Vol. 4

This was surprisingly cool. Turns out the radio plays their worst songs, who knew!

It was alright.

My first time listening to a Black Sabbath album in full. I feel like any metal from the 70s has that similar feeling of drug induced loneliness which you can feel through every track of Vol. 4. It doesn’t sound as heavy as a lot of their other stuff- this felt like it had more of a California feel to it especially with Laguna Sunrise and the guitar riffs chosen for a lot of other songs. Highlights for me were Laguna Sunrise and Cornucopia. It has definitely made me interested in comparing and contrasting the metal sound in the early 70s then to the 8ps and the difference between American and U.K metal. Solid decade defining album for sure.

I respect Black Sabbath. Their slow and heavy guitar sound was innovative, paving the way for doom metal. Ozzy's voice is distinctive and solid. Their albums tend to feel pretty well crafted. However, I can't say I really enjoy or relish listening to them - I merely appreciate them for making things possible for later artists. There's something that just feels flat and unexciting for me, even though I don't dislike any of the elements of their sound. 3*

старе, вайбове, інколи енергія такого маск мейл, який усе зробить для своєї жінки. 5/10

not what i expected at all i thought it was metal. vocals were super good, didn’t understand the first song at all which was so long. none made it onto my playlist though

There are a few standouts in the mix here, but overall I felt most just blended together into a just-okay soft rock sameness.

solid album. not much more that i can say i enjoyed some songs and theyre ofc an influential band with their trad doom metal sound. this just didnt hit as much as their album paranoid

Very much my style of music and I enjoyed this listen a lot, however I have heard better from Black Sabbath and this is not their best album.

3/5 Nice album to listen to, but it got a little samesy after a bit.

Having only previously been familiar with Paranoid, this seemed surprisingly mellow.

It was better than I expected.a different genre which I thought would just be a bunch of electric guitar and illegible screaming but it wasn't a was much more interesting to listen to. I will say that for me it had too much of just guitar and instrumental parts

Pretty good

Started off unimpressed but the solo at the end of The Straightener straightened me out. Tomorrow's Dream is good, Changes, emotional. FX would probably spin my head if I were stoned. Supernaut starts with a sick guitar riff. Snowblind rocks despite being explicitly about cocaine. Cornucopia is a dark, swaying romp. Laguna Sunrise, a touching instrumental. St. Vitus' Dance returns with an English rock song that doesn't do much for me. Album finishes with a sick anti-religious jam, Under the Sun. 6/10.

Very emo! Love it

While I did like the album, the type of genre is not really my cup of tea

Never heard any of these before. Neat.

Decent. Couple bangers

Overall rating by me: 5,5/10 Songs added to the playlist: ,,Tomorrow's Dream", ,,Changes'' Notes: Not my cup of tea but again, casually as background music I think I would listen to it again.

Groundbreaking and heavy, but too scattered to beat Sabbath at their tightest.

Not my fav Sabbath

Not my favorite sabbath, but still good.

Decent but a little lacking compared to their more iconic albums. The guitar riffs aren't quite as good, Ozzy's vocals are hit or miss depending on the track, and they tend to get overpowered by the instrumentals. The audio mixing is noticably better in the remastered version, and the vocals are clearer. "FX" is not a real song and while "Laguna Surprise" isn't necessarily bad, it's not what I'm looking for from Black Sabbath. Final score is based on the remastered version.

Enjoyed more than I thought I would. Will give a second listen

not my typical music but i enjoyed it

Liked some of it, but a lot of repetitive guitar showoff stuff in it

Black Sabbath is not my favourite as the vocals are not my style, and vocal melodies feel repetitive. I was surprised by FX and Laguna Sunset. I also enjoyed the final track and can definitely see the influence of their sound on doom artists I enjoy.

Rip ozzy 😔✊🏼 Album war ganz gut würde es mir glaub ich aber nicht nochmal anhören

Not my vibe, definitely a product of its time. Not bad music by itself

Not the type of music I would normally listen to, but can definitely see why it's considered iconic.

Under the Sun quella che mi è piaciuta di più

Black Sabbath are undeniably heavy metal gods- even to someone like me who wouldn't normally listen to an album like this and who really just knows the big, famous hits. The album hooked me and it was a fun listen . "Supernaut" has this cool little bridge that reminds me of Zeppelin's "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp." I really like "Snowblind" - it may be my favorite track.

Listened to the 2021 remaster. Favorite song was Laguna Sunrise. Haven't listened to Black Sabbath much before but enjoyed the album.

I had never really listened to Black Sabbath before. It was less intense than I thought it would be.

first song was banging but LIKE 8 MINS?? crazy good guitar solo hope i get to the level of being able to play drums like supernaut fav song- Under the Sun WHAT THE FLIP IS FX THAT SCARED THE ANCESTORS OUT OF ME i was playing it in the gym and it was so eerie

I forget how garage they sounded. They really just had an infant school yamaha keyboard and a dream. Utter filth. Mostly like this because it's influential but I would choose to listen to it.

Really enjoyed the efforts to make this an interesting body of work (Changes, FX, Laguna Sunrise), but generally not my favorite songwriting.

Cant go wrong with Ozzy

Badass, but less badass than I was expecting. I locate the most badass Sabbath in the mid/late 70s. This is early 70s. But it's record #4!? Clearly another research project I need to do. Another great educational album that's not in itself going to bring me back for further listens.

This doesn't seem like heavy metal…things were different then apparently.

Hey, this is good. Enjoyable. Not amazing. Funny to think that this was out there heavy in its day. Seems quite tame now.

Good album. Solid performances. Lacks a great song.

Listening to this Heavy Metal Album is like walking through a temple built of amplifiers: awe-inspiring in its sheer weight (thick, downtuned riffs, thudding drums, and smoky, overdriven textures paired with weary, spectral vocals), yet the floorboards shake just enough to remind you the structure might collapse at any moment.

