Vol. 4

Better than expected

Ihan ok pläjäys ilman suurempia ihastuksia tai vihastuksia.

En muistanutkaan, et oli näin kova levy. Sabbath On Sabbath!

I've always loved Sabbath's first 3 records, but for some reason I never got around to the 4th. I can solidly say, it holds up to their standard, and more; I think I like it even better than Masters of Reality. Guess the cocaine really worked!

The thing I like most about Black Sabbath is the dark and slow sounds mixed with Ozzy's shrill delivery. That is on full display here!

inte det bästa sabbath har gjort men väldigt bra.

Osmium is the heaviest metal on planet earth i think it should be renamed OZZYmium.

Blimey! Not sure how I’ve missed this. Yes, enjoyed the album; possibly not my go to style, but good none the less. Listen to “the music” generally, so need to review again to big a bit deeper. Which I will do. No frame of reference for rating, but 4*

Rocks hard asf. Changes ight be one of their biggest hits but I don't really like it so we'll say a 4.3/5

5 fucking stars

I really enjoyed the Black Sabbath album "Paranoid." I was hoping to recapture some of that love in this one. While there are moments I appreciate, this just wasn't quite the same. Most of the moments I did appreciate were not really the heavy metal base of the album (those parts all kind of melted together in my mind): the mellow sound of the piano-backed "Changes," the hashish-inspired "FX" sounding very hashish-inspired, the surprise conga line that appeared in the middle of "Supernaut," and "Laguna Sunrise" coming out of nowhere with its guitar and orchestra clearly evoking a sunrise. Also of note is "Snowblind," the jaw-dropping ode to cocaine that really didn't age well with its lyrics, "Don't you think I know what I'm doing? Don't tell me that it's doing me wrong. You're the one that's really the loser." We all know how that turned out. Of the heavy metal proper, I thought that "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes" was the closest I felt to pumping my fist, with its classic "I wanna live my life" theme.

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.

Once again, I am very pleasantly surprised by Black Sabbath. I really really love this. It's more psychedelic rock than heavy metal and a few songs barely count as "rock" music: Changes is a piano ballad for crying out loud and Laguna Sunrise could play over the end credits of a Western. I think Lenny Kravitz took some psychedelic funk inspiration from Supernaut when making Are You Gonna Go My Way. There were a few tracks that started out just ok for me but then they'd hit a bridge or a transition or a melody line that made me weak in the knees. The last track Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes is the most like what I would have expected from Black Sabbath and I'm glad the entire record wasn't like that. But there's enough variety here to make that track a welcome ending. I don't know how often I'll listen to this but 20-year-old me would have listened a lot and I'm going to let her give it five stars.

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.

4/5

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).

Heat. 😤. Early Sabbath can’t go wrong

8/10 very good metal album.

9/10. Maybe I am just feeling generous today, but I can't think of any good reason to dock this one points. I haven't been a big fan of a lot of the metal on this list, but this had a bluesier sound to it that I really enjoyed.

This rock is hard. 8/10

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.

So good - this sound is not getting old for me. The coexistence of the aggressive yet precise guitar work alongside vulnerable, inward looking lyrics are a perfect match.

I'm a big fan of everything Sabbath did between Paranoid and Sabotage. This album marks a slight change in their sound, expanding their range a bit. I especially love "Supernaut" on this album for it's unexpected sudden turn into an acoustic/percussion jam like a miniature parade going right through the middle of the song. Sabbath always entertains.

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.

Long day. Listened but couldn't write much! How many albums have Snowbling, St Virus' Dance and Changes? One. This one. Sometimes prone to overlong jazz metal interludes, but other than that, brilliant

An excellent effort by an average band.

4.5

I enjoyed it far more then I expected too

Never been a big metal fan, but this was a very nice trip down memory lane.

Traditional Black Sabbath style of rock and metal, Vol. 4 is their aptly named fourth album which builds upon what they had already recorded. The approach to minimal vocals is relatively unorthodox, but the fun musical production and melodic bars render it sufficiently entertaining. CHBs all around and true to its roots, although some tracks fall short of being memorable.

