance is aight. Under the Sun is a good end of album song but just aight on its own.

I hate that you can't vote out of 10 because I'd give this a 5. I didn't feel too much of any way about the album. I don't think it's bad in terms of quality, but I just wasn't drawn to anything here. Fav Track: Changes Least Fav Track: Cornucopia

Really enjoyed this album. Quite a range of songs to savour. Some may argue that 'Changes' and the drug induced FX don't sit well and interrupt the rythym of the album. I think they add some reflection time to the album. The pioneers of heavy metal finding a more experimental approach to the discipline. Is this the best Sabbath album? Probably not. But is this better by a country mile than any other Heavy Metal album at the time or even since? Probably. No reason not to give 5 stars.

Reminded me of the '90s wishing I grew up in the '70s.

I think it's a couple steps below 'Paranoid' and 'Master of Reality'. Still super solid all around, though I miss the blues influence you could hear on their previous work.

Bien rock, bien guitare électrique mais pas trop mon style

Another classic album. Not the one that blew my mind, but I still do really like it and think it is very important. Not much else to say. This will always be a progenitor of a lot of music I listen to and something that still is very listenable and enjoyable today that I will continually go back to.

me gustó en general, muy divertido, buenos riffs bastantes buenos temas. Total del álbum: 78

I do love me some black Sabbath, but can't say I actually listened to this album. Pretty good. Didn't realize they wrote changes. Ozzys career in the 80's makes more sense

Solid hard rock. Some self-indulgence, but that’s expected.

Volume 4? Solid 4. Not the best album by the band but still very good.

Nice stuff. Some good guitar riffs here that I zoned out to 4 ⭐️

A lot better than I was expecting.

Fine, not keen on vocals

Decent metal album! 3/5

Solid Black Sabbath album. FX is odd, but besides that the usual stuff from them. They were such a inspiration for all of metal and hard rock. Highlights - Cornucopia, Supernaut, Changes, Wheels of confusion Lowlights - FX, Laguna Sunrise

Supernaut?? More like super-mid!!

(8.6) ★★★★

I keep this album at 4 stars, like I had it when I did the Sabbath dive. A solid album, but not my absolute favourite Sabbath album.

Not as good as the two proceeding albums, but still good. "Changes" is a cool departure. 3.5 stars.

Some rocking highlights but Changes is a pretty dopey ballad and back half of the record is a bit of a slog. Snowblind is probably the best song here but Snowbound by Donald Fagen is more my thing. Black Sabbath Vol 3.5.

I wrote one of my GENIUS reviews about how Black Sabbath is weird and iconoclastic, etc. But the machine ate it somehow. One of the main points was how unusual it was that at the nadir of the soft rock era, these blokes went to Southern California and came back with Supernaut. Brilliant. Not even going to take off a star for "Changes" as much as I want to. God I hate that song.

Having really enjoyed the earlier Deep Purple selectiom, was Wondering if I was really a closet heavy Metal fan. However, I engaged with this one much less...

More accessible than I had anticipated. Sounds dated, but clearly a good example of its genre. Love Ozzy’s vocal!

Black Sabbath heeft altijd een bijzonder plekje in mijn muziekwereld. Het is eigenlijk de enige band die zich aan het metal-einde van het rockspectrum bevindt, waar ik met plezier naar luister. Ik vind de riffs ingenieus, de drums hypnotiserend en de lead van Ozzy infectious. De dark en gloomy sfeer is vaak raak, waar deze vaak een beetje artificiëel aanvoelt bij andere acts in een soortgelijke scene. Dit is de plaat die de ondankbare taak heeft om het weergaloze openingstrio van de Sabbath's discografie mag opvolgen. Hij doet dit dan ook niet met verve. Losse momenten zijn aardig, met het kalme 'Changes' (laat echt de uitzonderlijke range van de band zien) of het sferische 'Snowblind'. Maar het is lang niet zo consistent, spannend en urgent als hun eerdere werk, en voelt (net zoals als de titel) als een verzamelalbum. Snap niet precies waarom deze er in staat, en mag in ieder geval hopen dat de eerste drie dan ook een plekje hebben bemachtigd. 6/10 Highlights: Changes Snowblind

Snap niet helemaal waarom Vol 4 in deze lijst staat. De rauwe tracks zijn hoe we Sabbath kennen en er is een doordachte afwisseling met rustige songs. Maar heel speciaal of spannend wordt het niet. Maakt me wel nieuwsgierig naar Vol 1 t/m 3. 6/10 Highlights Wheels of Confusion

X,y,z

good, some are eh, maybe 3.5

топ за свои деньги

Before this exercise in music I assumed I knew what Black Sabbath was. I was wrong and I love it. 🤘

Another brilliant album - never knew I like black sabbath so much. Great variation, lyricism and overall vibe. Not quite as strong as their debut but still brilliant.

O Vol. 4 do Black Sabbath é uma jornada sonora intensa, a atmosfera densa e opressiva criada pelos riffs pesados e pela bateria implacável é contrabalançada por momentos de beleza melódica. A voz e Ozzy Osbourne, combinada com as letras que exploram temas obscuros e psicodélicos, cria uma experiência auditiva única. Assim como o álbum remete ao numero 4, Vol. 4, minha nota é 4: um clássico atemporal que continua muito bem nos alicerces do rock.

Damn, this is an absolute banger??? Surprisingly amount of diversity for Sabbath, really liked it.

An amazing mix of accessible prog rock and classic heavy metal

nice tunes actually

Wasn’t expecting to like this as it’s not really a genre I like. However, was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it in the end.

Not the type of music that I usually listen to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. “Changes” was my favorite song in the album.

Enjoyed it will listen again

Black Sabbath has some hits with Ozzy but I'm more of a Dio Sabbath fan.

4.0

Ahead of its time. Hard pounding, grungier sound before grunge.

So great !

There are some really cool moments from Black Sabbath on here, whether that be the orchestral instrumental, “Laguna Sunrise,” or the jaw-dropping outlier, “Changes,” but overall, I don’t feel like their more traditional hard rock cuts end up being all that special compared to some of their best ones like it on previous albums.

