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User
Reviews 38
Approval 76%
Soundoffs 1
Album Ratings 611
Objectivity 75%
Last Active 06-20-23 2:57 am
Joined 06-20-23
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| Black Sabbath ranking
The most influential band in metal history, and definitely my favorite. There have been a lot of eras, but not only the Ozzy era is good, there's a lot of great albums from all of them! | | 1 |  | Black Sabbath
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
This album is honestly what I believe to be their peak, most Sabbath fans will tell you any of the first six are a valid option, but I see this one get looked past sometimes. This album is where Sabbath got their most creative and experimental in the studio while still remaining true to their sound as a metal band. So many songs on here are incredible such as the Geezer-penned "Spiral Architect" which has genius lyricism on-par with the greats, with orchestral combined with metal alongside bagpipes its a fantastic artistic composition, the song literally reads out like a story. "Looking For Today" has amazing flute playing by Tony Iommi alongside a pretty unique structure.
Those two are my personal picks for the best, but every other track packs a punch definitely too. It's even got some amazing keyboard work from Yes keyboardist, Rick Wakeman on "Sabbra Cadabra".
5/5 | | 2 |  | Black Sabbath
Master of Reality
Black Sabbath are the most influential band in the history of metal, and this album alone can cement their status as one of the greatest groups to ever grace the earth with their presence, and they're certainly the greatest gift sent from hell (or is it heaven?). This album is one of the most important albums of all time, and not only is it super influential, but it is definitely Sabbath at their peak, the band is very tight here and working together where every part adds up to a majestical sum, every note coming out of Iommi's guitar strums, Geezer Butler's bass wizardry, and Ward's genius jazz-trained drumming lifts you to a higher plane, enlightening you with some of the finest blues-tinged compositions known to man.
There's not a single misstep here, as every single song is amazing, even the interludes.
5/5 | | 3 |  | Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
It's always astonishing when a band releases two masterpiece albums within a single year, and Sabbath definitely managed to pull this off in 1970 with the release of their debut and Paranoid. Many people see Paranoid as being better, but in all honesty the debut gets my vote as to which of the two is better. From the very first sounds of a funeral bell and thunderstorm opening the record to the jazzy drumbeat of "Wicked World", this album enchants you with a charm (or a curse?) dragging you in with its hypnotic melodies and making you addicted to the sweet symphony of the birth of our saviour--heavy metal--.
"Black Sabbath" is simply still the most dark and evil-sounding song released in the history of rock 'n' roll, with Tony Iommi taking use of the devil's tritone, and Ozzy shrieking of a "black figure" telling him he is the chosen one, while the band plays the most bone-chilling hair-raising riff known to mankind. The rest of the record is just as great minus "Evil Woman"
5/5 | | 4 |  | Black Sabbath
Paranoid
This is easily one of the best albums ever created and still stands the test of time as a metal milestone, and as an essential listen to anybody regardless of their favorite genre. There's just so much to enjoy here, but while it deserves the seemingly endless appraisal, it isn't their best work. Amazing that they could pll off two amazing albums in a single year similar to what some other and such as Motorhead, Queen, and Led Zeppelin would do. It takes geniuses and some of the worlds best musicians to make the magic work twice with barely taking a break in between the recording of both, and yet this band pulls it off.
5/5 | | 5 |  | Black Sabbath
Dehumanizer
People who call this the weakest Dio era album really underestimate the raw power this has, it absolutely blazes with every cymbal crash, note bend, and word ripping right through the speakers with great fury. This is definitely the heaviest album that Black Sabbath has released both musically and lyrically, and Ronnie James Dio really hits his peak with his lyricism here in a way that elevates the band to new heights after quite a lot of slumps.
Every song is a killer on this record, there is no bad song at all and even the weaker songs like "I" and "Letters From Earth" are still very good and its easily alongside the best albums of all time just like the rest of the top five on this list. Lyrical themes cover a wide variety of topics like a computer worshipped as a God and taking over humanity, growing the sentience and awareness to see humans as unnecessary and a threat to their environment (which is scary really, seeing the path A.I is headed nowadays).
5/5 | | 6 |  | Black Sabbath
Heaven and Hell
This album isn't among the best of all time in my honest opinion. Still, it definitely is one of the top 4 albums released in the 1980s, and one of the best albums to switch the lead singer/frontman in a band. Sabbath pulled this off more than successfully, leading to yet another fruitful era with some of the best music made in history. Every song on here is a banger, even the weakest track is at least decent.
Though many would doubt the band at first, especially those who had seen Ozzy on stage with them for a decade, Dio eventually won them over. Dio elevated the band to new heights and injected a new life into them that was desperately needed after the flop that was the final album with Ozzy.
