Vol. 4

I'm new to Black Sabbath - for some reason I missed them when I was a kid despite loving Zeppelin, the Stooges etc. I found this album surprisingly good. Will probably go back to it

The doomiest of the classic era Sabbath albums - you can almost hear a whole new genre being birthed - but probably the least sticky in terms of riffs. I love the 1970s inasmuch as you could put some rammell like 'Laguna Sunrise' on an album like this, and you can even get away with 'FX', which sounds like some aimless noodling. You know what though? Slightly clunky piano aside, 'Changes' ain't half bad, even though the late Charles Bradley made it his own. Pioneering in terms of head-crushing doom; emblematic in the 'anything goes' way a lot of rock from this era was. Which I find charming.

I've heard this album before, but none of the songs were anything I had heard on the radio before so I didn't give it much credit. But, after listening to it now, I really think I enjoyed it and need to keep listening to it. My favorite track is Changes, followed by Supernaut and FX. 3.5 / 5

My introduction to metal. I put it on while I’m completing some tasks for the day. And I swear I wasn’t even halfway through the album and when I checked the last song was already playing. It’s not the longest album out there, but time passed by quickly. For the most part, I liked bits and pieces. I’m not the type who really likes the harder rock and metal sound. So it’s not something I like enough to save, but still decent. Highlights: Changes, Supernaut, Laguna Sunrise, St. Vitus Dance

not bad

Honestly one of my least favorite Black Sabbath records. The production is a bit lackluster, disappointing being their 4th release. The 2021 remaster sounds slightly better. The riffs are less memorable but more creative, "Wheels of Confusion" and to an extent "Tomorrow's Dream" definitely sound progressive. I was not expecting a dull pop ballad with "Changes" and I honestly do not like it, and I can't understand how it's so popular. Album picks up with "Supernaut." It's raw and heavy with awesome moments, and a strange Latino percussion in the middle. "Snowblind" is the best track on the album. The buildup reminds me of their s/t. "Cornucopia" has my favorite doom sound, but I didn't care for the middle bit. I enjoyed the "Laguna Sunrise" interlude; it didn't disrupt the flow the same way that "Changes" and "FX" did earlier. "St Vitus Dance" sounds like a polka dance at a satanic temple. We end with the heavy, progressive "Under the Sun," probably my second favorite song. There are moments where the guitar, drums, and vocals independently grab my attention. Those last 2 minutes are an epic way to close to the album. 3 stars for the poor production (compared to their other albums), the bad track ordering, and the tracks being less memorable and (for most) filled with weak moments or choices. Still, it's Black Sabbath at their most creative and cocaine-fuelled, and their prog spin makes for remarkable dark highlights that no one else could live up to until the 90s.

im calling this a 2.5, rounding up because i didnt really dislike anything

Enjoyed more than I expected

A ne loše samo nije više moj đir. Snowblind mi je najbolja pjesma.

An a-ok rock album

Liked it!

enjoyed more than i thought i would

Flow style, vibed to the bside? tracks, listened to the 2021 remaster

Enjoyable and interesting ting, with a few odd tracks here and there. 6/10.

I didn’t enjoy this record much not because it isn’t good but because it’s not what my taste in music gravitates against. For fans of the rock genre I can see how good of a record this would be for them but for me it’s really nothing special.

Solid three. Not as good as Paranoid.

Fine. Bit annoying after a while. Should have eaten a bat or something.

Not my favourite Sabbath

Changes was my favorite.

There are albums by Black Sabbath that I find more interesting than this one!

Good album. Hardcore

Yllättävän melodinen paketti taas. Ihan ok.

I wonder if Black Sabbath is something people listen to *in spite of* Ozzy's voice. Musically, there's interesting stuff going on and I imagine he's an excellent live frontman but I can't get totally on board with the vocals.

I liked it and I really did NOT see that one coming

bit miserable

Better than expected

Ihan ok pläjäys ilman suurempia ihastuksia tai vihastuksia.

Although I did not enjoy this Black Sabbath album as much as the first on our 1001 journey, it wasn’t bad at all. It’s heavy, but not too hard, still quite listenable for me with variety in melodies and tempos. I doubt that I will have the urge to go back for a full album listen in the future though.

I can’t say I was thrilled to have to listen to Black Sabbath today. I liked their last album well enough, but I didn’t recognize any of the songs on here and wasn’t really in the mood… While they still aren’t really my preferred listening choice, they are really good at what they do and I found the album often enjoyable. But then I also often found it tedious. I get tired of Ozzy’s delivery at times and long for more variety, and like a lot of heavy metal some songs just seem to grind along. But the band is really talented and there are things I really like. Turns out I did know the song “Changes” and have heard it many times. It’s a piano-driven ballad that is pretty good. Other highlights for me included the instrumental second half of the first track “The Straightener”. I like “Supernaut” - great guitar riff and drums! “Laguna Sunrise” is an acoustic guitar/orchestra song that seems out of place here, but was a nice change of pace in the middle of side B. It would seem more at home on a movie soundtrack… “FX” was annoying to me… after reading the wikipedia article it was clearly an idea born out of way too many drugs. Can’t imagine not hitting skip if this were to come up again in the future. BLACK SABBATH VOL. 4 is a decent listening experience with moments that I really like, but it isn’t something I want to listen to start to finish.