Super awesome they r the fucking kings of heavy rock. Also amazing pretty stuff on here

AYY AY AY AY Black Sabbath delivers

This album was made in 1971. Way ahead of its time. Supernaut alone gets a Star. Much of the rest is fun to listen to but definitely not their debut or Paranoid. 3.5

Not a big fan of Sabbath, still a solid record for me

This was kind of a…nice Sabbath album (?!). I quite liked ‘Supernaut’ and ‘Under the Sun/…’ (the original “Killing in the Name”) as classic BS songs, while the others variously sounded classical to, dare I say, tinged with the alt-country vibe of a lot of the rock’n’roll of the time (I’m trying to incite Jon into reviewing just to rebut me). An oddly anomalous (yet enjoyable) collection of songs for a band better known for pooping onstage than for these sorts of stylings.

Didn’t know this album well at all. Was actually pretty good- loved supernaut and snowblind. Still very much sabbath although more nuanced in a way than other albums I had heard. Not my favourite but solid.

nothing that remarkable, good for working though

This is my first time seriously listening to Black Sabbath and this is definitely a 5/5 record. Simply fantastic. I’m going to dig deeper into the discography this weekend.

Dark rock badassery. Makes me want to buy a motorcycle and fuck some shit up. Ozzy’s pipes add needed color to pedestrian guitar that actually manages to find good grooves regularly.

Perfect

4 - Black Sabbath was much better than I thought, also so many projects

enjoyable album, havent listened to enough sabbath

I've heard a bunch of okay songs from Black Sabbath, like Crazy Train or Iron Man. I assumed the rest of their songs would be on the same level. Is this a legendary band that only has 2 good songs?

Admittedly I didn't listen too attentively to this one, but it was alright. Nothing awful, nothing spectacular that stood out to me.

Interesting to read the wikipedia notes about all the drug and alcohol induced havoc involved in the recording sessions. The album is solid. The popular song, Changes, is a ballad, which stands out in an album that is otherwise mostly hard rock (apart from Laguna Sunrise, which is also good). Some of Ozzy's later albums also had this play (e.g. Mama I'm Coming Home). I also dig some of the high energy tracks, like Supernaut.

Liked thus more than I thought I would. I know they are considered Godfathers of Heavy Metal, but also can see the throughline to Grunge acts like Soundgarden.

sick. liked the songs that were a little melancholy or thoughtful

Vol. 4 is the fourth album from Black Sabbath, the band that arguably defined "heavy metal." Their first four albums are often regarded as among the best metal albums ever released. Vol. 4 does not include any of the bands biggest hit singles, but the album was still remarkably successful; a testament to the broad influence and appeal of the band's work. Black Sabbath's distinct sound comes from Ozzy Osborne's wailing vocals and Tony Iommi's screaming guitar riffs. The created the basis of heavy metal, and influenced generations of musicians in the range of genres that metal has evolved into.

This was an amazing album! It was a lot more complex than I expected. I have listened to them in my youth but I can’t say that I am a Black Sabbath fan but I think this is worth listening to more than just once for this project.

Much more chill than expected. Ozzy is surprisingly good. Surprisingly varied. Instrumentals.

And thoroughly grungy rock album. Thick fuzzy guitars with non traditional arrangements. Ozzy sounds great although I’ve found is voice to be a little grating as I’ve gotten older. This album has clearly influenced everyone from Metallica to the Queens of the Stone Age. Probably my favorite Sabbath album.

Cocaine is responsible for some terrible things, like Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”, but it is also responsible for this masterpiece, so we’ll call it a wash.

This was cooler than I remember. I quite like this.

I don't really get much out of Black Sabbath, and this isn't much of an exception

banco

Excellent instrumentals. I could never get fully into the vocals though. Still, overall amazing album! Tossup between 'Supernaut' and 'Snowblind' for faves though.

not as perfect as the first 3 sabbath albums but still incredible

Not my cup of tea

Good

Black Sabbath Vol. 4 shows why they’re legends in rock. The drumming hits hard, the guitars rip with heavy riffs, and Ozzy’s voice. They try new things here, and it all lands—especially “Changes,” which lets them step outside their usual sound. The opening track is classic Sabbath, starting things strong with that two-songs-in-one vibe. This album is solid and I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve listened to it.

They suck, but not as sucky as the “music” kids like these days

Meh

Forgot I’d be listening to Ozzy Osbourne here and I groaned a little when he first started wailing on but actually this was musically very good, and once I got past Changes, I stopped feeling irritated by Ozzy’s voice and generally enjoyed the whole thing

Wow, I didn't expect a lot from Black Sabbath. I've heard their debut album before in this challenge. It was good and an important piece of rock history. But 'Vol 4' blows it away. There's so much going on in this album without being overly indulgent or too much to process. It's just a great rock album with heavy guitars, furious drum breakdown, and simple minimalist ballads to balance it all out. The experimental 'FX' is maybe a little pointless but it doesn't overstay its welcome. The addition of the mellotron adds so much with so little. It gives it an unearthly feel that the music desperately needed. What a great surprise this one was.

Pretty good, it’s hard rock where they clearly just play for parts of the album and enjoy themselves instrumentally. I thought it was okay, tolerable but not the best.

Good album

I'm not a huge metal fan, but I've liked the few Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne hits I've heard on the radio and such, but dreaded a bit listening to a full album of that. However, that is not what I got. I really enjoyed Supernaut and Under the Sun, but found the rest of the album was quite underwhelming. I really didn't like Changes (why on earth did Black Sabbath write a mopey piano ballad?). FX was a waste of 98 seconds. I hated the lyrics to Snowblind. Not because of the overt drug references, just because the lines sounded so cheesy and forced (e.g. "winds of ice that soon will spread" is an awful line). Laguna Suprise was pretty, but that's about it; a nothingburger of a song. The rest of the songs were messy and forgettable, leaving my head almost immediately after listening. I will say, though, that the solos were consistently pretty great. The instrumental breaks were the best parts of the songs imo. Overall I just found the album really messy and inconsistent. The song structures were a mess, winding from section to section without any rhyme or reason making each song feel like a couple decent but very underdeveloped songs haphazardly strung together. 2/5 feels a little harsh, since there's absolutely some good stuff here, it just feels poorly put together and buried beneath filler and poor structure.