Vocals were great

There's some great band moments on here that raises it amongst the rest in a genre of hard rock / metal that isn't a favourite of mine. The second half of Wheels of Confusion (the instrumental part), the drumming in particular of Supernaut in particular. I like that it's got some light and breaks from the onslaught at times like Changes and Laguna Sunrise. I guess I like the band but am not such a fan of the yelling version of Ozzy.

3.4

Has one of my favorite songs - ‘Changes’ - even if I like Charles Bradley’s version better!

Pretty solid, I think I liked Paranoid and Master of Reality more but there were some chunky riffs on this one! Snowblind and Changes were my favorite

Another rather strong entry by Black Sabbath although I kind of wish this website would pick one album per band or artist. But this was a fun, more mature aspect of Black Sabbath that I didn't know. I personally liked Changes and Laguna Surprise which had hints of Les Zeppelin in them.

I really haven't gone past the first three records with Sabbath. This will all be new to me. This is pretty much what I expected, though that's not a bad thing. Changes is a really interesting turn. I actually never realized this song is originally theirs. Laguna Sunrise is gorgeous. Really nice chord movement and acoustic playing. I wonder if they were being influenced by the prog movement of the early 70s at this time. Of course he is a groundbreaking legend, incredibly influential, and this may just be because of his missing fingertips, but I feel like Tony Iommi is kind of a messy guitarist. There's a few runs where it feels like he didn't really bother to figure out the notes. Maybe that's part of the charm. Under the Sun/Every Day Comes And Goes sounds like the foundation of all modern doom metal and metalcore. This is definitely a very cool record, and you can hear the influence it had on the metal world. They introduce some new interesting stuff here vs. first three records. Curious to listen to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath now!

I've struggled with Ozzy's voice - but Black Sabbath have some great tracks - Changes in particular of course.

Bon vieux album de métal comme on les imagine !

Was shocked when a cover of Changes came on. Dug it.

Actually pretty diverse but once they get into their grungy stuff its a bit tragically bad. I think i have to round to a 3 though because their range is pretty creative

Me when im trying to remember the title of Black Sabbaths fourth album On some normie type shit Too many drugs I guess Rest in peace, Prince of Darkness

Some monumental tracks, here, with Ozzie's great voice

Very much early 70's Sabbath style. Despite it being a pretty heavy rock album, there's still place for the Changes and Laguna Sunrise tracks, both of which I like. Tony Iommi's guitar riffs are always top quality and bring a great melody to all tracks.

Its fine. Some good songs, Changes will forever be awful.

Ok but quite an odd collection of tracks that doesn't seem that cohesive as an album. A few good classics metal tracks but interspersed with some quite average tracks.

Ned so viel in erinnerg bliebe aber het mi i keinere wiis gstört und bi paarne tracks doch sehr freud gha 3 mönet sabbathical uf das

Changes er så god! Men resten er ikke lige mig

Best song is Snowblind, Changes close second. 7/10 album.

interesting, a departure from the typical metal sound

++: Tomorrow's Dream, Changes, FX, Supernaut, Snowblind, Cornucopia +: Wheels of Confusion, Laguna Sunrise +-: St. Vitus Dance, Under the Sun 7,7/10

Love a 7-minute opener. Great heavy fuzzy guitars. Acoustic instrumental "Laguna Sunrise" is a lovely change of pace.

This is a weird album. Apparently, there are metal artists who understand that there are tempos that exist slower than allegro and dynamics quieter than fortissimo. Seriously, though, I did like this. I don't think I want to hear it often, but the lyrics are compelling and work with the music. It's got a driving beat when it suits the song, but there's more range here than the FanThrashtic 4 have between them.

Somewhat mediocre Sabbath album with some real standouts on it. Supernaut again presaging doom/stoner rock. All hail

This might be my fourth favorite Black Sabbath album. I think I stopped checking out their discography after the Self-Titled, Paranoid, and Master of Reality. I never made it to Vol. 4. I can kind of see why. Some of the songs are pretty great, I liked the opening track and really enjoyed Supernaut. I wasn't sure why FX was on there as a track, sounded like my kids trying to mess with my guitar and someone recorded it. Kind of a waste of a track. I'm not sure why Changes is such a popular track, too, it has the most listens of the album on Spotify. Not all that impressive of a ballad, imo. I think this is a good album, but as far as Sabbath goes, the first three albums belong on this list, not sure if Vol. 4 does.

i love the wall of sound but its sometimes tiring to hear just guitar solos over and over

Changes. Snowblind.

piacevole ma non riascolterei attivamente

Its fine, I don't dislike it, just not sure we need another Sabbath album on the list when it's weaker than the previous two. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

All just blended into one for me

Sabbath has still got it here but by now the formula isn’t as novel or exciting as it was on the first few records. Still got the riffs, still got the mood and it’s got a few departures from the sabbath formula with one “Changes” working out really well for them. This album for me is where the quality in Sabbath material starts to drop a little though. 6/10 Favorite tracks “Changes” “Supernaut” “St. Vitus Dance”

A bit heavy for me!

Worst of the 3 so far. Still not bad.

Quick album to listen to. Was a blast hearing Black Sabbath with a very different sound for the most part.

7/10

Nunca entendí lo de este grupo. El cantante tiene la voz más desagradable del rock. Hoy al escucharlo me ha parecido que sonaba mejor (era una versión remasterizada) a nivel instrumental. Incluso me han parecido mejores las canciones. No obstante, la voz sigue siendo insoportable.

i like the other sabbath albums on the list more but last track was really very good

7/10 Highlights: Snowblind Under the Sun Changes Wheels of Confusion Laguna Sunrise St. Vitus Dance

I haven’t listened to a lot of Black Sabbath. I know the hits. Listening to the whole album was a pleasantly surprising experience.