This was pretty good; however, not THE best Sabbath album and there weren't a lot of tracks that obviously stood out from the rest.

Just really average. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is bad per se, except for "FX" which is basically a meme track (they said it themselves, apparently).

Interesting choice of albums from Black Sabbath. Starts out slow and steady, sounding just like Black Sabbath with sinister guitar, straight ahead drums, and plenty of bass, plus Ozzie's somewhat nasal slightly otherworldy tone which is the perfect match to the music. The piano ballad "Changes" was a pretty surprise and Supernaut has some very catchy riffs. I very much like the best of Sabbath, and am fine with the rest. I'd call this album fine.

Was not expecting a cover of "Changes" here. Overall though, to me this is not their best album. FX is a surprising experimental piece. Definitely preferred their debut (the only one I've rated at this point). Still good though. 3.5 to 3.

An excellent effort by an average band.

Pretty solid album again from Black Sabbath. Changes is a surprisingly good ballad. The rest of the album does what sabbath is known for. This one is a bit better than the other one too. 7.3/10

A bit too old school for me, but easy to listen. I like it.

A few bobs, but nothing stuck out

Sloppy and unfocused, but ozzy's voice is still startling (in a good way) on virtually every song. Changes is my favourite track

Early metal with a dash of psych and very melodic with plenty of unexpected hooks.

I have probably never listened to Black Sabbath yet, at least not to their full albums. To be honest I was afraid it would be too hard, but it's perfectly listenable. It's not necessarily my cup of tea, but I also don't think it's a bad album. "Changes" made me realize where that sample originally came from (thanks Eminem, I guess). :)

Enjoyed this album quite a bit, just felt it wasn't very cohesive. I especially didn't really see how the instrumental track in the first half really fit with the rest of the album. Some great tracks though. Favourite Tracks: Changes, Supernaut, Cornucopia

It certainly brings the iconic sabbath sound and presents a straightforward heavy, gritty metal sound, if you’re looking to rock out and not much else, this will do. I don’t think it holds up to something like paranoid, not many memorable tracks or super interesting sections in songs apart from a few nasty guitar solos. 3 stars since I gave paranoid 5 and I think some other sabbath albums would fit better in the 4 star slot.

Changes and FX was duds

Not as good as earlier Sabbath albums.

Two Sabbath albums back to back, but very disappointing - I didn't need to hear Ozzy singing a piano ballad. Only a couple of good tracks.

Cool and electric album, easy for listening

This is decent, but it doesn’t blow me away. 3 stars is harsh but 4 is too many. 3.5!!

Classic rock hits. Fun listening

Not bad

Nothing to write home about, but a fairly enjoyable album with moderate filler.

October 4, 2021 Not bad - a little forgettable. I enjoyed "Snowblind".

Meh... won't be looking for Vol. 5.

I guess maybe I had an incorrect assumption about Black Sabbath but this is not very hard at all.

The fourth album by the popular Black Sabbath band almost caused their downfall, with how often they were "arsing around" (doing drugs & not recording enough). But that goofing off also let the band experiment with new sounds, as well as staying true to their heavy-style roots. Released to dismissive critics, the album still went on to perform well and is a great example of Black Sabbath's musical range. I enjoyed the album!

Always struggled with this one.

boring apart from the last track.

Un bon album de black Sabbath.

Obviously I know who Black Sabbath is but have never listened to a full record. This was better than I expected it to be and there are a couple bangers on here.

Decidedly not for me, but good! I enjoyed 'Wheels of Confusion' and 'Changes'.

i liked it!

I've heard a few tracks from Black Sabbath many times, and two of their albums all the way through at least once. This album was new music to me. The album was good, but nothing stood out as iconic as their other works. I'm not sure if 'iconic' is a measure of the quality of the music, or if 'iconic' is just a sum of the pop-culture weight that has accumulated over time to some of Black Sabbath's music.

Volume four, is not quite a 4

Hmm loved some f it, meh about the rest. 3.5

Lesser sabbath

A highly listenable chunk of quite proggy metal from the inventors of the genre themselves. However, at times I found the songs rather self-indulgent without being memorable and inspiring. There are riffs and hooks spread throughout but none really grabbed me. Except, that is, for the standout track on this album, "Changes", which really stands apart from the rest of the tracks. A solid 3/5 from me!

Changes Snowblind Cornucopia

Changes, Supernaut

2,7 Stem is precies vaak op achtergrond ofzo. Changes is van hun oké ik heb weer iets bijgeleerd.

Maintaining my opinion that Ozzy was the weak link in Sabbath.

The album has a lot of different songs not your normal rock heavy metal album however not many songs that make me want to go back for more 3/5

Shit rocks! Never listened to a full Sabbath album before but it was pretty good. More soft parts than I though there would be, kind of a nice surprise.

Definitely not my favourite black Sabbath album, still ozzy though do still decent. 3/5

Very good, just not my favorite Sabbath.

Zang van Ozzy trek ik slecht, maar de gitaarriffs zijn echt geweldig. Cool om eens een hele plaat van ze te luisteren.

Viel best mee, dacht dat het afschuwelijk zou zijn.

