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BLACK SABBATH
(2 reviews sent in so far)

Paranoid
by Darius Henry
January 23, 2010       
Rating: 9.5

By their second album, Paranoid, Black Sabbath has proved to be one of the hardest band of all time, even harder than Led Zeppelin and the Who. Black Sabbath is, to me, the very first Metal band. True, there were other bands that had very heavy sounding music, but the first true Metal band was Sabbath themselves. In the future, there will be bands that would use much heavier and much darker Metal music, while others would make lighter Metal sounds. But none of them can say that they started a genre that would last for 40+ years, and Black Sabbath started Metal. And Paranoid is their proof.

This album starts off with “War Pig”. Great anti-war song about the government and how they used people to go to war for their own pleasure. Great musical structure on here, especially the guitars and the drumming and you would get that for 8 minutes. The next song, the title track, is a very short song on here with just under three minutes. And yet, it proves to be one of Sabbath’s best songs of all time. The riffs are fantastic, one of the best riffs of all time, and the whole music is great, especially Ozzy’s vocal. “Planet Caravan” is much different than the rest of the albums as it’s not a Metal song, but a Psychedelic song. Love the vocal effects by Ozzy, and love the mellow-ness of the song, especially soft-hitting drumming by Ward. The next song, “Iron Man” is one of the best Metal songs of all time. It just so dark and scary, no Metal fans would hate it. Great song about a villain. Great guitars riffs, great bassline, and great drumming.

“Electric Funeral” starts off side B and it’s a very good way to start the side. It’s actually a two-part song. The first 2:15 minutes is just a slow, dark music, while after that point, it went to a faster paced and faster tempo. Then it came back to its original form in around 3:10. Great guitars on both parts and excellent drumming on the second part. Great song about a Nuclear War. “Hands of Doom” is another great, two-part song about heroin. It starts very slow, with one of the best Bassline in this song, and a smooth drumming. But about 2:05, it went heavier and that’s when the great music begins with heavy guitar and hard-hitting drumming. Then it went back to its original form around 5 minutes. Plus Ozzy’s vocal is great throughout the whole song. “Rat Salad” is an instrumental piece. Like I said before, I’m not a huge fan of instrumental piece, but this one is one of the good ones. The drum solo is cool enough. It’s the shortest piece in the album. “Fairies Wear Boots” is the last song on here. Great musical structure on here. Love the guitar and the drumming on here. Plus Ozzy’s vocal is on top here. The riffs are one of the best things about this song and this album at those matters.

You see, without Sabbath and Paranoid, I don’t think Metal would exist. True, other bands used Heavy music, but Sabbath took it to another level that won’t be the same. Without them, no Motley Crue, no Metallica, hell, no Def Leppard. Metal would not be the same if it wasn’t for the Sabbath. Paranoid is the album that everyone needs to own, even if you’re not a Metal fan.

To listen to some sound clips from Paranoid, or to buy it, click on: Paranoid

Master Of Reality
By Rob
November 5, 2004
Rating: 10.0

Many people say Paranoid is Black Sabbath's best album, but as a whole album it doesn't quite match up to Master Of Reality. This Sabbath 1971 release holds some of the best guitar riffs in rock history,  made by guitar master Tony Iommi, and Ozzy Osbourne's great voice clearly shows him as one off rocks best vocalists. 'Children Of The Grave' and 'Into The Void' are the top tracks here, closely followed by 'Sweet Leaf' and 'After Forever'. This album is clearly a classic should be apart of every rock collection.My rating: 'Sweet Leaf' 10.0, 'After Forever' 10.0, 'Embryo' 7.0, 'Children Of The Grave' 10.0, 'Orchid'  8.5, 'Lord Of This World' 9.0, 'Solitude' 9.5, 'Into The Void' 10.0

To listen to some sound clips from Master Of Reality, or to buy it, click on: Master Of Reality

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