Vol. 4

I’ll be the first to admit that I had much lower expectations

Solid album

Good not great

Changes is a five star song but overall not really our thing. Paranoid is the best Sabbath album by far.

The first 6 Black Sabbath records are as good as music gets. Flawless band.

A more mellow Black Sabbath album that has lovely moments

I'm not a metal fan but this seems like a high water mark for this type of music. The reviews talked about heavy and dark music, but I found it to be surprisingly tuneful and hook laden. Maybe metal has moved on in the intervening years and a lot of Nordic black metal and industrial noise metal raised the bar for what is considered heavy in this era. But a listen through I found this to be almost mainstream. Good song writing, recognisable hits and lots of fun to be had.

And this for me is very sadly the point at which Sabbath albums start to include some filler feeling tracks. Still, 4 albums in isn’t too bad going. Some absolute killer tracks on here, such as Supernaut (which spawned whole bands sounds on its own), Tomorrows Dream, Snowblind. But it’s something about the production and some of the song writing which feels a bit hollow in places, and just doesn’t have the same oomph and swagger/swing as the earlier stuff. But that’s a mega high bar. I’ll give it a slightly harsh 4.

Never bothered with Sabbath much, so glad this dropped. Supernatural, Snowblind and especially Under the Sun must have influenced any number of bands. They more or less invented a genre or two. I can't believe Ozzy shot his wife. I will listen again so that's a 5.

BL: I’ve listened to their S/T & Paranoid so I think I’ve got Sabbath pretty locked down at this point. The origins of that slow doom / stoner metal sound is something I’ve fallen completely in love with and I can’t wait to hear even more of it. AL: I take back a lot of what I said in my initial before listening. I definitely did not have Sabbath pinned down. In the opening two tracks it followed the standard formula. Then we got hit by a cocaine fuelled super ballad “changes”, a track I was aware of (but for some reason had only ever heard covers of). Then it continues on in classic sabbathian fashion. “Snowblind” being a standout here. I loved this record a lot. As I love sabbath. Always pushing the boundaries, always trying to evolve, I have nothing bad to say about them or this record. FT: “Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener”, “Changes”, “Snowblind”, “Laguna Sunrise” 5/5

Way more melodic than I was expecting. ‘Changes’ is a standout.

I had listened to a little Black Sabbath other than their Paranoid album, so I knew they weren't a one-trick pony (like Guns 'n' Roses). Yet, this still surprised me -- I don't think anyone would put this in their top three Sabbath albums. Nonetheless, it's very good. It doesn't have a hard rock anthem on par with some of their best, but "Supernaut" and "Cornucopia" are very good. And it's the slower songs that actually make the album. 4 stars.

I enjoyed the longer songs on this one. Actually a lot calmer than I was expecting with my small teensy tiny little knowledge of Black Sabbath, especially with the two instrumental tracks. Not too shabby for the lads.

solid, but not sabbaths best

Nice

Enjoyed the whole thing, I didn't really personally connect with it that hard though

ES – se on jumalten juoma ES – Jonnen parhain kuoma ES – se saa keulimaan moposi ES – suuttuu opesi ja oposi, kun koulun käytävillä yhä huutelet sä meemejä vaikka kello välitunnilta jo sisään soi, tietokoneluokassa Viljamin veljeä hakkerointiasioissa konsultoida voi. ES – ikäraja viisitoista ES – ei kielto janoa poista ES – jostain löytyy hakija ES – hyvän päristelyn takia, aina jonkun sentin voihan siitä lisää maksaa, että Tero jolla ikä riitti sulle tölkit toi. Graffiteja piirrellä nyt iltaan asti jaksaa, Juusokin kun litran sitä tyhjään mahaan joi. under the sun

Ma non erano metal? mi ricordo un altro gruppo? Paiono i Queen in versione da camera

apparently, this came up in my rotation previously. here's my review from back then: so, of course i knew OF sabbath - but i really never listened to them. i'd somehow heard Changes before, but that was it - except for supernaut, which is a) easily my favorite on this album, and b) humorously, the least-played track, according to spotify. anyway, this one was so good, i went back and listened to it again, just to be sure. and yeah, it held up. amazing.

classic metal album by the all time greats, everyone should hear this one absolutely essential

Not my favorite Sabbath album, but still a classic. Heavy, catchy in parts, dynamic. Gotta skip "Changes" though.

riffs emerging from the lake of time. very important band

I got BS paranoid a couple weeks ago and lived it. Whole album was great. Had high expectations for this one and was let down. It got better as the album progressed but I was expecting a little more fire

Pleasantly surprised at this album. I had always thought of Black Sabbath as a band I listen to when they come on, but not a band I would go out of my way to listen to... and I never had till now. I really enjoyed this album and was surprised how many songs I added to my liked list on Spotify. Very good and enjoyable album.

Actually really dig this

Great early metal album from giants of the genre as they start to experiment. Knocking a point off because of FX.

Amazing album!

vol.4 black sabbath 1972 1. wheels of confusion: 8/10 2. tomorrow’s dream: 8/10 3. changes: 9.5/10 4. fx 5. supernaut: 7.5/10 6. snowblind: 8.5/10 7. cornucopia: 7/10 8. laguna sunrise: 7/10 9. st. vitus dance: 9/10 10. under the sun: 7.5/10 overall rating: 8/10

Love their sound

Surprisingly I enjoyed it, I even prefered the more energetic over the quieter

It's fine, I see why this would change your world if you were 14 when it came out.

Pretty good

Pure awesomeness

While I acknowledge that the mixing is ass half the time and the album is practically just Black Sabbath trying to be Led Zeppelin for some reason, it is extraordinarily fun with riffs for days, tunes to split a head open, surprisingly even decent vocals from nasal king Ozzy, and every other song a classic (and a handful of duds in between, sadly, but whattaryagonnadoo)

Absolutely killer album. Great early era metal and some of the true GOATs

Poetic heavy metal

My son enjoyed this one more than I did, which I'm considering a win. 3/5

Solid album, not nearly as good as Paranoid or Master of Reality. Never realized "Changes" was a Sabbath song.

Nowhere near as catchy as Paranoid, but a great album none the less. A lot of really great guitar and bass tones throughout this album, and a surprisingly good piano ballad. The last half of this album has some very heavy songs (respectively for the time). I can never hear Supernaut without thinking of Tim and Eric's "Bang Bang Cops and Robbers" Also checkout System Of A Down's cover of Snowblind they really make it their own song.

It's firmly in the OK category.

Great album. Up there in their top albums. Changes, Snowblind and Supernaut are highlights.

Great album by the masters themselves. Not their best but far from their worst.

All their early stuff is super good. I don't really like changes but it's ok for the change of pace then back to it. Will I listen to again: 100%

Production: 4/5 Lyricism: 2.5/5 Sound: 4/5 Enjoyment: 3/5 Overall: 3.3/5

A few interesting songs and most of it sounding like acid songs

What a wonderful listen, this album has a bit of everything for everybody to listen to! I might need another listen to fully adore it

I almost want to give this a 5 just for Supernaut one of the most fun songs I've ever heard. Ultimately there was a lot of just empty space imo, very enjoyable album.

yep i get it

Love me some black sabbath first full album of theirs I've listened to. It was as hard, heavy with a little melancholic tenderness ml.

Schysst album, dessa grabbar gjorde inte en enda dålig platta med Ozzy, resten har jag inte orkat lyssna på. Black Sabbath är riktiga legender som borde pratas om lika mycket som Metallica och AC/DC. Det kanske man gör men jag har iallafall inte hört det. Iallafall så tänkte jag när jag lyssnade på denna att detta är nog en av deras bästa skivor. Bara för att så snabblyssnade jag igenom några av deras andra och de var lika bra, riktigt bra alltså. Jag kan inte säga att det är mitt favoritband direkt men det har varit en stor inspiration i både trummor och gitarr. Basen och sången är såklart också på topp. Jag gillade i stort sett alla av låtarna men introlåten och Changes är nog mina favoriter. Omslaget funkar också, simpelt och snygga färger. Har absolut ingenting att klaga på när den gäller denna skiva så det blir väl en 5/5.

