Vol. 4
Black Sabbath

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..."

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