I really like Black Sabbath, but have generally stuck to 'greatest hits' stuff to this point. This album was softer and more varied than imagined. Some departures from the classic Black Sabbath sound are more successful than others. Overall, about half of the stuff on here is great (Wheels of Confusion, Tomorrows Dream, Changes, Supertnaught, Snowblind), but some of is a bit pointless (FX, Laguna Sunrise), and the rest is forgettable (Cornucopia, St. Vitus' Day, Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes). I really want to give it a 4, but on that balance of the above, it has to be s a 3/5.

Inspirational of all the riddly diddlys out there, this was a fun hard rock and metal album.

Not a bad album. "Changes" is the best song on the album and it's great. 6/10.

not my bag

it's metal

Good, but not unforgettable

Ozzy and Sabbath, a great rocking pair. A good album.

Ok

**an ok album. A lot of banging instruments

Snowblind

It was okay. Good background music for working but nothing much else. 2.5

I didn’t really enjoy this. Trying too hard.

#375/1001. Black Sabbath runs out of hits and goes melodic. Boring.

It was more melodic in places than I initially thought it would be and I understand the importance of the band and their influence but it did nothing for me

i was sort of expecting this to be a little better…… i was a bit disappointed actually

Annoying

album 59 it's fine! changes bangs but otherwise its whatever ꩜ album rating: ★★☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,030 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 31 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 12 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 47

Boy, these guys really do like snow, huh? Me personally I prefer the warmer seasons but hey to each their own!

Unmemorable.

muy cool

changes i know ? this one is cute the rest maybe a bit too classic-rocky for me

Couple of decent tracks like Supernaut & Cornocopia but overall not really my thing 2/5

never listened to them but i've always heard the name. coming from someone who knows literally zero things about them i was a little... let down? i don't know maybe i just expected something in a heavier direction. it was okay! fave track: supernaut

It was fine enough, but not my thing.

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Ozzy does tend to slur his words together though

Listen I know they're supposed to be revolutionary pioneers of metal and I respect that, but this just ISNT my thing. At all.

objetivamente está bien pero yo no vibre nada, capaz no era el momento para escucharlo y me pareció medio pesado

Tracks: 1 Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener
I like the beat and the instrumental a lot but I wasn’t a fan of the singing and the lyrics. Also too long. 2 Tomorrow’s Dream
Better than the last but I’m still not a fan. 3 Changes
Bro this is the song they got i’m going through changes from in big mouth; already makes me have a bad association with it. I don’t like it anyways it’s too slow. 4 FX
It’s just some strange drum banging? 5 Supernaut
Meh 6 Snowblind
I actually like this one a good amount. The rhythm and singing and beat is really good. 👍 7 Cornucopia
I don’t like the way he sings it- it’s too cut off. I’m not really sure how to describe it. 8 Laguna Sunrise
This was a nice little instrumental. I didn’t like it that much though. 9 St. Vitus Dance
Another meh instrumental 10 Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes
It was okay not enough for me to like it though.(?) Overall: Mehhhhhh

I liked the bits with the instruments but i did not like the bits with the man. Mostly by the end i was neutral but the beginning put me off enough to round down.

There were some moments that really surprised me and I enjoyed and they were usually when they were doing sick guitar riffs but Ozzy was a little too earnest here for my liking and they were a little too jammy and I just don’t feel like they have the instrumental props to pull that off.

#bernwoche Viel zu poppig, Lyrics besonders belanglos, erfolgreiches Schema zu oft wiederholt. Dennoch funktioniert es für mich auf einer bestimmten Wbene (die des Eiffsounds in Kombi mit den Srums). Auf den meisten anderen aber gar nicht.

Not

Different, some songs just ok

Fell asleep. Some manic drum fills woke me up.

I never liked Black Sabbath or Ozzy much since I don’t vibe with metal. Not really a fan of Ozzy’s vocals either. Though, some of the guitar parts can be catchy - it’s not the worst, definitely leads more toward stoner rock which I can appreciate. I guess this is would technically be coke rock.

When it comes to books, movies, and TV shows I really love sci-fi and fantasy. Most of my favorite works in all forms of media are of the fantastical sort. But when it comes to music I am learning that I prefer works that are more grounded in reality. All of my favorite artists write, for lack of a better term, story songs. So when it comes to bands like Black Sabbath that write about the occult or prog rock bands like Rush with their concept albums, it just feels to cheesy to me and it's hard to take it seriously.

just not into it

meh

Good

Непоганий альбом, декілька композицій сподобалися

Toujours autant de mal avec le gros son hard rock.

Not a huuuge fan tbh

Underwhelming. A few interesting riffs with the signature Iommi tone, but a weak album overall

Ummm, they’re ok…but I’ve never been a big fan. They’re hit and miss for me.

It’s fine, just pretty blah outside of Changes.

Liked more than expected but still unlikely to revisit

classic rock that i don't realy like. Guitar tone is not too good. Great piano sound

sympa mais sans plus fin je savais à quoi m'attendre quoi

boring

Not my thing. Didn’t like the metronome-y woodblock sound in the back of a few of the tracks

weird mix of tempos, not incredible

I thought it was pretty mid, I will not be listening to this again.