Disappointingly underwhelmed, reading the other reviews first probably raised my expectations higher than they should’ve been

Solid album!!! Didn’t like it as much as Paranoid but still very nice. Last tracks slaps

I like black sabbath and this was a pretty decent listen

I hadn’t listened to much by Black Sabbath before this. But I am a fan! Apart from “FX” that didn’t need to be in there!

Thoughts before listening: I love Black Sabbath, and Paranoid is one of the best albums I have heard from this project. I know that this is one of their classic albums, but I feel like I don't know as many of the songs on this one. I am sure it will be great. Review: Definitely not as many well known songs on this one as compared to the earlier albums, but this is still great. Black Sabbath was just so good with riffs and had a sound that was fully their own. The metal songs are obviously great on here (i.e. "Supernaut" and "Snowblind"), but I also love the tender ballad curveball they throw in "Changes". All in all another enjoyable listen from Sabbath. 4-stars

vantar sjarmann og riffinn.

I love Sabbath, but this album isn't their greatest. Some good tracks but quite boring and forgettable overall.

Black Sabbath just does not to anything for me. It’s not even funny like the later metal bands.

Once again this just isn’t my thing. I’m not much of a fan of heavy metal. And this also doesn’t have any of the popular Black Sabbath songs. So I pretty much endured it while totally understanding why others would love it. 2.5/5

meh

It’s too much for me.

Not my thing

I liked it okay, it is pretty repetitive but I like the changes song.

Liked it more than I thought. The song “Changes” is the theme song of the cartoon “Big Mouth”. I never knew it was by Black Sabbath. Crazy juxtaposition there lmao

Decent

Some really beautiful songs (changes), unexpected but broke up nicely and kept a balance… keen to listen to the one with purple writing

This album is good, its Sabbath, so obviously really good. But it's not great and it's not as good as their previous 3 albums. So while I'm glad I listened to it and I enjoyed it a fair amount, I don't really see why we needed this one on the list (assuming the self titled, Paranoid and Master of Reality are already on the list). Other artists have 1 or no albums on here but yet this makes at least (probably) four sabbath albums. Whatever, cool album anyway. Fav songs: - Wheels of Confusion - Changes - Snowblind - Under the Sun

Black Sabbath seems to be one of the handful of groups from this era of rock I enjoy

Not super exciting to me, pleasant and has good moments, but overall found it a bit boring. Under the sun is a highlight for sure. It's grown on me on second listen and it's a pretty solid background listen, but I probably won't revisit it much. 3/3.5

Ok.

Notable tracks: Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener, Supernaut, Cornucopia

Missing a lot of the darkness and rawness that I love in the very early Sabbath. This is trending a bit more in the direction of Les Zeppelin, which might be good for some, but not for me.

Fairly enjoyable. Interesting how stuff which was supposedly unfeasibly heavy at the time in retrospect seems quite tame.

### **Black Sabbath - Vol. 4: In-Depth Review** **Introduction** "Vol. 4," released in 1972, marks Black Sabbath's fourth studio album and a pivotal moment in the band's career. As heavy metal pioneers, Black Sabbath continued to explore and refine their sound with this record. This review delves into the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and overall influence, providing a balanced analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. **Lyrics** The lyrics on "Vol. 4" reflect a band grappling with the dichotomy of their success and the hedonistic lifestyle it afforded them. Themes of escapism, substance abuse, and existential angst permeate the album. 1. **Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener**: The album opens with a track that delves into the disillusionment of adulthood. The lyrics convey a sense of lost innocence and the harsh realities of life, encapsulated in lines like "Lost in the wheels of confusion, running through valleys of tears." 2. **Tomorrow's Dream**: This song captures a desire to escape from pain and heartache, with Ozzy Osbourne's plaintive vocals expressing a longing for a brighter future. The refrain "I'm leaving tomorrow at daybreak" highlights a yearning for change and renewal. 3. **Changes**: A poignant ballad, "Changes" stands out for its emotional depth and departure from the band's heavier sound. The lyrics, which talk about the end of a relationship, reveal a vulnerability not often associated with Black Sabbath. Lines like "I'm going through changes" resonate with a universal sense of loss and transformation. 4. **Supernaut**: This track's lyrics are celebratory and hedonistic, reflecting the band's indulgence in the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. "I've seen the future and I've left it behind" captures a sense of living in the moment, free from concerns about the consequences. 5. **Snowblind**: Perhaps the most direct song about substance abuse, "Snowblind" deals with the band's cocaine addiction. The lyrics are candid and raw: "My eyes are blind but I can see, the snowflakes glisten on the tree." This metaphor for cocaine use is both haunting and poetic. **Music** Musically, "Vol. 4" showcases Black Sabbath's evolution, blending their trademark heavy riffs with more experimental elements. 1. **Instrumentation**: Tony Iommi's guitar work is a highlight throughout the album, delivering powerful riffs and solos that are both innovative and influential. Songs like "Supernaut" and "Cornucopia" feature complex and memorable guitar lines. Geezer Butler's bass playing complements Iommi's guitar, providing a solid and dynamic foundation. Bill Ward's drumming is versatile, ranging from the hard-hitting beats of "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes" to the subtler rhythms of "Laguna Sunrise." 2. **Arrangements**: The arrangements on "Vol. 4" are more intricate than on previous albums. The band experiments with different time signatures and song structures, creating a more diverse listening experience. "Wheels of Confusion" transitions seamlessly into "The Straightener," showcasing the band's ability to blend multiple musical ideas into a cohesive piece. 3. **Dynamics**: One of the strengths of "Vol. 4" is its dynamic range. The contrast between heavy tracks like "Tomorrow's Dream" and softer, more introspective songs like "Changes" adds depth to the album. The inclusion of instrumental tracks such as "FX" and "Laguna Sunrise" further diversifies the sonic palette. **Production** "Vol. 4" was produced by Patrick Meehan and the band, with Tom Allom engineering. The production reflects both the strengths and weaknesses of early '70s recording technology. 1. **Sound Quality**: The album's sound quality is generally robust, with a warm, analog feel that complements the heavy guitar tones and dense arrangements. However, some tracks suffer from a slightly muddy mix, particularly in the lower frequencies, which can obscure the clarity of the bass and drums. 2. **Innovative Techniques**: The band and producers experimented with various production techniques, such as the use of Mellotron on "Changes" and the phasing effects on "FX." These elements add a layer of sophistication to the album's sound, though they can sometimes feel out of place compared to the more straightforward heavy metal tracks. 3. **Consistency**: While the album benefits from its experimental approach, the production can feel inconsistent at times. The shift from the raw power of "Tomorrow's Dream" to the orchestral flourishes of "Changes" may be jarring for some listeners, though it also showcases the band's versatility. **Themes** The themes on "Vol. 4" are varied, reflecting the band's personal experiences and societal observations. 1. **Disillusionment and Escapism**: Many songs on the album deal with feelings of disillusionment and a desire to escape from reality. This is evident in tracks like "Wheels of Confusion" and "Tomorrow's Dream," where the lyrics express a longing to break free from life's hardships. 2. **Substance Abuse**: "Snowblind" is the most explicit example of the band's struggles with addiction, but the theme is present throughout the album. The lyrics often hint at the darker side of fame and the toll it takes on mental and physical health. 3. **Emotional Turmoil**: Songs like "Changes" and "Cornucopia" delve into personal and emotional struggles. The former deals with the end of a relationship, while the latter addresses feelings of existential dread and inner conflict. 4. **Celebration of Life**: Despite the darker themes, there are moments of celebration and hedonism. "Supernaut" is a prime example, with its upbeat tempo and lyrics celebrating the thrill of living in the moment. **Influence** "Vol. 4" has had a lasting impact on the heavy metal genre and beyond. 1. **Musical Legacy**: The album's blend of heavy riffs, intricate arrangements, and experimental elements has influenced countless bands in the metal and rock genres. Tony Iommi's guitar work, in particular, has been cited as a major influence by many guitarists. 2. **Thematic Depth**: The exploration of personal and societal issues in the lyrics set a precedent for future metal bands to tackle complex and often dark themes. This thematic depth has become a hallmark of the genre. 3. **Innovative Production**: The experimental production techniques used on "Vol. 4" have inspired other artists to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in the studio. The use of non-traditional instruments and effects has become more commonplace in modern rock and metal production. **Pros and Cons** **Pros**: 1. **Innovative Guitar Work**: Tony Iommi's riffs and solos are a highlight, showcasing his creativity and technical prowess. Tracks like "Supernaut" and "Snowblind" are prime examples of his influence on the genre. 2. **Diverse Arrangements**: The album's varied song structures and dynamics create a rich and engaging listening experience. The contrast between heavy and softer tracks adds depth to the album. 3. **Emotional Depth**: Songs like "Changes" add an emotional dimension to the album, demonstrating the band's ability to tackle a wide range of themes and moods. 4. **Influence on Future Generations**: "Vol. 4" has had a lasting impact on the heavy metal genre and beyond, influencing countless bands and musicians. **Cons**: 1. **Inconsistent Production**: The production quality varies across the album, with some tracks sounding muddier than others. This can detract from the overall listening experience. 2. **Experimental Missteps**: While the band's willingness to experiment is commendable, not all of the experiments are successful. Tracks like "FX" feel out of place and disrupt the flow of the album. 3. **Thematic Repetition**: Some themes, particularly those related to substance abuse, can feel repetitive. This may diminish the impact of individual songs for some listeners. **Conclusion** "Vol. 4" is a landmark album in Black Sabbath's discography and the broader heavy metal genre. Its blend of innovative guitar work, diverse arrangements, and emotional depth makes it a compelling and influential record. While the album has its flaws, particularly in terms of production consistency and some experimental missteps, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. "Vol. 4" remains a testament to Black Sabbath's creativity and enduring legacy, continuing to inspire and influence musicians and fans alike.