Robert Dimery: "We really ought to include a Black Sabbath album. The people want Sabbath." Assistant: "Makes sense. I assume we’re thinking Paranoid? Maybe their debut too?" Robert: "Yeah, those are essential. But add Vol. 4 too." Assistant: "Vol. 4? Why that one?" Robert: "Because they were so coked up recording it! Total chaos. It’s brilliant." Assistant: "Sure, but is it really their signature sound? Vol. 4 is when they started shifting away from that dark, doom-laden vibe for something a bit more... upbeat." Robert: "Exactly! It'll rile people up, spark debate—more discussion, more sales." Assistant: "True, it does show Sabbath experimenting and evolving. But three Sabbath albums on the list?" Robert: "Let Ozzy answer that: ‘I feel something taking me high’." And so Vol. 4 lands on the list—an album of reckless, drug-fueled ambition. It’s not as tight as Paranoid or as dark as their debut; instead, it’s Sabbath off their nut and at their most unpredictable. This isn’t one for casual listeners. Vol. 4 is rough around the edges and veers off the rails at times. It’s good—enjoyable, even—but best left for true fans. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? No Would this release make my personal list? No Will I be listening to it again? Unlikely

I think this album is on the list for the fact that it feels like someone won a bet. Something like, I bet you can’t produce an album if you consume inhuman amounts of cocaine and still be recognizable and listenable. It is fine musically, but just not in my wheelhouse.

Enjoyed

I hate heavy metal but don’t dislike Black Sabbath albums, the inventors of heavy metal. I really do contain multitudes.

would have been an interesting time to be a Black Sabbath fan coming of age in 1972. Two years after the dark moody eponymous album Paranoid and Master of Reality. I wonder how I would have judged this album. They're still an album away from not being completely boring but it definitely starts here.

Awesome Riffs. Powerful and melodic

This album didn’t do much for me, I liked the guitar parts but the overall sound and vibe got old for me fast. Lyrics were interesting which earned it an extra point. Favorite songs were: 5. Supernaut 6. Snowblind 7/10

Black Sabbath is a foundational band for me. Iron Man was one of the very first things I learned on guitar in 8th grade. Even though its been almost 20 years, I'd still never listened to Vol 4. It's been a to do list album forever, but never executed on. In short, it rips. It does everything I love in a Sabbath Album. Ozzy sounds great, Tony is running the infinite riff factory at full production, Bill is shuffling out jazzy yet heavy beats, and Geezer is thumping and noodling all over the place. I loved the background organ on The Straightener. That part marked a bit of a departure from Sabbath albums past. I am also always a sucker for Tony Iommi's melodic soloing jam sections (e.g War Pigs). My fun fact for this album. Charles Bradley does an amazing cover of Changes. There's a live youtube video of him describing how he heard the song after his mother died, and how hard it hit him in that moment. He then goes on to give one of the most emotional performances I've heard anyone give. I like the Sabbath version, but I'll always see that as Charles Bradley's song now. Snowblind is also one of my favorite Sabbath Riffs. Album cover: (A) Very impactful graphics.

This album is fun. Black Sabbath have such a distinct sound, they are unmistakable. "Changes" was a cool tone switch. This is the first song I recognize myself. "Supernaut" and "Snowblind" both rock. "Laguna Sunrise" is another nice tone switch to break it up a little. I enjoyed this album. The sound is a little too repetitive to give it an incredible rating, but I do like the sound a lot. They mix it up here and there to prevent it getting stale and the album has a pretty good run-time. 7/10

70S Sabbath is very good! One thing that Sabbath do well is mix heavy rock with beautiful moments. Changes followed by FX is a great example of that. I love Ozzy’s voice on this album. This album is great. Favourite song: Changes Least favourite: I hate a not needed guitar solo. Wheels of confusion has a very long one Album artwork: Cool cover.

Pretty solid

This one is fine, not as great as the band's first two records. I didn't find the songs to be generally as memorable, but stylistically they were definitely on par with their earlier material. "Changes" does stand out like a sore thumb, but I find the idea of having an Elton John-style song in the middle of a metal album quite funny. Key tracks: Changes Snowblind

🤘

Ja, lässt sich hören. Abwechslungsreich.

Wasn’t that terrible, but not my jam, uninteresting to me

Not something I would typically listen to but it's a great album. Good driving music!

This is a very diverse and mature album. A dark and foreboding sound with a lot of lighter surrounding elements, and even a decent amount of swing make this an excellent album to listen to, head bang to, or reflect to. No skippable songs, and everything has a reason for being there. A complete masterpiece

8/10 Truly some of the best guitar riffs ever on this album. Tony Iommi is a genius. Favourite Song=Changes Least Favourite Song=FX

Not really my genre, but there is no denying that this album rocks

None of the Black Sabbath songs I'm familiar with, but none of them really disappointed. Although, would be hard to pick a standout

I've always known and heard Black Sabbath, but it's only now, in my 50s, that I've heard a full album of theirs. Anyway, I think music is like books, they come to us and choose us when they think it's most appropriate (and not the other way around, as many people think!). Good album, I liked it... but now, for me, it's much easier to appreciate “heavy” music anyway :-)

Sounds like the other Black Sabbath Album. If it weren't for "Changes" and the amazing Wikipedia-Article about this Album, I would have given less stars. But like I said I'M GOIIING THROUGH CHAAANGEEEEES.

Absolutely loved it. Only down side was two whiney songs that abruptly broke the grove imo. Why did metal bands in those days insist on making balads, even if they clearly werent very good at it?