4.5/5 | | 7 |  | Black Sabbath
Vol. 4
I do love this album quite a bit, its definitely got a lot of their greatest songs and riffs, and it was the first to really dive more into way more variety and playing with experimentation more often and in very creative ways, but it's the weakest of the first five Sabbath albums.
Iommi's riffs are intricate and creative strokes on the canvas of sound, with Bill Ward drumming moving worlds between pulverizing his drumkit and gently grazing it softly as a feather, Geezer goes all in and so does Ozzy, these all result in some of the best songs the bands ever made.
But on the other side is "Changes" which is "Solitude" but done poorly with some of the cheesiest lyrics the band has made and Ozzy's voice in the ballad really sounds out of place and unfitting for such a style, with him going out of his range. The mellotron used to emulate the sound of an orchestra falls flat here, and the song lacks any emotional depth, while "FX" is godawful.
4/5 | | 8 |  | Black Sabbath
Headless Cross
Even though I'm not the biggest Tony Martin era fan, this is a INSANELY OVERLOOKED album that deserves WAY more praise than it usually gets. This album has Sabbath functioning at near-peak and has a lot of phenomenal songs that are guaranteed to blow listeners away. Cozy Powell's drumming elevates the band to new heights as well and a lot of the songwriting is brilliant.
Brian May, a close friend of Tony Iommi who is the guitarist for the band Queen and frequently makes the cut as one of the best guitarists of all time even features on one of the songs: "When Death Calls" and he plays an absolute ripper of a solo, bringing a whole new life to the song. Almost every song is great here and Martin's vocals are excellent.
4/5 | | 9 |  | Black Sabbath
Mob Rules
While not as strong in my opinion as the other two main Dio era albums, "Mob Rules" still packs a powerful punch and is an example of the band working at near the best of their abilities. Originally this album wasn't too acclaimed, but overtime its regarded typically as one of the bands best works, and as the perfect follow up to "Heaven and Hell". And in all honesty, I'd have to agree that it is indeed a great follow up.
Vinny Appice first joins the band here and he has a whole different approach to drumming than Ward had. Ward would play around a riff but Vinny would moreso take direction of the song and his style of drumming is super unique and excellent. Lots of the songs here are great, but one thing to notice is how similar everything is to Heaven and Hell in terms of how it flows, and the styles it covers. E5150 and Slipping Away are horrific. Still a great album though and one of their strongest!
4/5 | | 10 |  | Black Sabbath
Sabotage
Ozzy refers to "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" as the band's last truly great album, and the official Black Sabbath website has the nerve to loop this one in with "Technical Ecstasy" and "Never Say Die!" saying that this has its few memorable moments but doesn't add up cohesively or have the sense of greatness the previous records had. And to that, I say, they have NO idea what they're talking about. This album is GREAT. Yeah I'd say it's a tad overrated and not among their best work, and it is the weakest of the first six, but it's definitely a GREAT album with plenty of amazing tracks. Of course, I'm not talking about the failure to mix orchestra with rock that "Supertzar" is, or the obnoxious repetitive "Am I Going Insane".
4/5 | | 11 |  | Heaven and Hell
The Devil You Know
This album is DARK, and I'm not talking dark like Dehumanizer was, but VERY dark. It's home to a creeping, malevolent beast that gives you chills down your spine upon any listen that anticipates something menaching...evil...and wicked happening soon. The amazing production allows Tony Iommi to unfurl from his fingers some of the greatest riffs he has had in years, Geezer summons the unholy beast of dark music with his basslines that shine through the crevices of the once held-down-by-rocks Sabbath, and Vinny Appice absolutely pummels along, providing the perfect foundation for the stonehenges to circle around in their rituals.
Its truly sad that Dio would pass away soon after after losing his battle with cancer, because he was a great talent that comes rarely to this world. But this is nonetheless one of the greatest reunion albums, and a fantastic addition to their discography.
4/5 | | 12 |  | Black Sabbath
13
Three out of four original members isn't a bad ratio correct? You'd expect them to, after all of these years have the creative juices flowing again and that chemistry repaired? Well, yes for the most part that is the case!
However, Rick Rubin did horrid mixing of this album that makes tracks that are otherwise great offerings sound so thin and ruined. This is the epitome of loudness war, and really is disappointing that such a revered producer could do this. The album has an overly compressed dynamic range which makes loud and quiet parts closer rather than further from each other as they should be, causing crushing ear-grating distortion. The drums overpower almost everything in the mix except for when Tony Iommi's guitar parts peak at random and take over, and the tone leaves very little space for everyone to breathe. Fantastic songs are held back by this, and him drowning out Geezer's basslines. Some songs take too much from their earlier works though. TDYK is better.