Sabbath: 👀 (cracks knuckles menacingly) You: 😐 Sabbath: Drugs? You: No thanks, I’m good. Sabbath: I meant are you in here for drugs? You: Why are you here? Sabbath: Drugs. This album rules.

grossartiger Klassiker, aber listig das das mal als evil/devilish galt

4.5 - This was so good, a lot more than the dad rock label. Snowblind is such a good song

Surprisingly enjoyable for me. Love the Big Mouth theme tune. Fave Tracks: Changes, Snowblind 3.8/5

Not their best, but pretty high up.

Wicked

Great album. As a first time Black Sabbath listener, i really enjoyed it

Changes sounds like it came off a solo Ozzy record 10 years in the future.

I like this Black Sabbath album. It is not nearly as hard as I thought it would be

Simply great

For the perfection of pure, heavy riffing, go to Sleep's "Dopesmoker"; for the Platonic heavy, insane guitar noise, listen to Big Black's two LPs. But for the primordial sludge of inspiration and dead ends that minted this kind of slow, distorted rock, smoke this and the preceding two Black Sab records. Most of the songs are three quarters brilliant, with awkward instrumental passages shoved in that suggest the band were glancing at prog contemporaries. When I was a teenager, I dumped Black Sabbath as soon as I got into Sonic Youth et al; there's something stubbornly naff about them. I'm now at an age where I find that charming. The inward groan when "Changes" hit my ears for the first time in three decades was displaced by a mesmeric trance. "I'm going through chaaaaanges...."

An excellent choice to end my 7-day dry patch. Started off a bit underwhelmed but then I turned it up loud, and by the 2nd run-through it was clear that the opening track is a heavy prog masterpiece. After 3 listens most of the songs became familiar old favorites. What a drummer! Looks like there could be a lot of Black Sabbath in my future. Hail Satan etc

so i am listening to this one just a few short weeks after we lost the prince of darkness. i'm familiar with the huge Black Sabbath hits, but Vol. 4 has some absolute bangers that are overshadowed by Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, etc. within this album, 'Changes' is so freakin beautiful. the fact that this heavy ballad is track number three, just shows how confident they are in their writing and composition. Snowblind is a fire song, Under the Sun rocks super hard, and Laguna Sunrise is a surprise heavy hitter. super awesome album, that is just barely outside the perfect 5 stars for me.

Good stuff. Not as strong as their earlier material, but still some of the best in the proto-metal genre. I think Ozzy Osbourne said this was his favourite Black Sabbath album. Tomorrow's Dream has a great, relatively short guitar riff – almost reminiscent of Led Zeppelin (who had recently reached their songwriting peak in terms of iconic riffs). Contrast it to tracks like Supernaut, which have single riffs lasting the length of an entire verse. (Dang.) The bass is also not to be underestimated in either of these two tracks, pumping out some dynamic, melodic lines even as it's mixed underneath the lead guitar. I'm normally pretty indifferent to mellotron as an alternative to strings, but I really think strings would've suited the song Changes much better. The mellotron contrasts a little too sharply with the warmer piano timbre. Osbourne's vocal has a bit of a harsh attack on the melody here, where something a little mellower would've worked better. As far as ballads go, Black Sabbath has better to offer – but that's not to say this isn't a fantastic track. (It is.) The piano riff is played with gentle emotion, and it's one of the more memorable parts of the album. Snowblind is a solid track, showcasing the drums more than anything else. The percussion is very forward in the mix, overlaying a repeating two-chord sequence, so the drum patterns and fills are easy to latch onto. (Man, the musicianship in this band is impressive.) The following track, Cornucopia, has a completely different drum sound; while they seem similarly active to the previous track, there's some kind of mute (or mic adjustment) that's mellowing the sound out. Fun choice – I'm interested to hear how hard-hitting this track would be with a more "live" mix. Overall, this album's pretty dang great. Each song showcases a different facet of Black Sabbath (and heavy metal music as a whole), and it's cool to see Black Sabbath testing the waters. 4/5 Key tracks: Tomorrow's Dream, Changes, Supernaut, Under the Sun

Great album, some super heavy stuff here. High 3.

Great

They ripped off Charles Bradley song

Before the start of this Project, there were a lot of bands that I lumped together as 'not for me'. What I've discovered is that while a band like Deep Purple is indeed deserving of that category, I'd really screwed the pooch by putting Black Sabbath (and Led Zep!) in there too. This is a really, really good album. Very spacey, heavy without becoming noise, great vocals and enough variety in the songs to keep it interesting. The only song I knew - Changes - is a little bit too overwrought, but I really like how that's followed up by FX and Supernaut, as it totally breaks the spell. Good stuff.

Очень самобытная музыка, грязный звук мне очень нравится. Приглушенный хеви-металл офигенен!

basic

Ahh los primeros discos de Sabbath...que genialidades. Metal, armonía, riffs, una voz de otro mundo y melodías super memorables.

They were going through Changes.