Average album, not my type. Best song: Changes

All the songs kinda sounded the same

I kinda only needed to hear one Black Sabbath album before death

2.4 Way lower tempo and less metal than I thought. Idk, honestly it was just kinda boring to me.

Good as heavy rock goes, but it’s not really my kind of music. Power ballad “Changes” seems totally out of place and the lyrics don’t buoy it at all. “St. Vitus Dance” is like an inverse Neil Young song, where the intro is way preferable to the groove it settles into. A few good moments, but otherwise a long 42 minutes. Here’s going to be the meaning of the stars for me: 5: Perfection, would hold up for me across decades and dozens of listens. 4: Great, would listen again and again, but a couple songs either don’t hold the same standard, or the high points don’t reach high enough. 3: Solid, would listen again in a certain mood, but probably won’t revisit it again much. 2: Either just bad with a couple highlights, or not my style and does not make a convert of me at all. 1: Sucks.

I know I'm meant to like this more than I do, it has all the things I usually love about music. I have to say though, this album is actually quite dull. Sure it has some fantastic riffery going on, but aside from that the songs aren't great. I really had to resist rating this higher just out of habit because, ya know, it's Sabbath! There are much better Sabbath albums.

I was surprised to like this enough to listen all the way through (couldn't finish Paranoid, iirc).

laguna sunrise was very pleasant

When it boils down to it, I can’t really be arsed with heavy metal. But of course that’s a blanket statement whereas in reality it’s a spectrum, and for me Black Sabbath are at the end that isn’t too far removed from good blues-rock. They do have their Spinal Tap moments but Ozzy Osbourne’s lyrics and vocal stylings are relatively grounded and thus more engaging for me than heavy metal of a more grandiose stamp. Some of the riffs are pretty cool too. And the ballad Changes is Stones-ish and a nice song. Plus I have affection for BS songs like Paranoid and War Pigs (not from this album of course) that were part of the journey to punk rock in the 70s. And Supernaut on this album is a bit Hendrix-y, in a good way. Not really my thing though.

Ich wirde nöd warm mit black sabbath. isch mir zu rockig - alt gebacken. Darum schlah ich es album rebranding for Sta. 2

- I don't support Zionists and SAers. - Lucikly, I also find the music pretty boring - it just doesn’t move me, except for small parts like the sudden melody in Snowblind, and Laguna Sunrize is a pretty break from the aggro vibe throughout. I honestly don’t remember any of the album after listening to it (other than Changes, I guess, which is pretty enough, but the "cat-hat-sat" style lyrics take me out of the vibe). I wouldn’t reach for this album again, even if it wasn’t off the table because of Ozzy. - The solo guitar work is pretty great, though.

A couple of good songs, but not my style

70s metal about cocane use. Not my bag.

Easy listening but not for me. 2

Why? If you have it on this setting, you can barely hear the music.

Le métal c’est vraiment pas mon truc

Ok ….

Haven't ever listened to Black Sabbath before. Didn't hate it. Thought it would be more aggressive. Changes was downright sweet, but whoever approved FX should be fired.

not as metal as you'd think, mostly just gothic, honestly not that exciting of an album.

Boomer metal was so soft core.

Pas vraiment mon style de musique!

not my fave sabbath

changes fav song FX song is crazy to think a band could release that

FX was cool for me, and it is way better than so many other things in this realm of music, but i still am not so into it for listening in my apple product air pod pros in my ear

Guitars speak louder than words. Hard rock / guitars over lyrical complexity has this as meh for me. Prefer their other hits like iron man and war pigs. 5/10

Very good. The one metal band I actually enjoy consistently.

Cool core rock band stuff, but I'm just tired of classic rock

Vocals are too quiet, compared to the guitar. The album has a fairly consistent sound. Would have liked more and louder vocals. I would only bother with this again if I wanted to listen to some electric guitar. Changes is a notable outlier, in that the vocals stand front and centre.

So much raw power in this album. Sabbath is a lot of fun to listen to for basically anything, but wasn’t particularly floored. Really loved the contrast between the tracks though, going from heavy to heartfelt to ambient noise to an almost Zeppelin-like rock track with Wheels of Confusion/Changes/FX/St. Vitus’ Dance shows some really sick range that I don’t know could be found through a single Sabbath album. Fav Track: Changes

I know Ozzy just passed away, so this may be sacrilegious, but I've always felt kinda "meh" about Black Sabbath. This one didn't change my mind.

The cocaine album.

How timely with Ozzy's death. Never was into him or Black Sabbath so I appreciate the intro to a great album. Supernaut is a killer track.

Glorious rock and roll in that pouty, ladish style and wanker attitude. Love it

Strong instrumantals, but sorry to say it, the voice from Ozzy is not mine R.I.P

overrated, 4/10, I get that it was a pioneering moment but not my jam

Sorry Ozzy. Not for me.

Album as a whole is okay but lacks the energy associated with Black Sabbath and especially that of Ozzy himself.

For early hard rock I prefer Cream; they earn a three. This is low rent.

Good Sabbath album. Mix of heavy blues, hard rock and heavy metal. Good but no obvious standouts.

Very ground breaking for its time and type of music. But I found boring as it progressed and the hype surrounding it and ozzy very undeserved.

Meh

Variety of songs. Less familiar with these songs.