(for dramatic effect) have i never listened to rock before? they might have done something w this heavy metal business.. im a first time sabbath listener so i just realized this is ozzy osbourne's band.. wheels of confusion - starts w that distinctly 70s sound 10/10 on easing me in changes - simp sad boy music is a tale as old as time. i feel like i just heard this song in a movie too & needed to know the name first 3 seconds of supernaut had me thinking of mitski nobody lmao. ok but forrealsies i think i declare supernaut my fav but sheeeesh talk about a no skips album im impressed

My introduction to Black Sabbath was through my mom (my intro into most music), who always changed the station any time they came on because HER earliest memories of them are of my uncle locking himself in his (their shared) room, blasting Sabbath, and stinking up the place with weed. It was such a visceral experience for her when they came on and naturally, I was excited to discover a new way to annoy her. So, with my limited resources (I was 12) I acquired a Vol. 4 CD—not quite enough resources to also get weed—and would play it non-stop when she got home from her long workday. Anyway, Changes is an all-time favorite for me and I love its melancholic departure from their usual sound. That said, it's followed by one of the most baffling choices on any album ever. FX is an immediate skip with no hesitation from me. An experiment that doesn't come close to fitting the flow of the album at all. This is nearly a 5-star album for me for many reasons. But despite how much I love this album, it's the only Black Sabbath record I've listened to front-to-back. It makes me wonder why I never really explored them further. Also, I'm going to call my mom and apologize.

This is the Black Sabbath album I am handing to someone who has only heard the big hits. Changes is their best ballad and Snowblind rules but, I'm not sure who FX is for and the breakdown in Supernaut is really silly.

Really liked Changes (hadnt heard that before) and the rest of the album seemed pretty much like Black Sabbath -- killer guitar solos and wailing vocals from Ozzy. Good album

Just awesome

Not sure if it's the remastering or what it is, but this sounded a bit flat to me. It has got some really cool guitar riffs, and the drumming is not too shabby. Overall it is a pretty good album, but the sound is a little bit too flat to my tastes. Maybe the "remastering" is to blame? As it so often is. I also learned that Snowblind is not a System of a Down song, which is pretty damn cool!

Not my favourite Sabbath album but enjoyable all the same

I feel like I’m supposed to like this more than I do.

rock on

I like this significantly more than I thought I would. Peak Sabbath.

Solid rokk. Djöfulsins Ozzy. Góður experimentalismi, þetta er svo early stöff en samt svo satanískt og grjóthart. Love it.

Ágætis bárujárnsrokk en ekki góð vinnutónlist. Þéttur hljófæraleikur, kraftmikill trommuleikur. En þetta sírenusöngvaragól á engin önnur kynslóð en boomerar að þurfa að þola, þau tóku út þjáninguna fyrir okkur hin. Eins og að vera fastur í eilífri rokkóperumatröð. Hvað Under the sun hefði t.d. getað orðið flott með almennilegum söng. Changes sleppur einna skást frá þessari misþyrmingu. Black Sabbath - Ozzy = 3 stjörnur.

i really liked this album, but metal and rock aren't exactly my fav genres so i'd give this like a 7/10

Back when Ozzy was on just enough drugs for the music to sound good

Before: VERY curious, never really listened to them before After: LOVED IT! Loved the minor cords, the drama, everything. 10/10 (except changes, FX and laguna sunrise)

Very very good album loved every bit of it except FX. Supernaut is my favourite number here but changes and snowblind are a close number 2

Fun to listen to Black Sabbath songs that aren't the hits. Solid listen, the instrumental songs like FX are pretty bad. Snowblind was a heater though.

Classic and good heavy-ish metal.

Eh. Not my typical genre of music. Again, wouldn't be a bad album to have playing in the background while you get work done.

They went all in. There’s a beautiful range here that brings this album to another level. It rocks the fuck out even though there aren’t any of Black Sabbath’s big hits on here. Pitch perfect vocals, gorgeously innovative instrumentation, incredible writing. A bit of experimentation that worked in some areas and not in another, but mainly, fucking sick the whole way through. I’d give it a nine out of ten but I’m limited to half a denominator. 4/5

Preferred this to the previous Sabbath offering. Especially liked Supernaut.

Some classic metal, you can't really beat Sabbath. Stand out tracks: Changes, Snow blind and wheels of confusion

Sabbath at their best. Album rocks.

This is a good album overall, but it suffers by comparison with the other Black Sabbath albums on this list. The production is much cleaner here, but in a way that doesn't really help their sound. They should be gritty, Black Sabbath is better when it sounds like they're crawling out of the grave. Still, there's very little else to criticize here. The elements that make their other albums great are here as well, it just doesn't feel as inspiring as on the other albums 3/5

felt appropriate spooky for halloween season. probably closer to a 3.5 but i can't do half stars.

though this doesn't have any of their earth-shatteringly massive hits, this album still hits hard as only 70s hard rock and metal can. changes is a tune and ozzy is in prime form here. i listened the whole way through twice, and could see myself coming back to this from time to time. favorites: changes, supernaut, snowblind, laguna sunrise

Great easy listening metal album. So not really metal?

Ya know this is a really good band if they can take their foot off the gas a little and still come with all of the horsepower.

not as good as paranoid, but still a phenomenal album in its own right.

Great album - RIP Ozzy 🥲

A really good album that I'd listen to again, I liked Tomorrow's Dream and Changes the best.

Love this album from when I was 12 years old, still sounds great.

Some real departures from their past work here, focusing on straight metal-oriented bangers, some acoustic work, and then the unexpected but unforgettable synth-charged ballad "Changes". You can really hear Iommi's presence in the production booth on this one, stretching his wings stylistically. While the heavy rock songs are often not quite as memorable, the explorations are warranted and interesting. There's plenty of takeaways such as the 1-2 punch of Supernaut and Snowblind to satisfy. No regrets on this listen, Sabbath forever.

This was decent. I like the sound. I especially liked the really proggy opening track and some of the more subdued songs. By the end of the album, though, songs were starting to kind of blur together and I was getting exhausted of the sound.

While I know who Black Sabbath and Ozzy are I havent relly listened to a whole album of theirs before. Dreamer is the stand out song for me but the whole album was a good listen. FX as an instrumental song in the middle seemed a bit out of place but from what I knew about the band I guess I shouldn't be very surprised. Laguna sunrise as a later instrumental song fit the album much better in my opinion. A strong album but not something I would listen all the way through again.