Loved the miles of sludgy guitar sounds courtesy of Tony Iommi and Ozzy’s spaced out vocals!! Sabbath really are the kings of stoner rock

OH MY GOD

Wheels of Confusion 3.7 Tomorrow's Dream 3.8 Changes 3 FX (instrumental) 2.7 Supernaut 4.2 Snowblind 3.8 Cornucopia 3.6 Laguna Sunrise (instrumental) 3 St. Vitus Dance 3.4 Under the Sun 3.5 Score: 3.47

Good album, but a bit uneven in quality. It has my favorite Black Sabbath song of all time ("Snowblind"), and some bangers such as "Changes" and "Supernaut", but it isn't as solid as the previous Sabbath albums.

Never listened to this before for some reason, despite liking the three earlier Sabbath albums. This absolutely stands up to the rest of them and shows their range of sounds. I can't really get over how good Changes is and how different it is to their heavier tracks. Very close to 5*, might be there after a few more listens. Fav tracks: Changes, Snowblind, Cornucopia

The guitar is the main character here. Ozzy's doing a solid job on vocals but there were so many times I wanted him to be quiet and just let the guitar go off. Thankfully, there's plenty of those moments on the album. Changes was a weird one to listen to, not because it's bad but because Eminem sampled it on Recovery and that song is bad. I do think the first song was my favorite on the album.

Very solid album coming from the pre British wave of metal. The thing that jumps out at me the most is the similarities with Led Zeppelin though Ozzy’s voice is much more suited to the heavy side than Robert Plants. Snowblind is my favorite track here, but aside from the track that is basically just 2 mins of discordant sounds they are all good.

4/5

Tbh if you played me Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Iron Maiden, I wouldn’t be able to tell you which was which. Unless you played me the song Changes off of this album. Then I was grimace and turn it off.

Really enjoyed this album. Classic Sabbath. The hardest songs you ever heard right next to some of the most beautiful melodic music. Ozzy is in full swing, Tony Iommi is masterful. It's wonderful

What an album. Tomorrow's Dream, Supernaut, Snowchild and the opener and closer are the Standouts.

Exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for with this project -- an album that I really enjoyed (and will be looking to add to the collection) that I never would have listened to before simply because of the band.

Up the Sabbath! Incredible album from start to end. An almost perfect Metal album

Love Sabbath and think I always will. Is it their strongest album, not in my opinion but still amazing.

lots of guitar and drums and then you get Changes... pretty big change but I actually liked that one the best!

Classic rock at its finest

best track is changes, lol 1 check

Fairly familiar with Black Sabbath already, but somehow this album flew under my radar. It's not as good as I thought it would be, but still pretty good.

Meh

Was never heavily into them as much as others in the genre (almost all of which followed them), but really enjoyed this album

I love Black Sabbath

Good

good riffs, not blown away though

I enjoyed that a lot more than I was expecting. Definitely one to revisit.

Less “metal-y” than I would have assumed Most songs sound great Didn’t know Changes was by them Overall good sound, pleasing to listen and move to 66

I feel like 5 stars is a bit of a blunt instrument for this one, for me. It sits somewhere between 3 and 4 - the best songs are a 4.5 and the worst probably a 2. I’m going 3 because there’s more Sabbath to come and I don’t want to be locking myself into a 5 star rating if I think it’s better than this one. Dilemmas!

This album kicks ass. I listened to it twice today. This is probably dumb but my favorite track is Changes.

A real pleasure to listen to

Ozzy has such a great rocker voice. This album is great and I love the early 70s metal. Has the right amount of kick and. Ompared to the other sounds from this era, it's pretty intense. Tame today, sure, but the guitar licks sound crisp and creative. There were also some surprising easy going songs that also were nice. My favorites were Wheels of Confusion/ The Straightener, Changes, Supernaut, and Laguna Sunrise.

The album ranges from amazing to average and so back and forth. If I wanted to listen to it every day, I would skip some tracks.

Not my favorite Black Sabbath album but still good enough.

I’m sure it’s great but it’s not my thing

One of the greatest albums ever created

Despite "knowing" a bunch of their music, I think this is the first Sabbath album I've listened to from start to finish, and I gotta say - I'm a fan. More so than I expected to be. I actually listened to this one twice which is rare for me in this daily album endeavor. I'm taking half a star off for a couple of weaker songs (FX??!) and rounding down because I just don't see this in the very top tier but I am very pleasantly surprised at this and look forward to the next Sabbath album that comes along.

Surprisingly good.

Another perfect Sabbath album.

The production is terrible, even on remastered, and does the music no justice so I’m knocking a point off. Would be much better live

classic sabbath

Changes чья песня то ?

Black Sabbath with Ozzy didn't make a single bad album. I don't think they even made a single bad song at that time. Classic band, with 4 classic members, playing in a raw way and making classic albums. There is nothing more to say!

I'm not a fan of heavy metal, so I fully expected to hate this going in, but it was surprisingly... mediocre. The songs didn't go as hard as I expected (a plus for me), but they mostly relied on repetitive guitar hooks which quickly became tiring. The brief interlude in the form of the song 'FX' felt really weird, didn't fit the album at all. Then there's the vocalist's voice—too muted in some sections which made it really hard to understand what he was saying. The two songs I enjoyed and even saved for later were 'Changes' and 'Laguna Sunrise'. Everything else felt really 'samey'. Maybe I'd start to distinguish the tracks more on the third or fourth listen, but I truly have no urge to listen to this album again. This was my first Black Sabbath album and not what I expected at all. I was scared that there was going to be a lot of shouting and heavy-metaling involved, but what I got was just a very uninspiring rock record.

Iconic album

Bare sejt, og stilsilkert hele vejen igennem. Hvis man kan lide hvad man høre her, så kan man lide alt med Black Sabbath. 😁👌

Nogle tracks fungerer bedre for mig end andre. Der er desværre lidt for mange fyld tracks, og her tænker jeg ikke kun på FX. Men når det rocker, så rocker det tungt🤘🏻 Og så fungerer både piano-balladen og den akustiske hyldest til havet overraskende godt på et tidligt heavy album. Hvem vidste at Black Savbath kunne det? Ikke mig 😅

Strong start, decent mix of tracks. The whisper of "cocaine" on Snowblind is comical - Spinal Tap had to base their act on something. Still a solid and enjoyable album

You can only trust yourself and the first six Black Sabbath albums. The rhythm section of Butler and Ward are in my top 3 all time. I didn't need to listen to this one again for the millionth time, but I did anyway. A perfect slab of metal.

Such a great album. I am a big fan of Sabbath and Vol.4 is one of the classsics.

Shaking my head at all the five star reviews. There's not much great about this album. I was an Ozzy fan back in the day, but this falls short of greatness and just a smidgen better than cow poo. Heavy sound but a lot of senseless noise with no direction.

Black Sabbath is epic, but this album is not. Maybe it’s the cocaine but they missed with Vol. 4.

I thought I had quite a good coverage of Black Sabbath, but it seems I had overlooked this album somehow. I had only heard less than half of the tracks, but now I've listened to the whole album I have to say I love it. This is like a primer guide for sludge/ stoner rock in the early 2000s and it's literally quite amazing that it's from 1971. The only weak track is Changes, as I can't help imagining Kelly Osbourne singing it with Ozzy as a duet, and that sucked. It's not a terrible song, but it just doesn't seem to fit here somehow. It's still an easy 5 star album though.

the rockers that once validated many rebellious angsty now-grandparents. NEVER LET THE SPIRIT DIE!!!!!

It almost feels like heresy to rate this a 3 because it's fucking SABBATH, but I didn't really get much from this album. Only a few of them really spoke to me. The first half of Wheels Of Confusion was a little repetitive - which fortunately meant that The Straightener knocked me over when it kicked in (I listened to the deluxe edition.) Wish I could've gotten more from this album.

I underestimated them.

Classic

It’s Sabbath. ‘Nuff said.