Very solid

70's Black Sabbath is unbelieveably good. Sludge/stoner metal is a genre I can't get enough of, so this recommendation fell on happy ears! The album starts off with the +7m30s musical journey of "Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener", which shows those pretentious prog-rockers exactly how this sort of thing is supposed to work. Following that is the far more straight forward verse/chorus/verse growl of "Tomorrow's Dream". And then a ... piano and synthesized strings!? "Changes" is a beautiful departure from the general feel of the album, which is mirrored on the other end of the album by "Laguna Sunrise". Both offer a moment of calm, to catch your breath from all of the rock in between. And then the album ushers you out, the same way it welcomed you in, which the medley of subtracks brought together in "Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes" For those that have never looked into Sabbath, or that might've been turned off to the band by tracks like "Crazy Train", I think "Vol. 4" is a much better album to form your opinion on. Regardless, I appreciate the album both for what it is and for what it represents in the evolution of rock and metal. Super glad to see it on the list!

The best album they made.

Just a horrible title for a great album. I wondered if this wasn't a greatest hits album when I first saw it. The should have fought harder to keep the original name of the album, "Snowblind", but I suppose that thanking "the great COKE-cola" in the liner notes was a suitable concession. Your mileage may vary, but I like the change of pace that Sabbath provides when busting out the piano and mellotron.

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

What can be said about this cocaine-fueled journey that has not been said before? After all these years, it still feels alive and kicking. The drums are solid and maniac; the guitars accentuate the paranoia coming from Ozzy’s voice. The bass is there, haunting the listener all along the album like an anima after a ouija session is over. A master piece created by perturbed musicians

Meh.

Black Sabbath release six great albums at the start of their career between 1970 and 1975; can you guess which number this one is? Yeah, it's a classic. Just guaranteed heavy metal from the early 70's. Also features the compelling piano ballad "Changes" One of the great things about these early Sabbath albums isn't just that they were writing great songs, but that they were willing to experiment and push the envelop with things to keep the albums fresh. Even if you didn't like the ambient "FX", I'm glad it's there. Outside of that, ending side A on Supernaut and opening side B with Snowblind is a powermove; I can only imagine what it was like to hear it for the first time when it originally came out. Fucking excellent.

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

Pleasantly surprised.

Why Vol 4 is Definitely Sabbath but not... Black enough (?) by some guy who only listened to "Master of Reality" (A shame it wasn't included in the list. Oops, spoiler! But the thing is, I loved em-oh Reality a dozen tunings more than the legendary em-oh Puppets), "Heaven and Hell" (I know there's quite a discourse regarding the two vocalists. While both are fine, I'm not a huge fan of either. But still, I'd pick Dio any day of the week. Sorry Ozzy fans.), and a couple of singles and thinks he can make such statement. (Whew! What a title!) Well first of all, look at that cover. I mean, it's not bad. But thinking about the incredible covers of the debut (my all time favorite album cover, yes even though I haven't listened to that thing) and "Paranoid," I wonder why the covers turned into some boring and generic signages. Orange on black seems cool though, and that image of Ozzy seems almost grotesque. I couldn't make out his face at first. But of course, as cliche sayings go, "Do not judge a book by its cover." Riffs? Check. Heaviness? Of course. Big C? Wait what? Big C! Oh, the speaker box was delivered. Compared to em-oh Reality, this album sounds... happy? I dunno. It's pretty upbeat and while it is trippy (Big C flavored, I guess), it's not as dark and gloomy sounding as em-oh Reality. Sure, "Heaven and Hell" sounds like Renaissance, but Vol 4 (a generic name because the company doesn't want the Big C reference, "Snowblind") sounds hard rocking, upbeat -- too upbeat for a Dark Age Era Sabbath. Of course I might realize I'm wrong (which is likely) when I listened to this again (which is also likely). But as of now, I think this album -- which has a tropical beach sounding instrumental -- sounds too happy. It's not bad of course, just not Black. Sabbath yes, but not Black. I still liked it despite the boring soft breaks. It's Sabbath after all.