Not a fan. But did enjoy more than I thought I would. I have always liked Supernaut. However, I had listened to the 1000 Homo DJs cover first and prefer it.

i expected quick 1/5 and turn off after 1st song, but first 20 seconds convinced me to listen a bit more and this dark version beatels is listenable strong 3/5

Spodziewałam się bandy rozwrzeszczanych odpałów grających mi na nerwach, a dostałam naprawdę ciekawą muzę Momentami za intensywnie ale overall stabilna trójeczka

Noen fete riff. Men ikke sikker på disse balladene.

Je m’étais préparé à écouter un album de giga métal avec des mecs qui crient dans des micros mais en fait c’était plutôt du rock j’étais un peu déçu

Fun album to listen to. Very good vibes.

Its great, but sometimes creative choices in the tracklisting makes you go... huh... FX, Laguna Sunrise.

Least favorite Sabbath album so far, but that's like saying my least favorite type of pizza.

Not as good as led zeppelin but not the heavy heavy death metal I was expecting. I like it.

I enjoyed the album I've never listened to it before

Fine, but not my thing.

They are okay. When you make as much music as they make you are bound to have a few hits.

Nem hallgattam vegig. Eljart felette az ido

This the the album with Supernaut! A few great tunes on here, keeping Black Sabbath on the path of pioneers of metal

Better than I expected actually.

An old high school favorite.

Good Sabbath album, loved the strigns-acoustic guitar combo in Laguna Sunrise

I think its a good album. Some classics, it was for sure nice to comeback to it. But i wouldn't say it is the best from black sabbath, even less the best of all time. Clean album, nice sounds. Nothing much more to say. I would give it a 3/5 or a solid 7 out of 10

It's fine the other Sabbath albums are better

141225 11:55 3.5 / highlights: snowblind, wheels of confusion

Can’t complain it’s Sabbath

Another solid Sabbath

Day 24 Never really been a metal head. First time listening to a Black Sabbath album and was very impressed, some awesome riffs that sound well ahead of their time. 7/10 Highlights Supernaut Snowblind

I'm gooooooinggg throughhh chaaaangeeeeeesssss; not a lot of singing but good vibes

More of a 2 1/2 than a 3 but it’s a good heavy rock album

I liked change

Decent

3.3 2x catch up 9/4/2025

Appreciate the Sabbath as the birth of Metal but not something I'd choose to listen to necessary

I can't tell if I'm being too generous with some of these. This could probably be a 2 as well.

Cool!

when Supernaut started I went to turn it off bc I thought my library started playing Nobody by Mitski

My problem with Sabbath is that their trademark sound is actually fucking sick but then they start doing all this other stuff that I don't care about it and then I get annoyed. But even with the piano rock ballad and the stuff that veers out of doom and into blues I still like the album. I just wish they went full steam ahead with the scary giallo doom stuff. Prob 3.5 for me and I enjoyed it more than their debut Fav song: Wheels of Confusion

Awesome, particularly for having come out in 1972.

The production is stunning, but not my vibe, actually.

Nice album

Supernaut was fun, Changes was okay. The rest sounded decent but not that memorable.

This one really did not grip me in the way the other three did. I’m not sure why, but I’ll list some thoughts. First song fine but too long. Changes is objectively good but corny. Fx is a waste. Laguna sunrise is great but I was over it after a minute. Last song rips. I don’t know. At a loss i think it deserves a 4 but I did not 4 enjoy it.

Yet another Black Sabbath?!? I like them and I think this album is influential. But more influential than the other few Ozzy/BS albums we have already heard? Hell nah.

It was alright. There was one really weird song tho. Kinda liked it

Not exactly the heaviest of metal, but still pretty good.

Ozzy is a legend, but I’m just not that big of a fan of this style of music.

good rock album, nothing stood out too much. will relisten to see if anything special stands out to me.

Rock as expected but not as hard as expected some tunes were very melodic

Not my usual pick, but can see it growing on me

Good album. Enjoyed.

A bit too 'classic rock' for me, but then it is 1972 after all. Favourite tracks: Changes, Supernaut, Snowblind, Laguna Sunrise.

Idk why the first song was 7 minutes but I ain't doing allat

Yeah, maybe black sabbath isn't my thing. Can't get into it hard like other metal bands.

Surprisingly melodic. 3/5

It was an awesome Black Sabbath record. Still need to define what 3/5 means

Snowblind was my favorite track. Starts out a bit predicable but it adds some elements I enjoy.

Ok

This is coked-out Sabbath, much faster tempos and slicker guitar playing than the albums preceding this. It foretells more of the hair metal genre than the doom metal in Master of Reality, with exceptions. The strongest songs are "Supernaut" and "Snowblind" back to back. I'm just not a big fan of "Changes" or especially "Laguna Sunrise" which draw the album to a halt and just feel like time filler, though I know a lot of people especially like "Changes". Overall the riffs and songs just aren't as strong as the albums preceding it, and I wonder how much they were burned out by this point, considering this was the fourth album in two years.

J - 3/5 Best Track - "Supernaut" F - DNL

Classic Sabbath

Good tunes thanks !

Sin más, aunque alguna canción me ha gustado. La de changes la mejor y creo que está bien, pero no es mi rollo de música.

Surprisingly listenable & not overly heavy for metal. I liked the album as a whole. Would probably listen to “Changes” as a single or the album as a whole.

Its a classic sounding Sabbath album that has plenty of focus on the guitarist. It's not the most memorable album to me. But I enjoyed my listen through. Notable Songs ||Changes, Snowblind, Laguna Sunrise||

Great music rip Ozzy

My first Black Sabbath album. Pretty impressive and I can appreciate the range on this album. Makes me curious to hear their earlier stuff, as I admittedly take to the more metal tracks of the bunch.