This sounds exactly like I would expect an early 70s heavy metal pioneer to sound. Very raw and unpolished. At times I felt like I was listening to Soundgarden in the 90s. Cool stuff even now and would have probably been amazing to discover when it was first released. "Changes" and "Laguna Sunrise" felt a little out of place, but I'll allow it.

Works best on the riff-heavy tracks like Supernaut. I quite liked most of this. Wasn't so sure about the slower tracks. A pretty strong 3

Nope. Utterly boring as is most hard rock for me, Find even bloody Katie Mehlua more interesting.

This is not my favorite album from them, but it's from one of my favorite bands, I can't be objective on it.

Not for me.

Showcases the heavy metal sound but also showed a breadth of sound with Laguna Sunrise and Changes. Supernaut is an excellent song. Ozzie's voice definitely because a classic sound in its own right. Lyrics are not bad overall but overall are hit or miss for me.

this is not what i was expecting. I thought black sabbath was like heavy metal not "I'm going through changes"

"Changes" and "Laguna Sunrise" are great. The rest is trippy, weird proto-death metal. 3.5 rounded up.

Arms outstretched, microphone in front, rendered in orange, this rather iconic imagery of Black Sabbath's fourth record in two years belies a rather dark and ominous doom within that would soon influence a younger generation of potential metalheads. All the while, Sabbath themselves would weave back and forth on sounds ranging from pummeling destruction to unexpectedly serene beauty, making use of the changes (ahem) happening with the band's musical trajectories. Vol. 4 is rather fascinating in that, upon listening, it would be very easy to not notice all the signs of disfunction and drug-addled madness that were involved throughout its gestation, even if one of the songs on it is named after such a scenario. But, regardless, Vol. 4 has stood the test of time and it could very well be considered one of, if not the best, Black Sabbath record.

Never realized changes was originally Black Sabbath

It ight. Not my thing

Het voelt een beetje als meer van het zelfde, meer heavy metal uit de beginjaren. Geen gebrul, geen grafherrie, gewoon muziek maken. Met een lollig instrumentaaltje ertussen. Dus vooruit maar weer.

De grote namen zijn aan de beurt. Na Led Zeppelin krijgen we nu Black Sabbath. Maar eens even goed voor gaan zitten. Het album Black Sabbath kregen we al eerder van ze. Nummer 4 kan daar toch niet aan tippen. Ik mis het mysterieuze samengaan van schijnbaar uiteenliggende zang en muziek. Opvallend is dat ik juist het afwijkende Changes het fijnst vind om te luisteren. Goed, flink minder dan het eerste album. Maar ik kan er een ruim punt van aftrekken en nog steeds kom ik op een mooie 4. Stelregel voor een 4 voor mijzelf; zou ik het nog eens opzetten? Jazeker! Heb ik al gedaan!

We hebben al 2 albums gehad van Black Sabbath en die heb ik allebei een 5 gegeven. Ook dit album zou ik een 5 kunnen geven, want ik vind het heerlijk om naar te luisteren. Maar eerlijk gezegd voegt het niet zo heel veel toe in vergelijking met de eerdere albums. Het wreekt zich misschien dat er niet een echte signature song opstaat. Het instrumentale Laguna Sunrise kende ik al wel, maar verder is het bekendste nummer natuurlijk Changes. Wat beter past in het 'solo' oeuvre van Ozzy wat mij betreft. En daar kom ik gelijk bij het volgende punt: waarom staat het solodebuut van Ozzy niet in deze lijst? Blizzard of Ozz heeft namelijk het iconische Crazy Train, en ook Mr Crowley is een bekend nummer. Verder speelde de legendarische (en legendarisch omgekomen) gitarist Randy Rhoads op dat album. Ingredienten te over om dat album in de snoblijst op te nemen wat mij betreft. Dus ga ik dat album nu uiteraard even opzetten, want dat verdient mijn 5 sterren wel. En ondanks dat ik dit 4e album van Black Sabbath een 5 zou kunnen geven, krijgt het het aantal sterren dat ze zelf waarschijnlijk al wel hadden verwacht gezien de titel.

Underwhelming

I had never heard this album before but enjoyed it.

A solid Black Sabbath project. Had I not been introduced to Sabbath I might have been more suprised by the quality of this one. 'Changes' shows Sabbath's range with more of a ballad style song which I think is executed well. Most of the album is quality, the band is really in their bag on this project. I don't think there were as many sonic risks but it's all very well executed. Favorite song was Snowblind. Closing track was also very strong. The guitar on this album is really strong, it takes a powerful instrumental to pair with Ozzie's voice and Sabbath really came through with a good balance on this album. It's a great collection of tracks that feel like the band has found their sound but they aren't stagnating on it. Worth noting that I listened to the 2021 remaster. Not sure how the original sounds and it sounds gorgeous..

Good cover, they changed some lyrics though…“Ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strange…time may change me, but I can’t trace time”

After listening to Paranoid recently, I feel like Sabbath sort of lost their "ahead of their time" attitude with this album. This is from the 70's and it very much sounds like it. I was trying to figure out if I'd actually heard any of these songs before and I have, especially "Changes" which is actually the worst song on the whole album! It sounds more like the worst of Ozzy's solo stuff than Sabbath really. "Supernaut" is the standout for me and it shows that the sound did develop from their previous albums in to something more complicated and less sludgy. Whether that's good or bad is subjective really. The latter half of the album is heavier except for "Laguna Sunrise" which sounds like a Zeppelin track (not a bad thing, just strange to hear). Overall it's pretty good, definitely a "put it on while drinking beer and doing something else" album.

The best parts of this one are the parts where they’re just kind of jamming and Ozzy isn’t singing Don’t think I’d ever play this album on purpose

Overall I liked this a lot less than Paranoid. Less stand out tracks, a little muddier mixing. The ballad, Changes, probably led to a slew of Metal Ballad compilation discs. Under the Sun was my favorite track and I walked the ring to Mordor while listening to Laguna Sunrise.

I have this on vinyl and I've already listened through it multiple times.

Fun, more intricate, more complicated, darker

Never really listened to Black Sabbath, just know the more famous tracks. Yeah, liked it.

Black Sabbath on the softer side with a mix of their classic heavy riffs and rocking, enjoyed this one all the way through.

Grew on me as it went along.

This was a top album in my book.

Loved this album. Brought me back to last angsty days of youth before Wheels On The Bus totally took over. The music still resonates.

I like this in the end, it's on the better end of the rock that I consistently rate 2 and 3, so I'll give it a 4.

This wasn't what I was expecting. It was a softer, blues-ier Black Sabbath. I liked it.

Whatever, it's fine.