Changes❤️

Fairly steep drop-off from their first three albums. They sound bereft of ideas and the album is too well produced to still have an edge.

This is now the third (and it appears final) Black Sabbath album in this collection, which feels like two too many. In many ways, I wish our Black Sabbath exposure had started and ended with "Paranoid"; that album leaves you wanting more, while this album and their debut makes you (or at least me) question whether even "Paranoid" was all that great of an album. And it is/was. This is not. It's not horrible--and "Supernaut", "St. Vitus dance" and "Under the sun" are solid BS songs--but much like their debut album, it's just not all that distinctive or memorable, even with Ozzy's fantastically distinctive voice and Tony Iommi's distinctive guitar style, and the somewhat odd interludes interspersed throughout the album. And that doesn't even touch all the crazy substance abuse and demented behavior during recording. I'm just glad they survived the experience, honestly. I don't feel like I can ding Black Sabbath for this, but I just discovered that there are *no* Ozzy Osbourne albums in this collection. This is almost inexcusable; how can we have so many truly mediocre albums (and I'm on the fence whether this album should be included in that category), and we don't get the pleasure of (at least) "Blizzard of Ozz"???? Bizarre, and so very sad. I try to accept what we get in this collection, flaws and all, but this is the closest I've come to feeling like the "1001 albums" collection has jumped the shark. I mean, millions of sports fans can't be wrong about "Crazy train", after all. :) (Not to mention the tragedy of living your whole life without hearing "Mr. Crowley" even once.)

A pleasant surprise from this project is how much I like Black Sabbath. That said, this isn't their best album, though it's pretty good. I wish the recording was a little sharper.

fantastic album by one of the seminal bands in the history of heavy metal. while this album’s predecessor “master of reality” is often credited with creating the genre known as stoner metal, this album doesn’t simply retread those grounds, but expands upon them; the distortion is still there but the guitars are not always as dense. just a fine effort from the entire band, really. “you can only trust yourself and the first six black sabbath albums.” tis a quote attributed to henry rollins, and honestly it’s hard to disagree with that. you can’t go wrong with any of them. highlights: “wheels of confusion” “changes” “supernaut” “snowblind”

I have heard of Black Sabbath. I certainly know who Ozzy is, but mostly because of his reality show, which was, for a minute, somehow unavoidable. Before today, I'd never knowingly listened to Black Sabbath, and wouldn't have been able to name a song, album, or even that this was the band Ozzy was in. Honestly, this was great. I really appreciate that Ozzy actually sings with some skill, and the guitar and percussion are fire. Love the instrumental, Laguna Sunrise. This is far more melodious than I would have guessed.

Listening to Black bloody Sabbath and enjoying it, thoroughly? Who'd have guessed it. Wheels of Confusion, Changes and Laguna Sunrise as my favourites. Listened to this while walking along the Seine from Trocadero to Monnaie, odd choice for such a setting but it worked!

Jacking off

Eh. Better than I expected. Not Ozzie screaming and yelling.

not my type.

Great storytelling, compelling and profound lyrics! I liked it overall

This is just stunning, so excellent

I loved this and was surprisingly prog-rock too. Will listen again.

Not hugely for me, but I can see the appeal.

Very good, unique instrumentally and sounds a bit like Jimi Hendrix/Cream.

While not quite as popular as paranoid, it is just as good, and a bit more experimental.

Loved every minute

Oh man, this will be my last Black Sabbath album to review. I was really surprised by how much I loved their self-titled album and Paranoid, which both got five stars from me. I have pretty high expectations for Vol. 4 as well, so let's get this Metal Monday started! I thought Vol. 4 was a bit of a step down from the other Black Sabbath albums I've reviewed, but it was still really good. It seemed to me that this album had a bit more emphasis on rhythms that the previous Sabbath albums, and that made it really fun to groove to as I listened to it. Really fun to groove to. This album felt more like a traditional hard rock album than a heavy metal album, and while Sabbath excels at any hard rock, I think they're at their best when they're darker and more chaotic. Despite that, I really enjoyed "Changes," because I think it shows the band's talent and range as musicians and songwriters. "Laguna Sunrise" fell into the same boat, as far as being really different that the other songs on the album, and while it was good, I liked "Changes" better. On the other Sabbath albums I've reviewed, I really loved the drumming, but on Vol.4, "Supernaut" was really the only one that stood out to me when it came to the drumming. The additional percussion elements used on "Supernaut" were great too. One of the other miscues for me on Vol. 4 is that the more traditional metal songs (like "Cornucopia" and "Wheels of Confusion") just didn't have that special 'Sabbath touch' like their other songs typically do. Overall, this was a really good album, it just fell a little short with me.

The first Black Sabbath studio album I ever heard (well, after some compilations) and it blew my mind...

The recording was plagued with problems, many due to substance abuse. In the studio, the band regularly had speaker boxes full of cocaine delivered. Ozzy: "Eventually we started to wonder where the fuck all the coke was coming from ... that coke was the whitest, purest, strongest stuff you could ever imagine. One sniff, and you were king of the universe." Prvo se pitam... kak su svi oni još živi... Drugo, album tako i zvuči. Odličan bend odličan album, omogućio je stvaranje jednih od mojih dražih žanrova glazbe doom i stoner. Vrlo dobar album! 8/10

Jao! 😁 Okej, kužim, sve pet, ali stvarno ih ne volim. Nikad mi nisu legli, čak ni u mojoj tvrdoj fazi. Jedine stvari tu koje su mi dobre su Wheels of Confusion i naravno legendarna Changes (tu stvar iskreno volim). Nema mi čak ni nešto zanimljivu priču iza albuma kao svi dosad, osim da su se rokali kokom i jedva snimili, how rock'n'roll of them 😅 Ne znam koliko trojki mogu podijeliti u iščekivanju Godota 😁 3 (5.5).