I'm not well versed enough in metal to give this a definitive ranking, but I didn't dislike it. 7/10

Similar to the previous Black Sabbath album, not too heavy metal, somewhat enjoyable, but I wouldn't seek it out to listen to again.

Was ok. Started to zone out a bit when it all started sounding the same after a while.

2,6/5

Ozzy passed yesterday so we all get Black Sabbath today. As much as I can appreciate some of their stuff, I can also get a bit weary of it. This is fine. I can listen to it. But I can tell I also get tired of it at times. If I am happy when it's over...how many stars is that? But I kind of enjoyed some of it along the way. It's probably 2.5 stars from me, but rounding up because I do appreciate certain sections and moments to make it worth it.

Solid, lacks the drive and standout songs of paranoid

Not really my thing. I liked their debut album a lot more than I liked this one. Compared to the Metallica album I just listened to, there is a lot more musicality and variance which I like, but nothing grabbed me.

RIP to one of the greatest. Best Song: Under the Sun Rating: 6.5 Stars: 3/5

lit i love ozzy

Better than I expected.

Rip Ozzy this album was a bit more melancholy which I liked

★★★½

This one never clicked for me. Some good songs but one I rarely listen to anymore along with most of the other sabbath albums. I’ve moved on.

The impact of cocaine cannot be overstated here. I swear, half these songs are structured in such a sloppy, nonlinear way that the *only* explanation would be that the band wrote it after doing a deadly amount of coke. And they did, so it’s kind of forgivable, I think. Not a bad album, really. In fact, the more I got used to the coked-out song structure, the more I started to enjoy it. But it is a bad Black Sabbath album, especially compared to literally the 3 albums before it and the 2 albums after. It’s a lot more ‘70s butt-rock than metal, and the schtick of how Sabbath albums “flow” feels repetitive at this point. Of their first 6 albums, it’s by far the least essential. Hell, it’s even less essential than Heaven and Hell overall. It’s still good because Black Sabbath in the ‘70s were pretty flawless, and I’d say songs like “Supernaut” and “Snowblind” are great songs that any Sabbath fan should hear. Frankly, if you like at least 3 other Sabbath records, you should listen to Vol. 4 at least once. But, for casual fans and non-metalheads, there’s only one reason Vol. 4 is included over Masters of Reality, Sabotage, or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. This album is here because of “Changes,” which is maybe the greatest song Ozzy Osbourne, rest his soul, ever sang, and it is arguably in Sabbath’s top 5 songs ever. A beautiful, perfect song that has more power now that he isn’t with us. But, once again, I have such a problem with this book including an entire album to make sure you listen to one or even two songs on it. Like, babes, I thought that was what the 1001 SONGS list was for?! Not bad, but not Sabbath at their best, especially in an era where they had, like, 10 examples of them at their best. And a more bitter listen when some of those albums aren’t represented on this list. Regardless, the Prince of Darkness and his bandmates are always great during this era, so it’s hard to not find something I like here. Rest in peace, Ozzy.

Crazy that for decades my mind has labeled Black Sabbath as “heavy metal” which I just assumed would be too harsh for my taste. Then along comes the album with two tender ballads, plenty of melody.. I should have checked them out much earlier! As an Aston Villa fan, I do have a bonus tie to these guys. Ozzy now joins the other Holte Enders in the Sky, to cheer our guys on from the other side. Thanks for all the entertainment Ozzy and UP THE VILLA!!!

Didn't make a huge impression on me.

Ahh… hair and metal. Nothing gets the white chicks undressed faster. This genre arrived on my teen watch. Lucky me.

Genuinely surprised by how much I liked this. My whole knowledge of Ozzy was from after he jumped the shark, but I guess he would not have been as famous without some amount of mass appeal. Good job mainstreaming the weird 👏👏👏

I get it. It's a decent album, but I also now understand the statement I heard about Ozzy, which was his talent is memorable, if not great. Also, their toe dip into prog rock was just awful.

Ozzy Osbourne became something of a national treasure in the years before his recent death (I guess that prompted this album to show up in the list this morning). I kind of like Paranoid, but this album left me a little underwhelmed.

Not as strong as the debut or the second, but still decent.

Not my cup of tea, but I respect the forefathers.

So I had the self-titled album (4/5) and Paranoid (5/5) before this. And somehow this is only a 3/5 for me.

A few good songs but not as consistently great as their debut.

It’s a good album. They were really the early masters of psych/metal. Just needs a standout song or two. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again

I don’t know if the algorithm is programmed to do this, but I got this album the day after Ozzy died. What a legend.

Dark album.

RIP Ozzy

Bye, Ozzy. It was good a lot of the time.

Någon form av morbid timing att detta album dyker upp dagarna efter Ozzy har 'lämnat scenen' permanent. Måste säga att jag blev väldigt laddad när jag såg att ett Sabbath-album väntade på mig. Klassar mig själv som en väldig junior när det kommer till, del genren, men också bandet. Lite Paranoid och lite Master of Reality är väl det jag känner mig någorlunda bekant med. Men jävlar vad bra det är! Sköna riffs och melodier klädda i en rockig, lite smått metal-aktig look. Som grädde på mosen står han där med sina runda, mörka glasögon och sjunger som en kung. Changes håller såklart hög klass som den fina rockballad den är. Men jag blir mest imponerad i Snowblind. Den känns otroligt TUNG, på alla rätta sätt. Det är ett skönt flöde i låten, trevliga arpeggios som rullar ut ackorden och det är något som gör att den är tung, men inte känns tung. Sen kommer det ett gitarrsolo, som förvisso inte är det bästa jag hört, men som i kontexten av låten passar alldeles utmärkt. Det är ett bra album tycker jag. Tror och hoppas att jag kommer återbesöka! Bäst: "Snowblind"

Not their best, good though

Enjoyed Changes, can take or leave the rest of the album. RIP Ozzy, but this was mostly forgettable to me.

rip ozzy 22/07/2025

Algunes cançons com "FX" i algunes parts de cançons m'han sorprès per ser força experimentals. Altres cançons son bastant rock dur primigeni i meh. Cançons preferides: "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener", "Snowblind", i "Under the Sun/Everyday Comes and goes"

I appreciate Black Sabbath for what they opened the door for, but I feel that I enjoy Black Sabbath songs performed by bands that are not Black Sabbath.