Knew this one was coming rip

Maybe it’s because I’m exhausted by the sort of people who think hard rock/metal is the only genre worth listening to, but this really doesn’t do it for me.

not my genre changes was nice shoutout big mouth solid 2.5

Black sabbath - vol.4 Жанр - хеви метал Мнение: этот альбом убил меня, я не понял его вообще, но вчера вокалист данный группы скончался, и ничего плохого по этому поводу сказать не могу, единственное я НЕ ЛЮБЛЮ ХЕВИ МЕТАЛ, и если на прошлом хеви метал альбоме были хоть какие-то интересные песни, то тут... ничего интересного, вообще. Музыкально ставлю ему 1/5 Продакшн: максимально скучный, только прикольный звук гитарки в окончании первого трека. Влияние: считается одним из главных хеви метал альбомов всех времен. Влияние на 2,5/5 Смысл: хз я слушая альбом играл в ROR 2, мне некогда было гуглить про смысл альбома. Плюсы: культурное наследие. Минусы: максимально скучный альбом, я умудрился заскучать параллельно играя в плойку, никогда такого не было чтобы альбом ухудшал настроение так; скучный и ленивый продакшн; однотипные треки. Итоговое впечатление: Самый слабый альбом который пока что мне попался из книги, Оззи, ты легенда, но прости, твоя музыка не для меня. Итоговая оценка: 2/5

Not my cup of tea personally.

Would this have been the album I’d pick? No. But it doesn’t really matter. RIP Ozzy 🖤

Pre-listening thoughts: I know we only got this cause Ozzy Osbourne died but man we literally JUST got Black Sabbath. Ugh Post/during listening thoughts: hmmm. I'm not the biggest fan of this but I certainly don't hate it as much as I thought I would. As with most metal, most songs are a little too long for my tastes. I also don't love the singing style here, I just can't do so much high pitched yelling. Sometimes when it slows down it's good though. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Changes Least fav tracks: FX (????? what was this)

damn no1gaf if hes dead

I just not much into this type of music

OK. 2/5

This one didn't grab me very much. Can see them exploring the more darker tones on this album, but nothing exceptional as far as songs go. Pity

Still so tedious.

Not really my flavour

not my favorite Sabbath album but still good.

Not really my thing. Glad Ozzy got his tribute while alive.

rip OZWALD

I don’t particularly want to be drawn into eulogising Ozzy Osbourne, although he was obviously a character - a showman, a strangely effective and affecting singer. It’s probably fair to call him a shaman, in the limited, superficial way we mean it when we say Jim Morrison was a shaman, but Elton John isn’t. Just accurate enough to explain the magic of the music. Last night, after the announcement of his death, I put on Black Sabbath, Master of Reality, and Blizzard of Ozz. Proof positive that Ozzy with the rest of Sabbath is better than Ozzy without. The shaman needs his drum circle, his magic book, his eternal drone. Okay, I don’t really know anything about shamanry, but Ozzy Osbourne benefits from Ward and Butler’s elastic rhythm section - so distinct and sensual compared to everything that metal would later offer. He communicates through Geezer’s bizarrely flat yet cosmic lyrics; he is staged by Iommi’s slow, powerful, dumb riffs. They are a group held together by their childhoods together - therefore timeless - and the work is held together by childish concerns: monsters, fairies, God, the devil. And, as childhood friendship becomes stronger if it endures into adulthood, so too do the themes: the devils become warmongering industrialists; the evils are capitalism and politics. With perverse intent - showing that there is no randomness with this generator - we are asked to think about Vol. 4 today, the first album where the bonds of the band come under strain. Iommi takes over production. As director of the music, he starts to stretch himself: some faster riffs, some piano, some mellotron. The structure is weird - “Changes” slots in nicely as a surprise third track, but “FX” is preposterous at four. Later, maybe, it would work as an exercise, but at four, it’s a cul-de-sac. Towards the end of the album, he returns to the slow murkiness of Master of Reality in “Cornucopia,” “St. Vitus Dance” (no wonder the Seattle sludge band took the name), and “Under the Sun.” But what is happening with that chaotic, atonal run in the last song? It’s less like Vol. 4 than a slate of options for Vol. 5 - Iommi dragging the rest of the band to several uncertain destinations. It could just be the cocaine, though - the drug of confidence without clarity. And while there are shamans somewhere who sniff coke, it’s not so magickal or penetrative as booze, dope, acid - the drugs that influenced their earlier albums. Thus, the lyrics are less of an invocation. Some of the horror elements remain - “Snowblind,” a horrible description of addiction as intense as The Revenant; the black wizard on “Under the Sun” - but it’s a work of gnosticism, a demystifying. Illusions and delusions are torn away in “Wheels of Confusion” and “Cornucopia,” revealing the world as evil - even on the tender “Changes,” “the world will have its evil way.” Faith is lost in wizards and priests both, because the world is a corruption, a trick, a trap. This is true on the metaphysical level, but also on the material - we are slaves to the boss, eating “frozen food in a concrete maze.” Working-class gnosticism. The system isn’t broken - it was built this way. You don’t transcend it; you crawl out of it, blinking, half-broken. Things are made no better by success. Ozzy certainly had his battles with success. And life was not easy for him. If you had told me that he would be the first member of Black Sabbath to die, I wouldn’t have been surprised. That he was the first to die at the age of 76 - well, that’s the surprise. Vol. 4 is the disenchantment of Black Sabbath. Breaking up their trademark mood, pulling in different directions, dispelling the magic that made a world of the first three records. It succeeds from time to time - “Tomorrow’s Dream,” “Supernaut.” It surprises - “Changes,” “Laguna Sunrise.” “Change” may not have drums or guitar, but it has the band altogether: Iommi's music, Butler's lyrics, Ozzy's performance, and Bill Ward's grief – it's about the dissolution of his marriage It's all falling apart though. And it’s a little disappointing to hear them so human. Similarly, it’s disappointing to see Ozzy humanised by death. Unnecessary, even. Thankfully, they played their final show together only weeks ago, not far from the childhood streets where they grew up together - mythologising and reenchanting the band and their music before the humanising could take it away forever. 2.5 Rest in peace Ozzy Osbourne. I have never listened to a Black Sabbath album before, to my recollection. No particular encounter with any of their big songs has driven me to investigate further. There are things I like about them - the loose, groovy drumming; the warm, fuzzy double-tracked guitar sound; Ozzy’s trebly voice cuts through nicely. In the last day or so it has been moving to read the many testimonials from fans in the wake of Ozzy’s death (including those from musicians I admire) about how much Sabbath has meant to them. I would like to have had a revelation today about all I’ve been missing with Sabbath and join the chorus of rapturous celebration about this musician. Alas, it didn’t happen for me. The warm fuzzy guitar sound is cool, but the riffs are naff and the solos instantly forgettable. The lyrics…I know a lyricist never really has apologies to make in the metal genre but really, the stream of bastardised common-metre nonsense and laughable nursery rhyming never lets up on this album. ‘Mary had a little lamb’ would slot seamlessly into Cornucopia, notwithstanding the literary superiority of Mary’s story. There is nothing even to offend a delicate sensibility here; the criticisms of religion and materialism are mealy-mouthed at best. Whatever poignancy ‘Changes’, a sweet little tune, took on today, it remains an awkward, rather dry account of loss. Credit to that track, all the same, for sticking out like a sore thumb amid all the fuzzy nothingness. 1.5/5