I've never listened to black sabbath before so this will be my introduction 1. Wheels of confusion / The straightener : Cool Vocal timbre with very repetitive guitar riff. Second section of the song is very cool with punk drums and goes into cool vocal slide of some kind. Goes into third section with much better riff. The guitar solo in this section if sick. The song is way to long. 2. Tomorrow's Dream: Really like the drums and aux percussion. I like the guitar a lot better on this song then that start of the last one. Its still repetitive though. Guitar solo with some type of synth getting higher and higher sounds really cool. Lyrcis are cool 3. Changes : Woah lol, Very different song. WTF. Way more slow and mellow. Not metal at all. Piano in this song for accompaniment. Lyrics about love not working out and the regret that he feels. 4. FX : Very cool start. Don't know what sound that it is. Some electric thing. Ope. Just realized how short this is. This is the whole song. welp. 5. Supernaut : Back to metal, Pretty catchy guitar riff. Drums are cool at start but get kinda boring. Guitar solo pretty good, not to catchy. Drums have some cool parts when on its own. Really cool percussion part with an acoustic guitar or something 6. Snowblind : Really good start, guitar line is awesome. Chorus is fucking awesome with really really good guitar solo after. I think its about a person in denial. Best song so far 7. Cornucopia : Fucking hard guitar riff at start of song. LIttle bit different song than the rest. Second part of song has these cool cymbal parts. 8. Laguana Sunrise : Has Acoustic guitar. Sounds very cool. A little spanish? I dont know, Im stupid. String parts come in. Very peaceful song. Contrasts with rest of album. Very Pretty. Sounds a little western. Like an epic cowboy duel is about to happen. No vocals on this track 9. St. Vitus Dance : Back to metal, more rock and roll than the rest of the album. Also has metal parts. Switches between the two styles. Tambourine gives the rock and roll sound 10. Under the sun / Every day comes and goes : Much more metal than the last song. Really good guitar riff. Kinda repetitive though. Lets go DRUMS!! Second part of the song has more energy. Don't know how I feel about the guitar for most of this song. Woah just changed a lot with weird transition. This parts much better. The guitar solo is actually pretty good in this part. The last part of this song is a good conclusion to the whole album. Whole album was pretty good overall. Some of the songs were really similar and repetative. But the songs that deviated from that like changes, Laguana sunrise and snowblind were really really good. I give the album a 7/10

No for me

Day109 - i didn’t think i knew any of these songs but i realized black sabbath is ubiquitous and i hear these songs in tv shows and ringtones

Not my favorite

Pretty good👍

Slaps

Pretty cute!

I expected to hate this and I didn’t! It was far less screamy than I thought it would be. I love “Changes” but admittedly didn’t realize the original was by Black Sabbath. Probably won’t be adding the album to the regular rotation, but liked it well enough.

The two instrumentals and “Changes” keep this from being a 1. Out my cup of tea.

I ignored all non-Paranoid Sabbath albums for a while, but then gave the first five or six albums a listen not that long ago, and really liked them. This is maybe my second or third listen to Volume 4 and I keep finding stuff to like. It certainly doesn’t top Paranoid and I’d have to listen to Master of Reality again to compare them, but, standing on its own separate from one of the best discographies in rock, this is a great album. Maybe someone will correct me but I think of these first Sabbath albums as essentially creating the genre of heavy metal and establishing some of its earliest and most enduring tropes. It blows my mind.

Solid

I love how Ozzy is The Prince of Darkness but also sings Changes. Good metal has range and emotion and Sabbath is great at it.

Interesting stuff going on here. Some real gems, like Changes and Supernaut. But I almost hesitate to go with a higher score here because of some of the choices for the album as a whole. I like a lot of it but it has some almost jarring tonal shifts. But aside from that view it has peeked my intrest to dig a little deeper with Sabbath.

Would I buy or download it? - no. Would I listen to it again? - possibly, it wasn't a complete assault of my senses but long guitar riffs are not really my thing.

Not for me. Don’t hate the vocals though and see the influence they brought to this genre. no hate if you like it.

One of the most surprising finds doing the 1001 Albums Generator is how much I like Black Sabbath. Vol. 4 only continues this trend. 4 stars!

Gotta love going from Al Green to Black Sabbath. Not really sure if I have heard this album, at all. Always like listening to albums I wanted to but never have. So far, through 5 tracks, I have not heard any of these, besides Changes. Which I thought was performed by other artists.

Hard rock, not my fave

Not as much of a metal sounding album as Black Sabbath’s style usually commences, but that isn’t entirely a horrible thing. It’s nice that they delve into a little experimentation with Vol. 4 and ‘Changes’ is undoubtedly a highlight for me. I had no clue this was the original!! To begin with I thought they were simply sampling Charles Bradley’s title track of his album ‘Change’ then I got to the end and realised it was identical. I them checked the dates on both and realised Black Sabbath’s version was released 40 years before Charles Bradleys and I felt a fool, it came as a complete shock to me especially since I would never have corollated them to such a style but here we are. Love that track. Another highlight for me is Supernaut, it has an incredible sound and plays brilliantly, however after this track I find there is a large downhill ride, each track steadily declining in quality after the other until eventually the final track Under The Sun, concluding the album with a bang. This is my third and final highlight of the album, it begins with a drum riff and throughout the song the other instruments compliment and assist the drums inceptively, this works so well and makes for a really strong final track. 80/100

im not the biggest black sabbath fan. decent record but i much prefer sabbath bloody sabbath and paranoid. low 7/10

Heavy metal, hard rock. A pretty enjoyable album full of riffs. I definitely enjoy other Black Sabbath albums over this one, I prefer the doom roots rather then just heavy metal. Ozzy is still great though, good lyrics and delivery. Like I said, full of riffs, but that's kinda where my enjoyment mostly ends. I like some of the softer moments in this record, and I especially liked Changes with it's piano and sombre mood. Some of the instrumental moments were great too, loved when so gs would get a little psychedelic with it. I think overall it's a good album but it's just missing the hits, the melodies, that other early Black Sabbath albums have. Would like to revisit in maybe a discog run, other than that just choice songs. 4/10

What a great album. First Black Sabbath album I dug into and it did not disappoint. I should’ve took time to listen to this group sooner in my life.

Great riffs, very heavy in parts and light in others. Supernaut, Snowbilnd, Changes, Laguna Sunrise all fantastic songs.

Not my favorite Sabbath, but a strong effort nontheless. Their cocaine album. Carries their signature sound with some evidence of development and maturation in their songwriting. The album is definitely heavy, but still had more sensitive and lighter moments. Lots and lots of riffs. As per usual, they’re great riffs and playing across the board. Iommi and Butler light it up, Ward holds it all together, and Ozzy does his Ozzy thing.

Not as hard as I expected, pretty guitar focused

I was a bit disappointed in this to be honest. I really like their tone and the 'Paranoid' album which is a straight 5 for me, but this had none of those catchy riffs at all. Felt more like noodling aimlessly. 'Changes' is quite a different song and shows that Sabbath have another dimension to them than just making heavy metal songs. But it's still not enough to change the outcome of the score on the album. Strong 2 for me, as I like Black Sabbath and their sound, but the album was fairly uninteresting.

This was a really cool album. Often listening to albums which are lauded as origins of genres etc. they can be kind of simple but you appreciate it for what it is, a beginning. This, however, I feel could be released today and still be a major achievement. Sludgy, Doomy, blues-metal. Plenty of great riffs from the get-go with "Wheels of Confusion". I hadn't heard any of the tracks except "Changes" which is a great song but it's an odd intermission with its pianodriven melody before going back to heavy metal again. "Supernaut" has really good riff but Snowblind really steals the show. With good, melodious riffs and cool brakes and bridges. Honestly I think it's a very solid album and since I thought that after one listen I will give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a 5 star. Time will tell if I will agree with myself after a few listens.

Polished Sabbath. They may have been flying high on grade-A coke for the entire album, but Iommi knew precisely what the sound should be from his seat in the booth. Compared to some sloppier work on Paranoid and Master of Reality, nearly everything on this project screams practice, despite the handicaps of a variety of intoxicating substances. From the driving "Wheels of Confusion" to the sorrowful piano of "Changes" and everywhere in between, little time is wasted, save for maybe "FX" and arguably the waffly "St Vitus Dance". A splendid effort.

Pretty good. Better than I was expecting having really only listened to their hits in the past...

I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I did not appreciate Black Sabbath’s musicianship. Really enjoyed Changes and Laguna Sunrise.

The heaviest of heavy metal. What an album. Supernaut is the standout. I think my first time hearing the track was the "1000 homo DJ's" version, but the original was so far ahead of it's time. Nothing will ever beat that riff.