I enjoyed listening to this. It makes me sad thinking of the shitty music that this (helped) inspire, but Black Sabbath are a great band with some great songs. I don't know if this album in particular is the one I needed to hear, but I'm glad I did. 3/5.

Not my fav Sabbath. Good not great. Ozzy rules 4ever. RIP rocker

Like me this more than I expected. Ozzy could actually sing! Some sweet bass lines and the guitar isn’t just noise. Sabbath really did rock. And there are quite beautiful interludes too. Great record.

I was surprised at how much I liked this album. I’m not a heavy metal fan, but I’m used to Ozzy’s vocals and find young Ozzy and his band to be compelling on this album. All the songs were listenable and dare I say most were enjoyable. R.I.P. Ozzy!

I’ve only listened to Black Sabbath’s first two albums. I’ve really enjoyed those two, but Vol 4 didn’t seem as good to me. It’s ok with a few standout tracks.

Listened to 2 songs but I just would rather be listening to something else

Incluso en nuestros peores días seguimos dominando el genero. Changes en Vol. 4 es el manifiesto de que los metaleros son duros por fuera, pero tiernos por dentro. Los Sabbath, incluso en sus momentos más oscuros, siguen demostrando que hasta ciegos hacen los mejores discos de su género. A veces no hay mejor especialista que un cocainómano en su cocina. Metaleros cocainómanos vulnerabilizándose y el nombre irreverente del álbum —que se hace cargo de su propia producción— rechazado: déjenlos, están pasando por cambios. Vol. 4 de Black Sabbath es la prueba de que, si a los metaleros reventados los entretenés con sesiones de estudio, cada tanto sale algo que cambia el juego. Siendo la piedra fundamental del stoner rock y el doom metal, la banda lo hace de nuevo y se coloca en el epicentro de los mapas conceptuales que intentan explicar los géneros musicales. En la cresta de la ola de su fama, sus vidas cotidianas empiezan a desmoronarse de a poco, al punto que ni siquiera pelean por ponerle el nombre más rockero y antisistema al disco: Snowblind. Rechazado por la discográfica, claro. Ozzy Osbourne se desarma sobre un piano en Changes. Tony Iommi, inspiradísimo tras presenciar un amanecer drogado, compone una instrumental que lo deja solo frente al vacío. Tu espina dorsal se tensa con los FX, y tu ceño fruncido intenta descifrar si lo que suena es un interludio o si se confundieron de archivo en el máster final y pusieron el MP4 que decía “versión 04” en vez de “final FINAL este sí va”. La cocaína puso a los chicos finísimos a la hora de componer, trayendo sonidos nuevos como mellotrones, pianos y capas orquestales rudimentarias. Los metaleros también lloran y ambicionan más como proyecto creativo, dejándonos su álbum más caótico y vulnerable. Unos riffs bien sabbatheros, la impaciencia lírica que ya no poetiza sus adicciones y cotidianidades desmembrándose que dan miedo, pero —sostenidas entre dos guitarras— se mantuvieron cohesivos como pudieron. Incluso haciendo el proyecto ciegos de blancura, igual podían ver: usaron la oscuridad como contraste.

Classic rock album - changes still is a great song

A little dull. Some of the songs are now just commercials.

RIP Ozzy. Not a Black Sabbath fan, but respect the work.

Aqui Ozzy e a banda fizeram um trabalho muito experimental para o Heavy Metal, mas eu adorei, músicas bem melancólicas, com ótimo lirismo, instrumental no ponto, com ótimos solos, mas não tão extensos. Comparado ao debut, sinto que as músicas me prenderam mais, principalmente por tirarem a mão do cru heavy metal e explorar mais no rock progressivo.

Better than I expected. They were changes?!?

As many others I got Sabbath the day after Ozzy's passing. I liked this listen ecen though the tracks them selves didn't stood out to me. It's like metal the album woth heavy riffs and instrumentals. Great vocals, as always.

well this is random? don't know it but it's supposed to be legend. and...not for me.

RIP Ozzy! That one was hard for me! I love Ozzy’s voice. I love the song Changes. In fact the version he did with Kelly was the first song I ever bought on iTunes when I got my first iPod in 2007! I didn’t know any of the other songs.

This album sounds like it begins right in the middle of another song. That was weird. The Changes song is very good and I had never heard it outside of the song Eminem made sampling it. This is the second Sabbath album i've listened to on this, and both are much softer in sound than I was expecting. This album even more so than the first one, which was called paranoid. Lot of good song though. Thumbs up!

Listened in the truck via YouTube music. Great album. It was assigned the week of Ozzys death.

I liked this album, even though I wouldn’t say Black Sabbath is my normal cup of tea. I recognized more songs than intended, and now I’m open to hearing more from them.

Not as heavy as I was expecting and I feel a bit bored overall. The songs are fine but there's not much that really jumps out in them. The only exception might be the acoustic songs, but those just feel like they're following Led Zeppelin's footsteps

generated just in the day when ozzy osbourne died the type of metal i could listen liked some songs It's the first album we've produced ourselves

Heavy. I love that this app gives you an album when a relevant person dies so everybody listens together. Truthfully I think I liked Ozzys solo career more than I liked the Black Sabbath days, but it was still good. Lots of variety on here, loved changes.