9/10 Ma to, vozi me Ozzy jutrom ranim. Nisam slušao ovaj album do sada, mislim da sam samo njihova prva dva albuma preslušao, ali baš puno puta. [..] Jao što ja volim ovaj rokenrol jebote. Krene mi pjesma i kao ma da, nije loše nije loše, ali kad krenu u solaže, ajme meni, oči idu naopačke [..] I onda me lupi s ovim nježnim Changes, znači klavir, melotron i Ozzy, dosta nježan trenutak, nadam se da će krenut vrištati uskoro, inače bih mogao i zaplakati [..] Malo drkanje po dileju i gitarskim žicama pa peglaona, može brate, deri ga! [..] Jebiga, volim taj rokenrol Petica, ovo ću sigurno još preslusavati.

8/10 Doslo ko naruceno! Sabbathe volim u zadnje vrijeme pustiti, pogotovo kad je ciscenje doma na redu ili mi nesto ide na k, ali valjaju i kad se zelim malo maknuti od 'svakodnevne' glazbe. Changes mi je odmah zapela za uho jer znam samo obradu od Charles Bradleya, Supernaut mi se odmah svidio a Snowblind me vratila u tinejdzerske godine jer sam ju iz nekog razloga cesto ubacivao u plejlistu kao crnu ovcu medju sve zivo sto nije slicno ovome (mislim da je Limewire tu bio zasluzan) Mozda premalo metal u odnosu na druge njihove albume (sto mi ne smeta) i neke stvari mi se cine tise od ostalih produkcijski, ali sve u svemu - good time!

Never listened to this. It rocked. Supernaut is an awesome track. Barely misses a 5 for me cause it was a bit draggy in a couple spots and it's not my style is music totally.

Pretty much exactly how I expected a Black Sabbath album to sound like. Stand-out: Under the Sun

I enjoyed it a lot

"Supernaut". What a great riff. If you combined this album with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, you'd have an absolute stomper. Here, we have Changes, as well, which is a superb contrast to the other tracks. All told, this is a solid album - but it lacks the punch of their earlier work, and lacks the refinement of its successor. "Supernaut" almost lifts it into 4-star territory, but unfortunately, it still falls short.

8/10. More consistent but highs aren’t quite as high as the ‘Black Sabbath’ titled album.

Undeniable classic, very significant for rock music, but I just didnt jam with it. Ynn

YEAHHHHHHH SABBATHHHHHH

\m/ one of the pioneers of heavy rock/metal music. Legends.

Never really got into Sabbath, but this is decent. Shows an interesting, more refined side of the band that I wasn't previously aware of.

9/10. Life changing. RIP Prince of Darkness.

9.5/10 clásico

I guess any of the first 6 Sabbath albums are incredible, but this one especially has become possibly my favourite. The opening track, Snowblind, the closer, SUPERNAUT (what a song). Album is just packed with some of Sabbath's best riffs and keeps it interesting with the song structures too.

super

Nice blend of heavy and progressive

Ozzy

So much cocaine went into this that it had to be one of the more expensive albums of all time. Is this prog metal? I can’t tell, but it’s a great listen.

It's meh

Fuck yeah!!!

Very nice little album, great guitar work on most of the songs. I haven't heard of any of the songs, and the one that I had - Changes, I didn't know that it was theirs. I can't really give this album 3 stars because it is good, but at the same time, I wish there were middle ratings, so this would be 3.5 and other slightly better albums would go for 4.

Great

I DON'T CARE FOR THE BASIC BLUES But this was decent. The non-metal songs (Laguna Sunrise and Changes) are the best ones here tbqhfam. I just don't find the overreliance on I, IV, V, tritones, and stepwise motion terribly interesting... plus Vanilla Fudge and Blue Cheer generally did this style with more action and attitude. Blablabla not much variation in the phrasing and chords blablabla- oh the solos are too triadic and/or pentatonic and uninteresting too, but that's not terribly unheard of for this kind of music.

Was fine but not for me

A cromulent album. Changes is the standout on this record for sure. It’s a welcome change out pace on the album.

na enkele kopstoten zijn onze vriendjes aan het verzwakken...

Crazy to listen to this album after my Jazz Sabbath exposure. In a funny way, Jazz Sabbath made me appreciate “Snowblind” and “Changes” even more. Big fan of “Laguna Sunrise.” 4 stars.

Solid first track and can't beat changes.

Great!

Bra album med heavy riffs och experimentala låtar, inte helt lika bra som paranoid

Not my favorite Black Sabbath but still Black Sabbath. Laguna Sunrise was a nice surprise as well!

I don't think this album was written with me in mind. It's not the worst thing I've ever listened to but I didn't quite know what to make of it.

Great stuff.

Test

Solid album that was really easy to listen to. I liked this one.

Great album. I was familiar with “Changes”, but there were some deep track surprises. Nice bonus for a Labor Day.

This is a surprisingly kick ass album. Maybe not quite as great as their first two, but really good throughout. From face melter riffs to unique time signature switching to ballad feels on songs like Changes, the band really starts to spread their wings here into the sounds that they would eventually be known for. Rock n roll indeed.

Another great one from the early years of this band. Couple weird inclusions here keep it from getting full marks, but honestly that feels nit picky given how much good stuff is on this.

Dang, Changes hits the feels button. Very simple lyrics but written and performed so well.

I feel a little silly about not exploring more of Sabbath’s catalog outside of their big hits. This is another solid record. Not on the same level as their debut and Paranoid but still great. 4/5

Solid but not spectacular. I thought the whole story behind "Snowblind" was interesting. Would not have wanted to party with Black Sabbath in the early 70s.

Not terrible, but not my favorite.

Pretty heavy but melodic guitars riffs, plus Ozzy, what’s not to like?