This is such a ridiculously good album. tight rhythm, great solos, Snowblind is a beautiful song and all 10 songs on the album are fantastic, except maybe FX but I get what they were trying to do and it's an interesting early take on noise rock

Never been a huge fan of Black Sabbath. They’re ok, just not great….and I like great. So there are a lot of other bands I’ll listen to before BS.

FINALLY. It is about time that I got a Black Sabbath album. What's funny is that I got this after an album from The White Stripes. I got white and black. That's funny. Anyways, I am very happy to finally get to this band since, in my opinion, they are one of the most important bands to have ever existed. I say that because, for all intents and purposes, Black Sabbath created metal music. They may not have made the first metal song, but they were the first true metal band. However, Vol. 4 isn't an album that I've seen a ton of discussion on. My research brought me to the conclusion that this is generally considered to be one of their better albums, but there isn't as much cultural impact for this one compared to the band's other albums on this list, those being their self-titled debut and Paranoid. Despite that, this is a great album. The sound is just amazing. Every member brings something to the table. Tony Iommi's guitar work is practically perfect, Geezer Butler serves as a great bassist, I really like Bill Ward's drumming, and of course, I can't forget about Ozzy Osbourne's impeccable vocals. There's a decent amount of variety on this album. It's mostly heavy, but you also have the song "Changes" which is just a straight up piano ballad. I certainly didn't expect that. There really isn't a bad song on here. I think my favorite may be "Snowblind," which was originally supposed to be a title track before they changed the name of the album. This song is particularly notable to me not just because it may be my favorite of the album, but because it was covered by System of a Down, which is a band that I have gone on record to say that they are my favorite band. Honestly, I don't know which version of the song I like more. This album is great, but I feel like there's probably going to be better on here, so I'll save the 5s for those. High 4/5.

Black Sabbath is always nice, but, to be controversial, I prefer Ronnie James Dio's voice.

Really enjoyed this. A Black Sabbath album I didn't know and with no big hits, but crucially, all consistently very high quality metal. I did know Changes, which is that hyper-rare thing, a ballad from a metal band which is actually good.

I prefer the 3 albums before this one but it's still great

the drum fills on the end of this record automatically give it a 5. bill ward is a beast.

Tbh I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised

iconic the beer thief

Changes is cool!

Cocaine… kids that’s a dangerous drug. If you do much you might turn into Black Sabbath. Now back to the review. Great album, I actually forgot how heavy this album is. Downtuned guitars, great riffs but the Riff Lord himself. Ozzy’s singing is great here. And the rhythm section is top notch.

Now, THIS is heavy metal. Sludgy, doom-laden, brutal riffing ... proper primordial stuff. Tony Iommi has probably the heaviest guitar sound ever recorded, and Bill Ward is such a powerhouse drummer. Really, really good. I could live without Changes and FX, though - they don't fuck the album enough for me to drop a star, though.

UGH barbed wire in my ears.

Excellent album to start the 1001 off. From the bluesy beginning of Wheels of Confusion, through the ballad of Changes, the famous Snowblind to Under the Sun, this is a fantastic album of classic 70s heavy metal, driving riffs, punchy bass and Ozzy in fine form.

Sabbath isn't my favorite band, but the first four albums are hard to deny. 4/5

Great!!!

This ate!!! Like I have no ability to think and write an actual review right at this moment but it's a 5/5 for me. With what brain power I do have left though, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised, considering that this typically isn't my fav genre. The guitar composition was fantastic because there was always something that the listener could discover within the rich texture. There is purpose behind the instrumentation, and there is a destination. Again, absolutely loved it!!!

Better than I thought it would be. Changes is just a banger

hmmm no

10 out of 10 best album

If you want to live in their dark and hazy world for a bit, it’s a damn cool place to visit, but maybe a bit unmemorable. Oh, also, why is the bass guitar buried on this thing?

Solid album that falls off after the first three songs. Oddly mastered however the 2014 one seems to have the best depth.

Cool but oddly no bass. Less heavy than I expected

Listened to the 2021 remaster and also found the mud of the low end noteworthy. Wasn't blown away by the album but liked it. Changes slaps (and OO's voice shows some real quality and dynamism on that track). Also, a guitar style I find myself enjoying these days is "people who can play technically tight, but choose to play loose af".

Excellent.

Doesn’t quite match up to their first 3 albums, less inspired/innovative. Still a couple bangers though. I didn’t realize the Big Mouth theme song had its origins from this album.

2 stars. didn't dazzle me.

Zajebiste

Really surprised by how much I liked this.

The worst of the two Black Sabbath albums I’ve heard. But it’s not bad at all. 6.5/10 Top 3: 1. Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener 2. Snowblind 3. Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes

Changes is an amazing song and really stood out. The rest of the album was good as well

A solid hard rock/metal album with everything one expects of Black Sabbath. Heavy riffs, solid drums, Ozzy's sometimes eery voice, and, as a counterpoint, Changes and Laguna Sunrise. And let's forget FX entirely.

Gotta love Ozzy!!!!! This album was a great listen front to back!

I didn’t know any songs before but I thoroughly enjoyed this! Slow, sludgey, and doomy, you can see how Black Sabbath gave birth to metal

Good album, not as heavy as I expected. Ozzy sounds good. Not a lot of guitar solos

I have to admit I inwardly groaned when this came up to review so soon after Paranoid. But this feels like a very different beast. With some stripped back tracks, including the instrumental Laguna Sunrise, and Ozzy's more established and plaintive vocals, I found this an unexpectedly soothing listen. Favourite track: Changes

A superlative coke-fuelled masterpiece, almost everything about this album is just incredible. It builds very well on the previous Black Sabbath albums and adds the instrumentation and timbric diversity that they lacked- especially in the unconventional but gorgeous ‘Changes’ and ‘Laguna Sunrise’. Each instrument blends flawlessly together on every track and create the haunting essence which envelopes the album- ‘Cornucopia’ is a great example of this. The album‘s captivating opening and closing songs tie it all together, ‘Wheels of Confusion’ is an almost psychedelic show of energy and ‘Under the Sun’ is defined by its incredible haunting solos. Overall I think it’s the perfect example of an innovative early-metal album that genuinely sucks you in. And it’s just really fucking cool. Favourite Track: Wheels of Confusion Specific Rating: 4.6/5

Favourite track: Laguna Sunrise and Changes

Ok yeah this is good. Hit my head on the car rear view mirror peaking at Cornucopia. 4s and 5s but I think I'll land this at a 4

Gritty, proggy and wild! A serving of essential metal.

arcydzieło

I was a little disappointed if I’m honest. Didn’t like much of Ozzy’s vocal and I detest the song Changes.

I’ve listened to this album several times before and it is one of my favourite Sabbath albums. Every track here except FX is great and the outro to Under The Sun is one of the heaviest riffs I have ever heard.

Good rock album. Really enjoyed Under the Sun.

Slow, heavy, and enveloped in a thick fuzz, but enough about me! Badoomtish. A bit disappointing since I love the first three Sabbath albums. This one has never stood out to me even though I know it has a big reputation, so I was eager to give it a close listen. But, I was right. Vol 4 is a bit samey and the production isn't great. It sounds a flat and doesn't have the huge sound you'd want from a stoner metal album or the high energy you'd get from metal later in 70s/80s. This album also doesn't have the terrifying sense of dread and foreboding they captured on their debut. There are some great riffs though, Iommi rips some sick solos, and Ozzy wails all over it...but still, kind of Sabbath-by-numbers. It's like they woke up from a binge and forgot how to play Master of Reality, heard it once, and then had to recreate it. I'd take that album over this one 100% of the time.

Better than most sabbath albums.

This album was a fun listen. It has slick riffs and the messing around tracks like FX and Laguna Sunrise were good breaks from the "action". Overall a good album.