A well timed album in honor of Ozzy and a fun listen. Not familiar with any of the songs, strong finish with St Vitus and Under the Sun. L = (2.4*s) J = (2.7*s)

Not too surprised to get this one today since Ozzy died yesterday*, but I am a little surprised since it means that there are 3 (or more) Black Sabbath albums on here! The first one had a lot of hits, the second one was about wizards, so I wonder what's the vibe on No.3 (aka Vol. 4)? Good album cover, anyway. Nice font decisions; fight on, Halloween Ozzy! Well, I find the vibe kind of boring. Not actively unpleasant to listen to like your Led Zeppelins, but still a lot of Guitar Time. The very sleepy 'Changes' rhymes "way" with "way", one of my greatest music pet peeves. I also vaguely remember this song from Kelly Osbourne's album, lol. (A father-daughter duet is cute though; you don't get a lot of those, other than in rap when the daughter is like, 3.) This is probably a 2.5 for me, but since I'm mentally in knots about not wanting to be biased, I'll round down. *Here's my favorite of the Ozzy stories going around social media: ❝I thought America was fabulous. Take pizza for example. For years I’d been thinking, I wish someone would invent a new kind of food. In England it was always egg and chips, sausage and chips, pie and chips … anything and chips. After a while it just got boring, y’know? But you couldn’t exactly order a shaved Parmesan and rocket salad in Birmingham in the early ’70s. If it didn’t come out of a deep-fat fryer, no one knew what the fuck it was. But then, in New York, I discovered pizza. It blew my mind wide fucking open. I would buy ten or twenty slices a day. And then, when I realized you could buy a great big pizza all for yourself, I started ordering them wherever we went. I couldn’t wait to get back home and tell all my mates: ‘There’s this incredible new thing. It’s American and it’s called pizza. It’s like bread, but it’s better than any bread you’ve tasted in your life.’ I even tried to recreate a New York pizza for Thelma once. I made some dough, then I got all these cans of beans and pilchards and olives and shit and put them on top—it must have been about 15 quid’s worth of gear—but after ten minutes it just came dribbling out of the oven. It was like someone had been sick in there. Thelma just looked at it and went, ‘I don’t think I like pizza, John.’ She never called me Ozzy, my first wife.❞ —Ozzy Osbourne, from ‘I Am Ozzy’ (Grand Central Publishing, 2010)

My roomie had this album and played it constantly. At least the band didn't seem to take their image too seriously. Thump thump chunk chunk, but in a fun sorta way

I just never got into this. Not for me.

quite good, but not a classic like the previous albums.

I expected a heavier sound! I don’t really care for the vocals or lyrics but there’s definitely more interesting guitar riffs here than I’ve heard from most of the 70s rock on this list. 5/10

Нет, не моё

I can appreciate ozzy Osborne, but this album was just ok.