I got this album within hours of knowing Ozzy Osbourne passed away. Heavy

First, Sabbath is the first heavy metal band and gets all the credit for that. Second, this is a solid album. Third, I'm getting it on July 23, 2025 - the day after Ozzy passed. BUT, give me the band's seminal album (Paranoid)! Or the breakout first album (Black Sabbath). Stop with the filler. If this is the 1,001 albums everyone should listen to, include the big deal important albums from these bands!

I’m showing my youth a bit here, but my first exposure to Ozzy came from my father (who claimed to hate reality TV) having The Osbournes. I found it entertaining as hell and it was only later I learned he was a musician.

Not my favorite Black Sabbath album but still great.

Pretty good, probably won't listen much though!

Classic

Rip Ozzy. Legendamenoa ja tulipa viimein kuultua tätäkin.

This made me want to listen to early metal. It's good, didn't blow me away, but it's good.

A good album with 4 great songs and the rest are just fillers. Yes it is an experimental album but it doesn't sound fully fleshed out. Vol 4 feels like a stepping stone to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Out of the first 6 Sabbath albums this is definitely one of the weakest ones.

186/1089 - This is slightly adventurous metal music but not as adventurous as the first Black Sabbath album in my opinion. I always thought Ozzy Osborne was a musician with pure charisma and no other redeemable traits. He didn't write the lyrics, he didn't play an instrument, and he never learned how to sing in tune. That being said, he was still important to the development of this genre and had a larger-than-life persona and a great quote we can live by: "Being sober on a bus is, like, totally different than being drunk on a bus." Also Changes was extremely awful. Completely unrelated to the above review but I wish "Combat Rock" by The Clash was on this list. I'd give that a 5 for sure.

Very well timed as the prince of darkness has passed and what a good album! Sad day but good music!

I can't believe we lost Ozzy man... As for this album, it was fine. I like Panic better, but it's never a bad day when you're listening to Sabbath

A very decent heavy metal album, but when compared with their previous works, I find this record to be a bit underwhelming. I have to say that I find the sound of this record to be more refined, specially the guitar tone; and the riffs are also great, but, in general, I believe the songs aren't as memorable as in their previous works, excluding 'Supernaut', 'Snowblind' and 'Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes' which are very great. Also, I have to admit that I don't like 'Changes', at all. For a song that is supposed to be sentimental, I find it a bit stale and boring in terms of performance. Overall, I did enjoy it, but not as much as I did their first two albums.

Already owned. I think it's an enjoyable album with some great songs. 'Changes' is great, and feels completely different from black Sabbath I was used to.

RIP Ozzie 6/10

Perfectly listenable, but doesn't reach the heights of the first two albums. "Changes" is lovely, of course.

Solid progenitor metal album with some real high points.

definitely not their best

rip ozzy osbourne A whole lot weaker than paranoid but still worth checking out

Nothing major stood out on this one, but I appreciated the mix of guitar styles and riffs.

Changes is a beautiful track but compared to their other albums I just wasn’t wowed

I really liked the first Sabbath album and Irinman was interesting. This is a bunch of hit and miss - in particular, I find the guitar work really uneven and uninspired. But it doesn't totally suck, either.

Iconic rock. He will be missed

Third and I believe final Sabbath album today. I'm certainly no heavy metal connoisseur but I appreciate they were one of the first to do it and created a blueprint for many many artists and subgenres that came after. It's a good, solid album with plenty of the high-octane stuff and a few experiments, although I must confess, the ballady 'Changes' is a bit of a dirge. It's not on the level of Paranoid, for me. While I've enjoyed the melodic riffery, I'm happy to say thank you Ozzy (and friends), that will do, and may you rest in peace.

I was never a big Black Sabbath fan, but this was a reasonably good and listenable album. FX was an unnecessarily interesting track, I liked its inclusion.

I'm now used to the "In Memoriam album choice" 1001 gives us, RIP Ozzy, you wild weirdo, went out raising 200m for charity after living a life some consider a myth. As for this album, puts the heavy in heavy metal, another kick in the face to the hippy music scene of the 60s, that was dead and was never coming back because heavy riffs, heavy drums, and heavy singing was the only way through the gift shop towards the exit.

I got this the day after Ozzy died. Still don't like it very much. He was a great show man, but not that good a singer. The music doesn't seem as important as their other two albums in the book. It's not a huge improvement over Paranoid. Newer bands like Kyuss, Corrosion of Conformity, Torche etc. have done this style a lot better. However, it's not terrible. Favorite song: under the sun.

2.8 Solid songs but nothing spoke to me fr fr

Not my normal type of music, but then there were some beautiful songs like Snowblind and Laguna Sunrise. Would be 3.5 stars

Solid album, makes for good background music. RIP Ozzy

I’ve never actively listened to Zappa. I loved this!!! It’s hilarious and it sounds great and the musicianship is excellent. Stand outs ‘go cry on someone else’s shoulder’, ‘trouble every day’ wowie zowie. So good.

It’s good. Enjoyed the first half of the album more than the rest. Didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d thought I would.

RIP Ozzy. Not my fave black sabbath album but banging nonetheless

*Melodic, soft to medium rock - occasional blips of very light metal. *Lyrics seem to have been written by a 10 year old. *Lots of enjoyable songs though. *RIP ozzy, but still not a fan of his voice. RATING - 7/10

Rating (1-5): ✩✩✩ Higlighted songs: Laguna Sunrise Meh, not my type of music

Way to shove this down someone's throat on the day he passed away. Appreciate it, really. (Intended sarcasm). Anyway, liked the changes song, okay for the rest of album

I had this album curated after Ozzy's death. All around good album and changes is a top tier song

It's not my favourite Black Sabbath album and doesn't have as many "big hitters". However the variation really works nicely. 'Changes' is the main example of this, shifting to a piano base. Then I also felt that it had a strong end with 'Under the sun'.