Surprisingly pleasant. I did not expect Bkack Sanbath to make good background music while studying Grimm fairy tales. So many decapitations in both….

Deutlich besser als erwartet!

Always a good time with a Sabbarh album - meaty, dark and fun. Nice addition of Changes and of course Snowblind are the obvious standouts but there really is no bad song here.

Hell yeah

Similar to other Sabbath that I have listened to. I dig the kind of medieval sound. Not sure what that is but I think it's really cool

Black Sabbath are one of the central pioneers in the metal genre, while Beatle song's such as Helter Skelter or I want you or Jimi Hendrix's Manic depression were also very heavy it's Black Sabbath that puts the whole package together. The low end heavy and at times dissonant riffs, the iconic imagery, the often times dark lyrical themes. What sets Sabbath apart though from other metal icons is their versatility, the drummer's funkiness, the authentic vulnerability of Ozzy's lyrics on songs like changes. The riffage of Tony Iommi sometimes leading the way to beautiful almost celtic sounding ballads. This is pure metal, darkness explored in a way that is meaningful and real. Not the cartoonish "edgy-ness" of later bands, nor the dick-measuring contest of who can shred faster or play louder. Heavy, funky and at times beautiful 4.5 stars

Wasn’t too bad, couple of decent tracks

Lately the algorithm has been giving me a lot of potential “Father’s of Heavy Metal” Blue Cheer, Deep Purple etc… they are not the ones. Black Sabbath are the ones. Vol 4 is a surprisingly dynamic album, from the originals of Metal to a changes. 7.5/10

Not really my style.

Snowblind var bra, Changes inte dålig men inte heller bäst. Kommer antagligen inte lyssna jättemycket på skivan men får ändå en 4a för det förtjänar den.

Helvete vilken bra första låt. Den sätter sig direkt. På första lyssningen. Underbart. Håller väldigt hög nivå rakt igenom.

Svinbra skiva, bättre än Paranoid.

4.25

Desolate.

This album is great! The riffs! Ohhh the riffs! It's retreat going back in Ozzy's career and hearing just how incredible he was. His voice was fantastic in this record. He adds so much emotion with his voice to the song Changes. Typically I want riff forward, heavy Sabbath, but this was easily welcomed. There really isn't a bad song on this record. Except the song FX - why even put that song on this record? It doesn't need its own track listing... It's stupid. Keep it at the end of a song, or make it a lead in? Even at that, it isn't good to even be any of the aforementioned. The acoustic guitar and the strings in Laguna Sunrise is beautiful. Very peaceful. A great contrast to what one would expect from Sabbath. Usually with records I don't want a lot of songs. I want quality songs over quantity. But this album felt too short for me. A lot of short songs. But they're great songs. Definitely would listen to again. Can't wait to hear more Sabbath!

Black Sabbath's first three albums have laid the foundation of metal, but because they are so iconic, it can be hard to see the band behind the legendary songs. Vol. 4 is a bit more laid back, and I had never heard any of its tracks before, so I could tune into the developments in the band's style a bit more. Some tracks lean towards a more lyrical or romantic sound popular at the time, others sound closer to modern slow metal, and a couple are just upbeat rock'n'rollers. Overall, it's fun, and clearly, they had fun making it as well, with all the cocaine and whatnot.

This was soooo good whaat

this is mid zepp. on the soft side.

Decent album, many new songs. 3.5/5 rounding down as I don’t think I would seek it out

Cocaine is a hell of a drug. I really like this. This is my third Black Sabbath album for this project. I've enjoyed every one. I particularly enjoy the super fuzz sludge on the guitar here. It's really warm. Is it possible I'm becoming a Black Sabbath fan? More specifically, probably a 1970s Black Sabbath fan?

3 out of 5

this... thissssssss. a pretty great example of true classic heavy metal. ozzy is the king of this sort of thing. his voice haunts you in all the right ways. those slick riffs are jawdropping. if this is how metal STARTED, then clearly only things are going to get better from here. all hail the prince of darkness.

Surprisingly great. Accomplished musicianship, simple and effective

Bão

Not my cup of tea

Honestly, didn’t get this one. Love sabbath but this record didn’t do it for me

I would have said master of reality is more important than this one but it’s still good

Loved how the first track ramped up from strung out to excited. FX felt ahead of its time (no synths, I assume). Much less satanic than the name suggests.

Scared the cats. I was surprised at the variety though

I'm surprised by how much I liked this album, given that I know very little about Black Sabbath and associate Ozzy Osbourne with the early-aughts reality TV show about his family more than anything else. Vol. 4 made me feel a lot of different emotions: moody, elated, introspective, hyped, etc. Would listen again.

A part of the bedrock that heavy metal was carved from. Fantastic.

"Vol. 4" by Black Sabbath is a testament to the band's evolution and experimentation. Released in 1972, this album marks a departure from their earlier heavy blues sound, incorporating elements of hard rock and even progressive rock. Tracks like "Supernaut," "Snowblind," and "Changes" showcase the band's musical diversity, with heavy riffs, intricate arrangements, and poignant lyrics. The production on the album is also notable, with Tony Iommi's guitar work shining through alongside Geezer Butler's bass lines and Bill Ward's drumming. Lyrically, "Vol. 4" explores themes of addiction, introspection, and social issues, adding depth to the band's sonic palette. While not as commercially successful as some of their other albums, "Vol. 4" is a critical favorite and a fan favorite, showcasing the band at the height of their creative powers. Overall, "Vol. 4" is a standout album in Black Sabbath's discography, showcasing their musical evolution and fearless experimentation. It earns a solid 4/5 rating for its boldness and musicality.

It isn't as good as Paranoid but it still has charm. It's my first time listening to this so it might grow on me. "Changes" is a nice song, different from Black Sabbath's back catalogue but it's fine as itself. Another highlight is "Supernaut". I'll give it a 4.

Even with the MASSIVE drug and alcohol abuse, Black Sabbath put out an amazing record. A veritable blueprint for Heavy Metal albums to come.

Wheels of Confusion itself takes you on a journey. I kept having to check whether it was the same song still playing, or if I missed the cut somewhere. Changes was a bit of a stylistic curveball. I had no idea that Black Sabbath originally did that song! Amazing. This is the only song I recognized from the album. Then WTFX. I don’t understand why several albums have included random stuff like this. Maybe in this case it was to cleanse your palate after changes and get you back in the metal mood? Or maybe that was some new super inventive technique? No idea. Laguna sunrise also completely different style. So nice. All in all, a surprisingly diverse album from a band that in my previous mind was one-dimensional. I have heard a lot about Black Sabbath, but never really listened to them. I now understand and appreciate their impact a lot more. If that isn’t worthy of 5 stars, what is?

Ozzy: Boobs Sharon: boobs ozzy? Ozzy: These filmmakers are just f***** boobs Kid: what do u mean dad Ozzy: well they’re using the same f***** joke as the last Austin powers movie. Ozzy is a legend. I liked this a lot more than I anticipated

Really enjoyed the album. Was surprised to see Changes on there/had no clue it was them. Very pleased to see a well-known band like Black Sabbath deliver on an album that isn’t considered their best or most well known. Felt very content/satisfied listening to the album.

I’m pretty sure this is the first Black Sabbath album I’ve listened to from beginning to end. I can firmly say I’ve enjoyed this listen through and the album simply rocks. The instrumentals hit hard with great solos, and the two slower songs don’t feel like a drag. Snowblind is a journey and I loved every second. Will listen to this one again next time I’m jonesing for some classic rock.

I kind of thought that a Black Sabbath album would be a little more memorable. Most of the songs blend together. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but nothing really stands out. The only song that stands out to me is "Changes", and that's because it's the intro song in the Big Mouth.

Wow I can’t believe Black Sabbath did a cover of the big mouth theme song