really like 3.3/3.5 stars

Simply one of the best albums ever

maybe stretch to 3.5, pretty good not mind blowing

maybe around a 3.25. this is why /5 is a stupid rating system. it was good, but the song writing wasn't as good as some of their other projects, and it didn't feel nearly as ambitious as something like closer to the edge. sometimes with their music it fades into the background a bit for me because it is too cleanly produced and perfectly performed.

I feel like as an album listen it's not mindblowing, but it is fun to look back on it as a sort of historical document for the influence it had on pop production in the 2000s, even if I think this style was done better later on. Also, the titular single is an absolute all time banger.

between a 3.5 and a 4. This album is a ton of fun. It suffers a bit from sameness, but Louis Prima has such insane charisma that it makes up for it. The band sounds fantastic, particularly the drums whenever a song hits a huge shout chorus. Just a Gigolo is an absolute all time banger.

Strong 9. Absolutely one of the best rap albums of the 2010s

I think this is a STRONG 9, the strongest of possible 9s, and back by the occasional duller moment on the second half, like on some of the lengthier jams on Hand of Doom. Considering its impact though it feels wrong to rate it less than a 5. This is one of the best rock albums ever, probably the best Sabbath album, and truly one of the most stunning, fully formed projects to ever come out of an early career of an artist. The fact that this came out in 1970 blows me away. I know that songs like Helter Skelter existed, and Led Zepplin had two or three albums out by now, but to release this and the self-titled Sabbath album and fully invent a new genre off the bat is legendary stuff, only really matched by albums like Ramones. This album is heavy, heavier still than a lot of other metal, and I appreciate it so much more than a lot of other metal projects because the songwriting is so stellar. Tony Iommi is one of the best riff composers ever, and Geezer Butler's lyrics are underrated, and appreciably political and angry here, something they would lose on later projects. War Pigs is, for me, the best metal song ever. And, maybe most importantly, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward are one of the best rock rhythm sections ever. They are the heart of this album, and at the core of what make Black Sabbath so good. All timer, no skips, RIP Ozzy

Strong 7. Super groovy and fun album, used a bunch of 80’s rock stylings with stellar performances. The biggest issue was just that the songs sort of blended together after a while.