Same feelings as the last Black Sabbath album I got (Paranoid). I love the guitar work, but I don't really like Ozzy's voice. Wheels Of Confusion had really good shredding. Changes had nice piano work. Supernaut and Snowblind were kinda fun. Laguna Sunrise was a good instrumental. Best song: Supernaut

Not a fan. Deep Purple and Led Zep did it better. Laguna Sunrise the best track. 2

not bad, quiet , great for overthinking in a away

Not for me

Listened to the 2008 and 2021 remaster and vastly preferred the 2021. Even so, this wasn’t really my thing.

Could not do it. This album ground me down.

Nah I couldn’t get into it, instrumentals and vocals were both meh. I hope this isn’t their best work. Wasn’t a huge ear sore though.

This is a struggle to get through, and honestly, nothing really stuck with me.

I might not get it. I hope I don't get it. I think I get it.

-1 star for "Changes" which is a sack of shit.

Not for me

Very ok, older metal album. Very few tracks stood out. Not their most interesting work. 2/5

This was a lot better than I expected, Metal isn't one of my things. Maybe that was the reason it was ok as it wasn't really metallic. I didn't realise 'Changes' was a Sabbath song either. So I shall put this listening as a reasonably enjoyable learning experience for me, rather than the usual chore.

Yleissivistys kasvoi, tyhmät sanat

Not much of a fan of Black Sabbath, either. They're not as bad as other classic rock groups, but still not something I'd seek out to listen to.

Credit for pioneering hard rock. This is way crunchier than the Stones or Zeppelin, but it's a bit of a snooze i'nit? As for catchy riffs or hooks, nothing really stuck with me.

Metal is not my thing and I'm not a fan of Black Sabbath, the image they cultivated or of Ozzy's over-processed vocals. That aside, I can understand how this might be appealing to some but it's nothing I would pursue or want to listen to again.

Decent

Pretty good just not my cup of tea

Not my cup of tea. I (grudgingly) acknowledge their commercial and reputational success, but it is a music I do not enjoy.

Certainly is a cool sound, but I really didn’t find myself all that invested. Pretty much all of Black Sabbath’s classic songs don’t appear here, either. Crazy to think the original 4 are playing Villa Park this summer for a final show.

I’m beginning to learn that the tried & true Sabbath formula was some galavanting guitar licks paired with the most agonizing cry for help lyrics you can think of. “Changes” got its flowers with how it’s been covered over the years and I’m glad it did, the song is worth the attention. “FX” might be the musical marker for when the drugs started to kick in for Ozzy. The more this record progresses, the stranger it gets! “Supernaut” has such an interesting little percussion passage midway through. Then there’s “Laguna Sunrise” which just mellows everything out with am acousting guitar and some accompanying soaring strings. Then BOOM it’s back to some dudes rock guitar licks on “st. Vitus Dance”. It’s all a little flip-floppy and hectic, one of the more irritating instances of song sequencing/ track listing. Even with its peculiar moments or fun production choices, this album doesn’t really warrant a spot on here IMO, especially considering there’s at least one other Sabbath record on the list.

It was okay, but i liked the songs i knew

Black Sabbath is way more inoffensive to me than most metal, early or otherwise, so this is just kind of whatever. No real big hits here

How can I understand Ozzie's singing but not his talking? I don't typically enjoy metal but this wasn't terrible maybe because it's a little more blues based than others? I would give it 2.5 ⭐

It was alright

Listen. Ozzy is a legend and Tony is a phenomenal guitar player who made great impressions on me but as my tastes have matured I've fallen out of love with this hard and don't see myself revisiting it any time in the near future.

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

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

Supernaut

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

Bien rock, bien guitare électrique mais pas trop mon style

Fine, not keen on vocals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was fine but not for me

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

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

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

palatable but boring boomer tunes

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

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

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

It’s too much for me.

best track is changes, lol 1 check

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

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.

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.

No for me

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

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.

hmmm no

2 stars. didn't dazzle me.

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

Not really my style.

Scared the cats. I was surprised at the variety though

Meh

Not my type of music, but it did have some interesting and varied songs.

naja. gitarren schreien, der sänger auch - und kein roter faden.

i would put a 3 but its just not for me AND theyre all. annoying to put it nicely. wild level of animal abuse in here out of fucking nowhere. ozzy osbourne go to hell and stay there

This would have been a 3 but the realization that the “Big Mouth” theme song is a cover of “Changes” made me puke. I really did try to keep an open mind listening to this bc I do like “War Pigs” but nope I don’t like it sorry. Update: The realization that System of the Down did a cover of “Snowblind” that I like infinitely more is adding to how lame I think this album is. Update 2: Reductive comparison: This is just metal The Eagles.

Some of this is solid sludgey trudgey classic heavy metal, but a lot of its just alright

Not as good as their previous album

A little Ozzie goes a long way. I loved Paranoia because it said something. Granted it took forever to decipher what the hell Ozzie was saying. Tipper Gore convinced a ton of mothers that he was recording demonic messages backwards. In her defense, he never made much sense forwards and someone with entirely too much time on her hands might be expected to... I don't know. Point is, unless you're a Black Sabbath fan, skip this one and listen to Paranoia.

Lacks something of the energy that was in "Paranoid".

Hard rock, some good songs, doesn’t make me feel like I need to listen again

Better than I expected.

Not a heavy metal fan. Even classic metal apparently

Klassiker

Might be the most basic Sabbath album there is. It’s a decent enough listen, but there’s no new territory uncovered here and not any Sabbath staples to keep the momentum up.