Gir meg ikke så mye. Forstår at de er viktige for heavy metall. Tilfeldighetene ville at Ac/dc kom automatisk på etter at jeg var ferdig med å lytte til albumet - og da gikk foten 😎

Not my thing, but I can just about see the attraction. Not keen on the advancement of albums where artists have just died btw, bound to skew the ratings.

Surprisingly I liked half of the songs.

čovjek umre jučer i onda mi danas ovo "nasumice" generira, jel. solidno, al ne bih si nikad sam pustio

Not what Id been led to expect out of Black Sabbath. Ozzie Osborne really bit the head off a bat to this music? That story takes on new layers of comedy when you picture it coming during a performance of Cornucopia (too much near the truth they say! Keep it til another day! Let them havetheir little game! Delusion helps to keep them sane!). Otherwise I don't really know how to feel about Vol 4. It's theatrical and a bit ridiculous - how seriously am I supposed to take any of this? But the instruments go pretty hard, I like Ozzie's voice and there's a charm to some of the lofty, pompous lyrics. My ultimate take is that this prince of darkness angle has aged very badly.

I’ve long avoided Black Sabbath. I’ve always found Ozzy Osbourne to be a bit of a repulsive figure. Imagine my disdain to learn the band is actually pretty damn good. I’ll give credit to Ozzy where it’s due the most: his performance in Changes challenged every preconceived notion of what I had always made him out to be as a singer - and Sabbath as an act. It’s soulful, considered, and poignant - and incredibly, not even out of place on this album. Really, a beautiful song. Second shout has to go to Tony Iommi. I always knew he was a talent. But man, he brings the weight to these songs like few people in the genre ever really have. What impresses me is how he’s able to create such a distinct, heavy, sound without having to rely too much on overdubs. I like this. Eager to give more a try. ✨

3.5

I’m not sure what the chances are I got Black Sabbath on the day of Ozzy Osbourne’s passing. But they gotta be real low. RIP Ozzy. In terms of the album though, my gut tells me this not really Black Sabbath’s most notable work but it does make me excited to dig deeper into their catalog. I just feel like it’s probably not a great thing to fall asleep to an album especially if it’s a metal album. Feels like it goes a lot against the genre. Honestly good stuff though.

3.5

I found this surprisingly listenable. But I will probably never do it again.

rip ozzy but not one of my fave black sabbath albums

This kinda how I like my metal - not too metal, just heavy rock. RIP Ozz.

I always forget that, even though they're basically the progenitors of heavy metal, Black Sabbath can get really psychedelic at times. This album is all over the place, it's got some great stuff but also some real left- field, why is that there nonsense - Supernaut is fantastic, but after a ballad and a series of non sequitur sound effects, leaves you thinking "what the hell was all that?" There's definitely tracks here i want to come back to, but as an album not so much

L’ho rivalutato

I really like the song Changes, and the first track gets pretty awesome towards the end. Overall though, I felt like this album was keeping me at arm’s length somehow. It’s just wasn’t something I felt connected to. RIP to Ozzy the legend though!

This was fine. I'm not a huge fan of Ozzy's voice (RIP) and it felt a bit samey same.

sounds like black sabbath alright

-changes

RIP Ozzy!

Messy and seems long.

Has Big Mouth theme song + RIP to Ozzy. Not necessarily for me but still strong album. 7.2/10

Gevarieerder dan ik dacht. Ik vind het verder lullig om te zeggen, nu-ie gisteren is overleden, maar de vocals van Ozzy verpesten het een beetje voor me. Geen fan, sorry!

Random album - yeah right. the other person I am doing this with also got Black Sabbath the day after his death. still very much wanky big hair classic rock with those cliche rock riffs, but at least there is a little bit of variation. nothing god awful, but nothing amazing. also amazed with all the 5 star reviews. I guess my disdain for classic and heavy rock is not shared by many people, or are most of the reviews influenced by his death. who knows. 3 stars

Turns out I don't like Black Sabbath as much as their legend suggests I should. Some big, fat riffs but I'm left a little cold.

Le hasard fait bien les choses comme on dit… Le 22 juillet, le "Prince des Ténèbres" a tiré sa révérence et le 23 juillet, le système me propose d'écouter un album de Black Sabbath. Comme quoi, ça devait être écrit 😀 Donc le quatrième album de Black Sabbath, "Vol. 4" est le son d’un groupe au sommet de sa gloire, mais aussi au bord du précipice. Enregistré en 1972 à Los Angeles, loin du gris industriel de Birmingham, l'album transpire l’excès, le soleil californien et, surtout, une ambition nouvelle qui, malheureusement, se perd parfois en chemin. Ce qui frappe d’abord dans "Vol. 4", c’est le son. Il est radicalement différent de la production plus nette de "Paranoid" ou de la lourdeur maîtrisée de "Master of Reality". Ici, le son est cru, presque sale. On sent la chaleur des amplis, l’énergie brute des sessions d’enregistrement. Cette authenticité est la plus grande force de l’album. Sur un titre comme "Wheels of Confusion", qui ouvre l’album, on est happé par une énergie live, une sorte d’urgence qui capture parfaitement l’état d’esprit du groupe à cette époque. C’est puissant, viscéral et sans compromis Cette puissance atteint son paroxysme sur des morceaux emblématiques. "Snowblind" reste un monolithe de heavy metal, avec son rythme rampant et son atmosphère chargée. "Supernaut" est une décharge d'adrénaline pure, un riff d'une efficacité redoutable qui prouve que Tony Iommi marchait sur l'eau à cette période. Ces chansons sont des réussites totales, des moments où le chaos créatif du groupe s'est transformé en or. Cependant, le principal défaut de "Vol. 4" est que ce chaos prend trop souvent le dessus sur la direction artistique. L'album donne l'impression d'être un fourre-tout d'idées, un collage d'expérimentations qui peinent à former un ensemble cohérent. Là où les précédents albums avaient une vision, une couleur sonore unifiée, "Vol. 4" part dans toutes les directions. L'exemple le plus flagrant est la juxtaposition de pistes qui n'ont rien à faire ensemble. Comment passer de la brutalité d'un "Cornucopia" à la douceur presque mièvre de la ballade au piano "Changes" ? Si la chanson est touchante sa place dans l'album est incongrue. Elle brise totalement l'élan et souligne le manque de fil conducteur. De même, l'instrumental acoustique "Laguna Sunrise" est une jolie parenthèse, mais elle ressemble plus à une esquisse, une note de carnet, qu'à une pièce maîtresse de l'album. Cette dispersion se ressent aussi dans la production. Si la crudité du son est parfois une qualité, elle dessert souvent les compositions. La basse de Geezer Butler, si proéminente et géniale sur les autres disques, est parfois noyée dans un mixage confus. La voix d'Ozzy semble parfois lutter pour exister au milieu du mur de guitares. On sent que le groupe s'est auto-produit pour la première fois, avec une liberté qui a mené à des choix audacieux mais aussi à des erreurs techniques. En fin de compte, "Vol. 4" est un bon album mais il est aussi décevant à cause de son manque de finition, sa structure éclatée et son son parfois brouillon. Un album imparfait qui finit avec un 3 sur 5.