01) Wheels of Confusion - 8,0 02) Tomorrow's Dream - 7,5 03) Changes - 9,5 04) FX - 3,0 05) Supernaut - 8,0 06) Snowblind - 8,0 07) Cornucopia - 7,5 08) Laguna Sunrise - 7,5 09) St. Vitus Dance - 7,5 10) Under the Sun - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,40 (74/100) Current ranking: 154/291

proggier than I thought it was gonna be YO piano part. this is sick. there's actually a lot of Ozzy solo stuff that's like this but with a lot more production. it's all sick, Ozzy rules. these guys are doing "Noise Rock," in 1971! tight. there's some of the bluesy stuff. drums = fuck yeah the prog is back. I had no idea that Black Sabbath were my favorite prog rock band. these all rule the drum fills rule

Track 1: sounds like metal 🤘 Track 2: sounds like rock 🎸 Track 3: most listens on Spotify. Super boring ballad. Maybe it's a grower not a shower 🚿 Track 4: cool sound FX! Track 5: we rocking again Track 6 / 7: more of the same Track 8: awesome acoustic interlude Track 9: same old Track 10: finally another metal song and it slaps. Best track on album

Besides the ambient FX I don't care for this album (I was devastated it did not proceed from inter-tubal-steel-curlicues into a metal-march-in-space). Under the Sun is a fine metal song. I can call on it it to convince metalheads I am down with it, in the case I need to prove to some metal heads that I'm down with it. I will leave the bar promptly before they find out I gave Black Sabbath Vol 4. a 2/5.

lækker! tror jeg foretrækker den en smule over s/t. så mange metalgenrer der virker meget påvirket af det her album

Helt vild guitarlyd på den her plade, super hårde riffs. Helt ok at der er lidt flere stille numre end på de andre Sabbath plader vi har haft, de var egentlig ret cool

Vanvittig plade når man tænker på hvor langt væk de var på coke. Det virker lidt mere "voksent" end de tidligere plader, så sangene er noget mere anderledes komponerede end BS/Paranoid

-I come from a long lineage of Black Sabbath enjoyers (my dad) so I’m pretty familiar with the style even though I haven’t listened to one of their albums in full before this. it’s pretty cool tho, the guitar makes the entire album -Favorites are Wheels Of Confusion, Snowblind, and Under the Sun

Favorite Tracks: Supernaut Changes Snowblind

I will quickly swipe any excuse I can get to talk about Black Sabbath. But, for as much as I love this band, I had actually only heard Paranoid all the way through. So this got me even more excited, because I could hear an album from this band for the first time again. Some might say that choosing Black Sabbath Vol. 4 over Master of Reality is a strange choice. But I think you could choose any three or four albums from 1970 to 1975 and be fine. Because they were just that consistent. Anything with the original lineup is pretty much golden. And this record does not disappoint. It’s fucking awesome. I would have thought that because they had already achieved quite a bit of success up to this point, they would abandon the doom metal parts of the music. But this actually has some of Iommi’s heaviest sounding riffs, at least from what I’ve heard. It may not be as heavy as the album that preceded it. But every member is just so good here. Ozzy sounds absolutely spot on, and I think Tony, Bill and Geezer all give career defining performances on tracks like Wheels of Confusion and Supernaut. As if Paranoid wasn’t career and genre defining enough. That’s the part that makes this band so wonderful. Nobody was really doing anything like this at the time. Metal was in its very early days, so to have a group that put out music which still feels so special and unique over 50 years later is wild. St. Vitus Dance is easily the least interesting song. It’s less metal and more hard rock, and it’s nothing special. Laguna Sunrise is a folk song of all things. And one I surprisingly don’t mind. And Changes is a weird one. I was initially led to believe maybe it was a David Bowie cover. But when listening to it, I knew for a fact that I had heard that chorus elsewhere, I just couldn’t think of where. To learn that Black Sabbath made that song was weird. But overall, this is another excellent album from one of metal’s strongest groups ever. Rating: 9/10

there's a hilarious picture of black sabbath performing in the gap between heavy metal music appearing but before people had worked out the heavy metal visual aesthetic, so they're still in full on flower power, folk music uniform, looking like they should be singing Build Me Up Buttercup. ozzy is singing under a rainbow with glittery silver boots. tony iommi doesn't have a moustache. this album's ok. too much cocaine in this one (or not enough, cf bowie's station to station)

I'm tempted to write that, even post covid, I'd rather bite the head off a bat than listen to this album again, but it's not that bad. Just. I'm wavering between giving it a one or a two. I definitely don't want to ever listen to this album again, but I don't think it genuinely annoyed me enough to get a one. A, feeling generous, two.

Better than I thought and a little more diverse.

Caveat: three BS records is at least two too many for this list but one can't be bothered to sort out which is best (or least worst), though this seems less tedious than so much of the genre as a whole. Starting in media res as they do on opener is cool (in a statement-of-intent sort of way). And overall, BS delivers the good on basically every cut – with the goods being indisputably heavy-sludgy-bombast throughout. Certainly one prefers Ozzy's work with BS to his silly and execrable solo outings. "Changes" breaks the drudgery early and is surprisingly affecting, if beyond simple musically (Nigel Tufnel's piano fugue "Lick My Love Pump" would be the Spinal Tap comp for those keeping score at home.) "Laguna Sunrise" does the same toward the end of the record and it's fine, but less credible, with strings beyond syrupy. They probably couldn't have done any more of this variety, if only because they weren't Led Zeppelin. And anyway their fans woulda soon got massively bored. One likes that BS stays within a middle register, not trying to play set land-speed records for soloing (which keeps thing somewhat coherent to people less than fully fluent in metal) and instead working out and extending their hooks to build heavy vibes, as on "Snowblind," probably the best cut here (and an obviously better album title), and on the more than decent closer. Indeed, the end of the record rather recommends it. But all the usual hazards of metal apply here (e.g., sameyness of sound, pomposity, utter tedium). Fans will love it. Non-fans will either loathe or be utterly indifferent to it. Put one in the latter category, apathy division.

The older I get the more I can lean into Sabbath and abandon the pearl clutching of the boomers who scared so shitless of this band. It sounds more aligned with Led Zeppelin to me now than as some death metal or whatever they labeled it. Really it is a lovely and well paced album. Enjoyable rock.