4.0 - Some gems swirling in the mud here. First, the mud: the guitar sound in songs like "St. Vitus Dance" sounds like a high school kid messing around with gain levels on his amp. But then almost each song suddenly morphs into something different, which makes for an awesomely dynamic experience with killer guitar riffs and solos throughout. And rising up from this swirling mud are a few gems, starting with "Wheels of Confusion" that finds Ozzy riffing melodiously above a droning chord, up and down the scale. "Changes" is a crystalline masterpiece with impressive mellotron violins and Ozzy's singular voice buzzing forward. "Laguna Sunrise" is a gorgeous instrumental and the album ends with an epic sweep with "Under the Sun..."

A few bobs, but nothing stuck out

Simply incredible in all its drug-fueled excess. Sure, it drags around the middle of side 1 with Changes and FX, but kicks back with Supernaut and never lets go.

Haven’t listened to much Black Sabbath, really enjoyed it.

Great vocals from Ozzy. Really cool metal album with some cool lyrics.

Love this stuff.

Another perfect Sabbath album. Sound is more upbeat and poppy than previous efforts, but still 100% Sabbath. I guess lots and lots of cocaine compared to booze will change the sound a bit. A rare instance where a band's sonic evolution changes from the original sound while keeping up the quality and not stagnating.

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

demasiada distorsión para mi

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

Changes is a hell of a song, but it doesn't really fit the album. Best track: Snowblind

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). :)

Didn’t know Changes was originally their song. I loved this album, hadn’t listened to a full Black Sabbath album intentionally before.

They set a precedent for other creators of the genre. It's what you want from Black Sabbath

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

Amazing. Great musicality, dynamic range, black sabbath has a lot more variety/talent than I thought before. Faves: Changes, Supernaut, Laguna sunrise, Under the sun

Dynamic, melodic. Easy to see why this album makes a best list. I could do without the beeps and bops in the middle, but it works well as a transition in tone. Love Laguna Sunrise, what a nice breath of fresh air.

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

Had not listened to a whole album of theirs. More varied than expected.

Album has Changes. Generally good.

Twerking to Black Sabbath kind of day

Great album super chill listen

Great sound. Tight vintage rock guitar. Ozzy vocals are cool. Makes me think old music is way cooler.

So much more versatile than I imagined Black Sabbath being. Instrumentals, ballads, hard rock- very cool. Not easy to hear lyrics and Ozzie’s voice is a little one dimensional for me, but very solid start to finish.

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

🤟

Sabbath is never not bitching, but this one was slightly less bitching. Not as many hits that I was familiar

Classic rock hits. Fun listening

Really enjoyed this. More varied and complex than I imagined.

Classic Sabbath

Not bad

not my vibe really

Black Sabbath are always a pleasure to listen to. However, I really don't understand why this album was picked. It doesn't have any of their greatest hits and isn't too special in any other ways either. I'll admit they sound tighter on this one then on their previous Ozzy albums. But in the case of Black Sabbath I don't think that's a good thing. Apart from Ozzy's recognizable vocals, this album, while far ahead of the curve at it's time, could have been made by any number of metal bands. I'm missing the the full, droning but catchy sound of their earlier albums, which is the trademark Black Sabbath sound to me.

Yes, there's tons of nostalgia in there, but then again re-listening reminded me why I haven't been listening this whole time

Just fine but not memorable enough for this list.