I wonder if everyone that hadn't already revealed this album got it today. RIP Ozzy. Album was fine. Good even. Not one of the 1001 best albums of all time. Certainly shouldn't be on this list over Paranoid or Black Sabbath.

Rip

# 530 : Vol. 4 This album is heavy—definitely one of Sabbath’s weightier efforts. The production’s a bit rough, but it kind of adds to the gritty vibe. There are a couple of tracks that really hit, and overall it’s a solid listen. Not totally my style, though. Some songs dragged on a bit, and “Changes” felt out of place—too mellow and kind of broke the flow. That said, Supernaut was an absolute standout for me. Killer riff, great energy. I’d definitely spin this again. If I had to pick one: Supernaut Listened: 24/07/2025

Classic groovy heavy rock

p257. 1972. 3 stars. Well done but generic 70s heavy metal. Not their best work. As for random generation of albums - this came up the day after Ozzy Osbourne died. Coincidence? I think not ;)

A bit slow and swampy for my taste, but I admire it all the same.

Groovy opening and closing tracks, good vocals, bit long in the tooth, drags in the last third.

Nicht gehört

Decent. Not a huge metal or sabbath fan but good. Not as enjoyable as their earlier records for me but it was still a good listen.

An obvious choice to mark the passing of Ozzie. Black Sabbath never been my fave but good to hear some of their classics again

RIP Ozzy

Something in a bar at at 23:32 to hype up the crowd then they all do cocaine

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

Good, not the best

Rock ass

Ozzy fan, but hadn't really delved into Sabbath albums before now. Really cool!!

Fan of Ozzy, but not of Black Sabbath

I think I like Ozzy more as a solo artist.

Heavy metal is not really my thing.

not my favorite

I'm a bigger fan of their older stuff. A lot of this feels phoned in. Too much filler.

Ok

It's kind of unfair to try and review this album the day after Ozzy died. I like Ozzy better than Black Sabbath. As the name clearly states, Black Sabbath is very dark. Too dark for me.

I think I'm just not an Ozzy Fan outside "Crazy Train". RIP, Ozzy, you laid the groundwork for music I love, and for that I will always thank you.

Never listened to Black Sabbath before but I'm aware this is a classic. The guitar solos are really good and the songs are OK. Although metal is not my cup of tea, I might give it a listen more times.

Not a big fan of Sabbath, but maybe it's the album.

More varied than the debut. Plenty of rocking here like before, but there’s also a piano ballad and a song with some unexpected Latin elements. It’s less gloomy English countryside and more of an LA romp. I don’t know if this is really my thing, but I can see the appeal.

They wrote changes! Whoa! Fun album, great vibes

Good fun album to listen to. Good music, just the sound quality was a problem during a few songs.

Just doesn’t have an iconic song that you’d expect.

Sabbath hits have always been great for me to listen to, never sat with a whole album though. It’s good, not great. I’ll come back to this though and give it another chance.

Ozzy just passed away yesterday, so I am sure that’s why I am reviewing this one today. I’m just not a big fan of heavy metal, but I enjoyed this one for the most part. I had previously reviewed two other Black Sabbath albums, Black Sabbath and Paranoid, and I certainly preferred this one over those two. Again, I am not a big fan of the genre, but I will give this one 3 stars plus.

Oddly this comes the day after "Paranoid" was teed up for review, and the same day Ozzy passed away. Vol 4 can't hold "Paranoid"'s jock strap but it has a few classics in "Tomorrow's Dream" (listen to "Fairies Wear Boots" afterwards), "Changes" & "Snowblind". It's a good hard rock album but it doesn't break any new ground for the genre or the band. They missed the mark for me on "Supernaut" & "Wheels of Confusion", just not great songs. 3 stars, it's good not great.

Black Sabbath is firmly the best of these metal bands in terms of melody and range. Found this release a bit uneven but enjoyable.

Nothing to complain about here. Slightly generic as well.

I used to own a first pressing record! not the best sabbath but I was still pissed it was ruined in the flood from hurricane Helene. Good thing my husband still has a copy!

Black Sabbath is a band I should have given way more attention to in the past. They continue to surprise me with their albums. Vol. 4 still brings solid metal rock with good guitar work and dark vibes but also shows a lighter side. Never knew it was a Black Sabbath cover but "Changes" by Charles Bradley is a great tribute. Pretty sure we'll see their 3rd installment on the list as well. RIP Ozzy...3.4 stars.