Review Summary: The last of a legacy.
Black Sabbath showed that they were heading in a new direction with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. One which was much more progressive and experimental compared to their previous efforts. That album incorporated new instruments and complex arrangements that Sabbath had never done before. It was also their first release to be met with mostly positive feedback.
Sabbath's sixth studio album was to be called Sabotage. The band chose that title because at the time they were being sued by their former management. Musically the album continued with the experimentation found on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but added a more rocking approach. Tony Iommi even said of the album "We could've continued and gone on and on, getting more technical, using orchestras and everything else which we didn't particularly want to. We took a look at ourselves, and we wanted to do a rock album - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath wasn't a rock album, really" With this in mind the band decided to make a heavier record, although it is still a far cry from the sludgy sound of their earlier albums, and there are still plenty of new ideas in the vein of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Ozzy's views on the record were "We didn't stay true to our roots. On Sabotage we tried to be un-Sabbath. Anything but evil and Satanic". Nevertheless, despite it arguably moving into even more experimental territory than ever before, Sabotage showed that Sabbath still had it in them to create an awesome album. All the legal issues present at the time did not hold them back, but in fact served as inspiration. The album was released in July 75', and like its predecessor was also generally well-received by critics.
The heavier moments on this album are mostly present in the first half, with the opener Hole in the Sky and the proto-thrash Sympton of the Universe. The former is a pretty straight-forward heavy rocker, while the latter is possibly the first ever thrash metal song. Featuring a great thrashy riff, which surely inspired many of the thrash bands that would emerge in the 80s. Bill Ward does a superb job on the drums, and Ozzy's vocal performance is great throughout. The song ends with a fiery solo which then descends into a laid-back blues jam. Another example of Sabbath's willingness to experiment, even within the same song. The fathers of doom giving birth to thrash, is a testament to just how influential Sabbath have been, and continue to be on the metal genre.
Although this album rocks harder than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath it is also arguably more progressive too. Megalomania is the first ever metal epic, clocking in at just under 10 minutes. The song starts off quiet and builds very slowly, until an awesome riff comes in after 3 minutes and it becomes the hardest rocker on the album. Vocally, Ozzy dominates the song, in fact Sabotage may very well be the best performance in his entire career. He pushes his vocals to the limit on this album, and although he may strain them at times, they still remain very powerful and really carry the album just as much as Iommi's riffing.
It is however, the second half of this album where things really start to get interesting. Supertzar sees Sabbath using a choir to sing over a series of riffs. On paper this may sound like a bad idea, but they really pull it off well and don't become too over-bearing. Am I Going Insane (Radio) is even stranger. It sounds nothing like the Sabbath everyone knows and loves. It is very upbeat, quite poppy and mostly synth-driven. The song is a grower much like Changes on Vol. 4. The Writ was, up until this point the only song in which Ozzy wrote lyrics for and is almost as epic as Megalomania. It is over 8 minutes and like that song, features many different parts, a perfect closer to the final Sabbath classic.
Sabotage is the last of Black Sabbath's classic first six. The best first six album run in music history, even beating the likes of Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden. It shows the band at their most experimental but also proved that they could still bring the m/. Although largely overlooked compared to most of its predecessors, it deserves equal respect. The last two Sabbath albums of the 70s would see a dramatic decline in quality, and ultimately result in the breakup of the original line-up, but the first six remain an essential part of every metal fan's collection, a feat that has never been topped by any band since.