Grundsolider, aber - weil zur Entstehungszeit so visionär - ganz schön prägend knackiger Stoner Rock. Eine Essenz von satter Gitarre ohne großen Schnickschnack. Völlig verständlich warum Bands wie Motorpsycho und Soundgarden folgen konnten. Überrascht haben Hispano Folk-Einflüsse („Laguna Sunrise“), das balladig-gute „Changes“ gefolgt vom experimentellen „FX“ und dem tribal-treibenden „Supernaut“. Gute 3.8

Ja, wäre ich mehr Metal, ich könnte es wahrscheinlich noch mehr schätzen. Auch, und wahrscheinlich insbesondere, dass hier die Metalpfade ja schon teilweise wieder verlassen werden, zugunsten von harter Psychedelik oder wie ich das jetzt nennen würde. Das hier, in seiner satanischen Hendrix-artigkeit finde ich auch fast furchteinflößender als zB War Pigs und was ich sonst so erstmal mit BS verbinde. Trippiger und treibender sowieso. Bekommt also fast 4 Sterne von mir, ach und wieso eigentlich nur „fast“?!

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

Forget how much I enjoy early Black Sabbath. Heavy, but still soulful. Changes is a beautiful track

Hard rock

Incredible. Top 3 Sabbath album. Some of Iommi's best riffs. SUPERNAUT. 8/10

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

I don't understand why we need this band when we have led zeppelin tbh.

OZZY 4 LYFE

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.

Excellent

Black Sabbath had already made 3 classic albums, but still had one left in them. This album contains two of their best songs with Supernaut and the ballad Changes.

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.

Sounds like typical Black Sabbath. Lots of instrumental sections lend many of the songs to being good for just chilling to. Changes and Wheels of Confusion are the best tracks.

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.

I didn't hate this. Actually a super up-tempo start to the day.

First time really listening to a Black Sabbath album. The album is heavy and at times intense, but there are some really beautiful moments at times as well. I also found that I resonated with a lot of the lyrical content much more than I anticipated I would. I'll make sure to check out more of their work in the future.

Great stuff. I want to hear an R.L. Burnside version of Supernaut. Solid album from start to finish. I think their first two albums are better.

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

Pues, maso. Me gustó sobre todo cornucopia porque tiene ese sonido pesado y lento. Suena a un apocalipsis.

Creo que entre las cosas que sacaré de esta dinámica es mi admiración por Black Sabbath. Macizo todo, incluidos los interludes, digamos, instrumentales y hasta con sonido muy distinto a lo pesado de las canciones. No skips, trae "Changes" que sí me parece muy buena y todo bien, suena grande en conjunto (y eso que no es mi género predilecto). 10/10

2/5 nothing much, it's a pity.

i liked it!

Not my thing but it was pretty good

Real good. Grew on me after a second listen. 4.6/5

Was familiar with Snowblind and Changes but the rest was a pleasure to listen to. Got some new favourites

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.

Yet another crusher by Sabbath full of bangers and fire. Docked a star because of a few overly tryhard, "oh, I'm a scary boy" moments but, overall, a fun listen.

Volume four, is not quite a 4

Sabbath rules. I still feel like "Changes" is a weird song in the midst of all of the other heavy, psychedelic offerings here. Still, Sabbath during their prime and just about as heavy as it gets. A lot of the music I listen to today is deeply indebted to Sabbath, and thus so I am. Favorite tracks: "Supernaut", "Cornucopia", "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes"

Very good rock album, also with a softer, mellower side to a few songs.

I personally prefer the vibe of the earlier albums, but this is still quite good. Enjoyed "Tomorrow's Dream", "Supernaut".

Too many albums by the same artist coming up now

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.

Monolithic, hard as granite and thick as sludge hard rock/metal album. There are some softer moments (with some nice mellotron action) to let you catch your breath, but for the most part 'Vol. 4' slaps harder than your mum.

Man this one shocked me. I enjoyed almost every minute. I had no idea...Sabbath doing a piano ballad and doing it with taste and a memorable melody I'm tempted to go 5 stars but I'll keep it at 4.5. Put no doubt this is a great album.

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!

A thoroughly enjoyable experience, albeit a biased one.

Early days of real metal 5 star

Changes Snowblind Cornucopia

2/5

This was my first listen through of an entire Sabbath album and I enjoyed it more than expected. Many songs I recognized

When I first saw this selection I thought, meh, a couple of good songs from what I remember. Wrong. A solid grouping of classic Sabbath

- energy, variety, passion - personally like the sound they drive - might re-listen

meh - I expected so much more from them. Especially as they had come out with a banger album a few years before.