Changes is the highlight. Great if you are Black Sabbath fan but just OK for the rest.

Geht so. Besser als erwartet, aber auch nach zweimaligem kompletten Durchhören ist bei mir keine Melodie hängen geblieben. Nur vom ersten Lied gefiel mir der zweite Teil gegen Ende ganz gut. Es ändert sich dann komplett. Aber ich habe trotzdem auch hier keine Details merken können. Insgesamt klingen Black Sabbath zumindest hier erstaunlich melodiös und weniger heavy als ich dachte. Ozzys Stimme ist für mich auf Dauer eher schwer zu ertragen.

I'm sure this album was very important but it just kinda feels a bit rudimentary compared to the music it's inspired I guess. Plenty listenable still, just feel like there wasn't a song that was super memorable for me here

This isn't the cool Sabbath. Cover is iconic and Ozzy and Tony can still shine on some of the tracks. But this is a band grappling with the artistic explosion of the early 70s. They try to keep up but lose the edge and songs like changes just fall flat. A couple banger riffs, Supernaut and snowbind try.

pretty ok. liked the instrumental

Vol.4- black Sabbath 4/10 Id rather listen to paranoid. Wheels of confusion 3/10 Tomorrow's dream 4/10 Changes 8/10 FX n/a/10 Supernaut 5/10 Snowblind 7/10 Cornucopia 6/10 Laguna sunrise 2/10 St. Vitus dance 5/10 Under the sun 7/10

If I was introduced to this earlier in my life I would’ve been into it. Was surprised by the variety of emotion and tempo across the songs, and I can see why the record is so acclaimed. I'd need to expand my tastes a little before I can imagine a context where this type of music would hit the spot. Very listenable, but sometimes the singing and rhyme schemes can be a little off-putting. 4.5/10

ozzy is great, guitar sound influential, slow songs surprising and interesting amongst bangers.

I like black sabbath, but this album should not be on this list. Just another generic metal album. Only song that stood out to me was changes. There are plenty of better metal albums out there than this one

I mean changes is of course very good but one hit song cant prop up an entire album..

Pleasantly surprised by how much I actually didn't mind this, given that it's not a genre I usually vibe with.

Ei oo minulle tämä bändi.

boring and nihilistic, which i think is what people like about it, supernaut has a super-cool riff though

It's alright. Forgot how good the drummer is

Não consigo curtir este estilo de música

Never been a fan of Sabbath. This album did not nothing to change my opinion. BUT, every now and then something comes along and surprises. I would bet most fans fans of Sabbath didn't enjoy, but Mary Sweet Jesus, Changes is a wonderful, absolutely beautiful song. I loved it. I downloaded. Charles Bradley did a cover of this song in a more soulful, R&B style. For those that know a little of my musical taste, this statement may comes as a shock, Ozzy's version is the best. Yep, I said it. What a great song. The rest of whatever I heard was OK. I give Changes a 5! I give the overall album a 2. 2 A little trivia for my group on the upcoming RHCP album. Or anyone else who reads this. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released 9/24/1991. The exact same day as another album, that some say may be one of the greatest, influential albums of it's generation, if not ever. I know most of you idolize this group/album. Think about it. Peace Luke enjoy Blink 182 Saturday! Me and Mom got married 28 years ago, Saturday. Tip one back for us.

I don’t mind a bit of Sabbath and respect their status as rock/metal pioneers, but I’m not sure what this particular album is offering to the list. Don't get me wrong, there are moments where I dig it, but... there aren’t really any standout tunes, it's not cohesive, it doesn't feel groundbreaking like their earlier work, some of the playing is sloppy and the sound quality generally seems a bit muddy. Too much cocaine?

Black Sabath .. what did I expect..

Too many weak parts. Great cover once again.

C+ Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener - 3. Starting an album with an 8 min song is BOLD. And guess what? It doesn't pay off. Tomorrow's Dream - 2. Changes - 5. Obviously. Fun fact - I used this in the first screenplay I ever wrote. FX - 2. Supernaut - 2. Snowblind - 4. nice twist at the end. Cornucopia - 3. Laguna Sunrise - 3. Nice. St. Vitus Dance - 2. Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes - 3. I was gonna give a 2 but they got me by the end. All in all, a pretty good album for the genre. A little repetitive. Changes is a classic. Snowblind is a track that I'd never heard and really liked. Laguna Sunrise was a hoot too. Black Sabbath is so much better than other metal.

doesn't have any single song to latch on to feels like an extension of their other stuff 2.5

If I said this was anything other than boring, I'd be lying. I should enjoy it. But I just don't. Sure, I can see Sabbath's place in musical history, but compare this to Deep Purple or Led Zep and this just seems pedestrian.

meh

While hailed as their best album, I just don't see it.

Don't love Sabbath...hadn't really heard much off this album but it seemed like more of the same for me. 2/5

Riffittelyä, joka edustaa minulle mielihyvän sijasta mielipahan poissaoloa. Changes on kylläkin simplistisyydessään neronleimaus.

Lesser known good songs on there

Har ägt plattan en gång i tiden men sålde den då plattan saknar låtar som sticker ut.

Much better than last album. Good guitars. Better altogether songs.