Never listened to this whole album until today. Sweet Leaf is a classic, but I thought the balance of the album was better than that. Except for maybe FX. I think Sabbath may have been trying to channel Brian Eno on that track. Ozzy really kinda brings it to Sabbath. I dug into the bands extensive catalog and I was shocked to see how many albums they made with Ozzy and then post-Ozzy. What was more astonishing was the number of people that can claim to have been in Black Sabbath. There's a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to it. I spent most of yesterday and again today listening to this album. There's really only one choice for me here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Black_Sabbath_and_Heaven_%26_Hell_members

They sure were going through “Changes.” Some of this boilerplate Sabbath, but then they mellow out and show you their softer side, and then throw some random sound effects at you. The heavy stuff not only works, but blazed trails and inspired many. However, there were too many other detours and distractions on “Vol. 4.”

This album starts in what feels like the middle of a guitar solo. A few too many "Changes" from their classic sound on this one (e.g., Laguna Sunrise was not an unpleasant surprise but it was not identifiable at all as Sabbath).

Marty McFly: “This album is heavy, Doc.” Doc Brown: “Is there something wrong with Earth’s gravitational field?” Marty: No, it’s just Black Sabbath. Tommy Iommi stands out on Vol. 4 (Snowblind). His guitar is the whole thing. It’s mostly heavy, but sometimes light as in the beautiful Laguna Sunrise. He taught himself piano during recording this album and wrote Changes, which is mind blowing. He also happened to collapse from doing too much cocaine too. So there’s that.

FX was unexpected, really cool, Changes was bad. The rest was better than their earlier albums, more variety in melodies, which I like

palatable but boring boomer tunes

Melodic yelling Softens this metal album While guitars still shriek

Very much Ozzy. Wheels of Confusion was okay, but it eventually devolved into songs that all sounded the same...

Honestly, I'm as surprised by this as anyone.

LOVE Sabbath and this might be my favorite album of theirs. It goes as hard as their earlier stuff at points, but also has a lot more range.

Not the best Black Sabbath-album.... but still Black Sabbath!

Nice

Solid Standout songs: Supernaut Cornucopia Under the Sun

Reminds me very much of Iron Maiden. Too bad I didn't know much about this band (only the typical stories about the bad and others) at that time.

This is a solid album, not quite as good as their earlier 'Paranoid', rated a few months back. Love the Tony Iommi sound!

Ok - I preferred Paranoid

MY EYES ARE BLIND BUT I CAN SEEEEEEEEEEEEE

One of the best Black Sabbath albums

Lekker scheuren Ozzy osbourne is een medisch enigma

I'm going through changes.

I’m not much of a metal/hard rock guy, but this is my kinda stuff. Never actually listened to a sabbath album in full before although I do own Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and a live LP. Will definitely be returning to this album in the near future, looking forward to the other BS albums to come… 9/10

Black Sabbath always seemed like one of those bands that was overrated. Three songs in, I'm starting to get it. Changes is a great song, love this version, love the Charles Bradley version, just a great song. You can hear the similarities between Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin...two sides of the same 70s coin, one more blues rock, one more heavy metal. This album is great, Ozzy Osborne is a more intelligible singer than he is a speaker. Maybe Black Sabbath is underrated? I haven't been familiar with a single song yet but this rocks. Maybe it's just their hits I don't love. There are a lot of metal bands that owe a huge debt of gratitude to Black Sabbath. Another plus, varying song lengths, but an average of about four and a half minutes. 10 songs, 42 minutes, that's right in the zone in terms of number of songs and average song length. There are a couple of songs that I'm not sure how they fit in, good songs, but just seem a little out of place on this album.

Wow what a great album. I had no idea I would like Black Sabbath so much. The only thing I really associated them with was Ozzy Osbourne and he was truly more of a reality star to me. I never watched the reality show but being in middle school in the early 2000s you couldn't avoid at least hearing about him. I had an idea in my head of what their music would sound like but it was much more melodic than I expected. I think in my head it used to be metal=death metal screaming and it's not been until more recent years I unlearned that. I thought this album was beautiful in spots which surprised me. I particularly like the guitars on the album but everything blends together amazingly to make beautiful music. It's hard to even pick out favorites, but I would say that "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener", "Supernaught", "Snowblind", and "Laguna Sunrise" stood out to me most on first listen.

not as good as van halen or anything but I can’t resist an electric guitar

Thought it was gonna be death metal screaming down the mic... Actually really enjoyed it

An excellent album. Not their best, but nonetheless way better than a lot I've heard from this list so far.

They’re n Kyuss

Classic Black Sabbath. Though not quite on par with their previous two albums, Vol 4 is still excellent. The riffs are as heavy as ever and the whole group seems exceptionally comfortable and in their element. I particularly liked Snowblind, and I also enjoyed Changes, which marks a big departure from Sabbath's normal sound.

Coke-fueled madness, seriously the Devil's music. 20 years after Elvis was possessed by the devil into shaking his hips, Sabbath showed them what a real demonic possession would look like. Trail blazing album, total brutal metal before metal was metal.

I’ve got often ignored Black Sabbath because I have never liked any similar bands. But they are consistently good. The main reason I am doing this challenge is to force myself to visit music I’ve missed, ignored or discounted for whatever reason. So a Big Black Sabbath Success (BBSS) on that front.

The first Black Sabbath album I ever bought and one of their best.

While I feel is a solid album, is nowhere as classic and epic as the first two albums.

I was big into the first four or so Sabbath records a few years back. Forgot how good this one is. Maaaaaaybe the greatest hard rock album ever??

I'm not sure if I could say this is my favorite Black Sabbath album, but this one has a magic that no other has. While this album doesn't have some of the more well known bangers, the while album takes me away to another place. This album is important.

When I looked over the track list I struggled to recognize any songs. So I started to look at their other albums and it's weird that Paranoid is like their only radio album, with maybe a song or two elsewhere. I would have loved to hear this in the time, because now it has just a classic rock feel and a bit dated. I want to be smashed by the weight of these tracks being the heaviest stuff I've heard. Some genres I have a better ability to take the time gap out of my ear-quation. It's a fine album and I think it's kind of a bummer some of these tracks don't get the exposure they should have had. Favorite track "Supernaut" 3.5/5

I was surprised how much I liked this one! 🤘

It’s ok

Glad to have fixed the fact I only heard Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. This was brilliant! It had range, and was a really fun listen.