Changes, Supernaut

Favs: Chances Under the sun / every day comes and goes

Wheels of confusion starts out with really bluesy almost sad sound and then when it goes into the upbeat sounds it feels like you're at that point in a movie where the hero is down but now beiing picked up

wheels of confusion: graaf nummer, diepe tekst, lekker depressed, thats what sabbath does best. the straightener: I LOVE MYSELF SOME GOOD SOLOKES. Tomorrows dream: oke nummer, niet t beste hier. Wel weer coole gitaren Changes: Man man man, in het begin dacht ik BIG MOUTH HYPE. maar nu echt al vaak beluisterd, de stem is spooky de rekst pakt en de piano maakt het af. big shoutout naar de OGS for this one. FX: ik voelde hem niet maar als ge op genius leest waar het vandaan komt maakt het het wel echt leuk. Supernaut: een leuke positieve song, steviger en sneller dan de rest. gekke riff en gekke solo. gitaren shredden boyzzzz. snowblind: normaal de titel van het album, maar mocht niet door de obv link naar drugs. nice bridge, riff is niceeeee33333 cornucopia: deeep Laguna sunrise: leuk toch die sunrise st. vitus' dance: die goede storytelling. Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes: weer van die goede riffs en goede teksten. Normaal geen black sabbath fan maar dit was echt de turntables, ga er meer naar luisteren en dit album zeker nog meer luisteren. Zo divers en sterk. Duidelijk een album over drugs en de gevolgen van drugs in hun leven.

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

Changes masterpiece zou ook mooi zijn als ze er een doul versie van maken Laguna sunrise goeie vibe

Reasonable rock album, but not much in the way of standout songs to keep you engaged.

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

Great album. There is a cover by Charles Bradley of the song changes that’s really good

Already loved this album!

A bit lacklustre for me. I don't think it's aged very well

Not as metal as I thought it would be, solid album

SIIIIIII AAAAAAAA

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

Was awesome.

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.

Good album, more of my jam. I didn't know any of the songs from this album but I like Ozzy's voice/style so I give it a 4.

yaaaaassss

Heavy metal at its best

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

Very good, just not my favorite Sabbath.

Obra maestra total. Precursora de todo el rock que vendría después. Alucinando y potente. Genial.

Full disclosure: I should say at the outset that I'm a fan of both Sabbath and Ozzy. My big brother is a rock guitarist who has played in bar bands from the age of 16 and he loved them. The first two Sabbath albums were staples in our house when I was a kid. We didn't have Masters of Reality or Vol. 4 though, so I've never listened to either all the way through. From the beginning, Vol. 4 is quite different in tone from those earlier albums. Whereas those earlier albums specialized in monolithic headbangers like Iron Man or War Pigs, opener Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener feels more like a heavy metal fever dream the way it drifts through it's multipart structure. You can see where it's relatively complex structure might have inspired latter day rockers like Soundgarden. The third track, Changes is a genuine departure, an honest to God ballad with remedial block piano chords, a mellotron chorus, and a heartfelt Ozzy vocal. Truthfully, it's kind of lame but I find Ozzy's lachrymose and heartfelt performance funny as hell. FX makes a nice psychedelic pallette cleanser before the monster riff that anchors Supernaut. Oddly enough, there's a quasi calypso acoustic break stuck in the middle of the tune, but it's not enough to derail the tune. Snowblind is one of Sabbath's adorably lunkheaded proto Beavis and Butthead headbangers, a paean to the mountains of coke they were snorting during the sessions. As you might have guessed, I find Black Sabbath impossible to take seriously, but I love them anyway. On the one hand, I am amused by their dead serious lyrics about drug use, war, suicide, and the demonic, their well-meaning attempts at balladry and psychedelia, and of course, Ozzy's dotty wailing. On the other hand, I genuinely enjoy the catharsis of the metal riffing. On Vol 4, Sabbath clearly still has the metal goods, but they're branching out and experimenting. I'll have to struggle not to give this a higher rating than it deserves because I'm enjoying it so much. Clearly, Toni Lommi's Laguna Sunrise is a piece of fluff, pleasant enough, but really slight, but I gotta admit, in Sabbath's case, I actually enjoy the pretension. 4/5

lekker

Cool, kende alleen een ander plaatje, maar deze was ook erg tof.

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

Ik heb me eigenlijk nooit echt in Black Sabbath verdiept. Ken alleen de bekende nummers. Maar zo een heel album is me eigenlijk erg goed bevallen! Paar hele gave nummers, en overal wel lekkere riffs en energie. Ozzy is een halve zool natuurlijk, maar het werkt wel 🤘

Viel best mee, dacht dat het afschuwelijk zou zijn.

Debatably, Black Sabbath laid the groundwork for various subgenres of metal with individual songs from their early catalog, exploring cosmic psychedelia on one track, symphonic accompaniment on the next, and sludgy, downtuned riffing on the song after that. If the theory that Sabbath forecast a great deal of metal to come, Vol. 4 represents the earliest ancestry of doom metal as one of the band's darkest and most confused early documents. The three albums that came before 1972's Vol. 4 weren't short on dread and doominess, but the band's increasingly heavy mutations of blues-rock were kept from the brink of collapse by relatively streamlined production and aspirations for pop accessibility. By the time of Vol. 4, the band were certified rock stars, indulging in drugs and partying on an accelerated level. These excesses are reflected in the overall murky sound of the album, lyrical themes of a slippery grasp on reality, and weird stylistic curveballs that range from an out-of-nowhere soul breakdown in the middle of "Supernaut" (otherwise one of the most intense songs in the band's catalog) to stoned twiddling with delay effects on "FX" to the beautifully placid instrumental "Laguna Sunrise," consisting of Tony Iommi's classical guitar and full orchestral backing. This was the first album where Iommi and the band acted as producers, and their boundless experimentation went hand in hand with consuming ungodly amounts of cocaine, to the point where they originally wanted the album to share a title with its centerpiece "Snowblind," a plodding and bewildered ode to the drug. The record company ultimately vetoed the idea and the band acquiesced. Paradoxically, the scattered mindset and muddy atmosphere of Vol. 4 became its defining factors and resulted in some of the heaviest material the band would create. Ozzy Osbourne's patented wraith-like wails begin to come into their own on anguished rockers like "Tomorrow's Dream" and "Cornucopia," and take on a tenderness that Sabbath had never attempted before on the piano/Mellotron ballad "Changes." It's a somewhat awkward jerk from the tearful sentimentality of "Changes" to the paranoid proto-sludge of "Under the Sun," and many songs have similarly strange quick turns in composition, fumbling mixing choices, or different overall textural quality from track to track. Black Sabbath's collective mental state would further devolve on their next two albums, and by the late '70s they were virtually a different band. Though clouded by substance abuse, Vol. 4 found Sabbath at a creative peak that teetered on the edge of going off the rails completely. It's messy and bewildered, but stands as one of the band's most captivating and influential documents in all of its bizarre, damaged brilliance. [Source: https://www.allmusic.com/album/vol-4-mw0000199950]

Not my favourite Sabbath.....but still can close my eyes and imagine how revolutionary this would have been at the time

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.

Drugie objawienie sie czornego sabatowania na liscie, tym razem z troche bardziej niszowym albumikiem, bo jakos nigdy nie obilo mi sie o uszy slyszec cokolwiek o vol 4 od czarnej grupy, nazwa dosc samowyjasniajaca, bo jest to 4 album grupy, nie wiem czy sabatowa tworczosc dzieli sie na jakies epoki, ale jak dla mnie to bedzie najbardziej znane wczesne sabaty, z orginalnym skladem, z kawalkami utrzymanymi w zblizonym stylu, opartych na unikalnym brzmieniu gitarkowym, technika bezpalcowego grania Iommiego, czyli jak wypadek u ktorego przekreslilby kariere muzyczna byl jednym ze zrodel sukcesow w biznesie muzykowym, piekna historia, do tego wokale Osbournowe ktorymi juz sie zachwycalem na poprzednim albumiku, bo ciezko o tak paranoiczne wokale wokol ktorych instrumenty staraja sie jak najbardziej do nich dopasowac, a nie w druga strone jak to byla w muzyce popularnego rocka, tematyka trakow jak zwykle jest dosc mroczna, ale tym razem motywem przewodnim sa wszelakie stany swiadomosci narkotycznych, wiki oferuje legende jako ze byl to okres najwiekszego dawania po kablach w bandzie i czuc to w lirykach pojawiajacych sie na tej plycie, nawet same tytuly jasno wskazuja co jest glowna inspiracja krazka, bo to chyba najbardziej oczywista interpretacja otwierajacego wheels of confusion lamanego na straightenera czy tez opening drugiej strony snowblind, co do moich hajlajtow tego vynylaka to jest to z pewnoscia changes, ktorego nie znalem od samych sabatow, a z eminemowego going through changes, wiec pozytywnie jestem zaskoczony takim znaleziskiem, wiec miejsce na plejce z pewnoscia znajdzie, jest to tez trak dosc nietypowy jak na bande ciezko metalowa, bo jest oparty glownie na klawiszach ktore wyczarowal Iommi, do tego dochodza smyczkowe akcenty i najmniej ozzbornowy Ozz calego albumu, a moze i kariery i tak wlasnie tworzy sie najpopularniejszego traka plyty, wedlug spotifaja, co do dziwnych piosenek to nie jest to jedyny dosc malo sabatowo brzmiacy trak, bo jest jeszcze laguna sunrise, instrumentalny czil o blogim wzejsciu, jest tez FX, ktoreg nie potrafie zrozumiec, bo brzmi jak randomowy zlepek dzwiekow gitarkowych, wikipedia wyjasnia ze to najbardziej upalony trak, tak tez wlasnie brzmi, na plejke wrzucam jeszcze supernauta za chyba najlepsze solowki calej plyty gitarka, a potem drumersowanie, zakonczone wstawka wokalowa, jak przystalo na kompozycje sabatowa, wokal, gransko, zeby potem znowu zamknac wokalem, to prawie jak piesni trzyczesciowe z muzyki koscielnej, ale pewnie mocna nadinterpretacja, a ostatni trak tommorows dream

I don't understand song #4 on Vol 4. So I won't listen to this more than once per year. I know it's Ozzie and Sharon will probably find me and make me a eunuch...

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

I had their self titled debut on here a week ago, and Vol.4 suffers by comparison, I'm afraid, and that's mainly because of "Changes" (and, I guess, "FX"). They just completely mess up the flow of this album. I quite like "Changes" as a song in its own right, but it makes such a dent in the tone of this album, I dunno, maybe because it's piano based? Fave track - "Supernaut", I reckon, though I have a soft spot for "Laguna Sunrise" too. All the tracks apart from "Changes" and "FX" are pretty solid,

I'm on board. Ozzy is great. Snowblind is great. Though there were plenty of songs i didn't know, i thought they were solid, hard and would definitely listen again.

This first song is totally throwing me for a loop, as I was under the impression that Black Sabbath was metal, and this is totally ballad and nice. I like this first one. And the second one has a similar sound. I am so confused right now. So I’m wondering if I misunderstood what the sound of metal bands really is or if this is an atypical album for them. I actually liked it, and I usually don’t much care for metal.

it's metal

Pretty pretty good

Good, but not unforgettable

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

Not as many of the hits that I love but still fueled my afternoon work nicely

IM GOOOIN’ THRU CHAANGES

Laguna Sunrise is perhaps one of the best non-lyrical rock song ever. Changes is a force. This album is a riot!

About as heavy as it gets. Nothing beats that opening riff in supernaut