3.5/5 | | 13 |  | Black Sabbath
Technical Ecstasy
Technical Ecstasy is disjointed, dizzying, and filled to the brim with attempts to soften their sound for radio play. This would be a massive whiplash to their fanbase who were used to their complex yet memorable arrangements and vast variety of different styles incorporated into metal on their previous three albums. Does it work is the question?
The answer to that is...kind of. The album isn't necessarily a spark of greatness, but it does have its memorable moments despite lacking cohesiveness. "Back Street Kids" is a pretty good opener on this one, with a pounding riff and bassline, and elements of that jazzy drumming goodness we've come to love, though the interlude incorporates synthesizer and keyboard in a fashion Pop Rock was big on. Ozzy's vocal mixing is terrible
This was the beginning of the end for Sabbath's first run, but it's still a GOOD album, they still had a low-burning flare inside them even if it isn't particularly memorable and messy, it's still enjoyable
3/5 | | 14 |  | Black Sabbath
Born Again
After Dio there was another crossroads; the band had had an incredibly successful lineup for two years, and put out two consistently great albums with Ronnie James Dio, but that all came to a screeching halt as Dio and Vinny left to form Dio's solo career. Tony Iommi and Geezer were the only ones left; thankfully they convinced Bill Ward to join back at least; who had been sober now for a few years, though he went back into alcoholism and had to leave again after the tour. The only thing they needed was a vocalist...but who? That's where Ian Gillan of Deep Purple stepped in.
This album may not be that great, but it has its charm and is definitely a good one, albeit weak. If Ian Gillan stayed though, I'm sure we'd of gotten better but as it stands his time with the band is a mixed bag of some major successes, and fails, and sadly remains the final album to have Bill Ward. This album cover is also ugly and one of the worst ever.
3/5 | | 15 |  | Black Sabbath
Tyr
Tyr is plastic, with some potential, but with a production that holds it back. It suffers from little originality due to "borrowing" too many ideas from older songs on better albums, and lacks what made Black Sabbath so good. If they could just get someone to actually make them sound good, organic, or filter ideas for them, it could have been an incredible followup album. None of this is Tony Martin's fault, it's Tony Iommi lacking ideas and clear direction on what to do with this plastic ship as its captain, but not a destination to sail to against the crashing waves of 80's synthesizer-run rock.
2.5/5 | | 16 |  | Black Sabbath
Cross Purposes
In a similar way to Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die!, bands Sabbath influenced were now influencing them. We all know how that worked out for the final album of the original Ozzy era, right? The menacing "Virtual Death" is a stand out and gives a little taste of the heaviness that bands like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Nirvana had, which were bands that Black Sabbath influenced, but they don't work with this style.
Terrible, gag-inducing album of incomplete, rushed song sketches.
2/5 | | 17 |  | Black Sabbath
Never Say Die!
For any glimpse of slight hope in getting it together that *Technical Ecstasy* gave you, prepare to have all of that washed down the drain from the moment the needle hits track number two. Your heart will weigh heavily for the loss of a fallen comrade, because at this point, all that's left is a shallow shadow fading away in the darkness faster and faster with each passing second.
Never Say Die! is the result of a lack of focus and desperately clawing at the drawing board for any smallest bit of inspiration, and perhaps part of its due to them touring for their previous album with AC/DC as openers, who upstaged them at every single show, Angus and Bon exciting the crowd way more than they were able to do, and the rise of punk was increasingly concerning, bands like Sabbath were in an era where they were seen as dinosaurs.
The album is a mediocre pop rock disaster, even Ozzy hated it and left initially before coming back and forcing the band to rewrite stuff.
2/5 | | 18 |  | Black Sabbath
The Eternal Idol
The Eternal Idol was far from being a win in their book, and didn't chart that well either. It lacks great riffs, instead Tony Iommi dips his metallic fingertips into the pool of mediocrity again and it even goes into pop territory. Martin's lyrics seem to try to capture the edge that early Sabbath had, but Iommi just does not want to comply, Eric Singer is terrible with his drumming and constantly sticks to the most basic of drumbeats and sounds nearly identical on each track, just like he did in Miss--oh wait--my bad, they're called Kiss. Perhaps "Miss" is more fitting for how often their albums lack any decent music.
The start to the most divisive era of the band, and honestly deserves to be such.
2/5 | | 19 |  | Black Sabbath
Forbidden
Forbidden (To Save Your Eardrums)
1.5/5 | | 20 |  | Black Sabbath
Seventh Star
The Fallen Star.
1/5 | |
PitchforkArms
07.03.24 | idk if I agee, be big ups for 1. National Acrobat has been my fav track of there's for a long time. | bighubbabuddha
07.03.24 | Sabotage is too low imo and is leagues ahead of Vol 4 which has its moments but is generally timid | DarkSideOfLucca
07.03.24 | 6 is 1 for me, but really glad to see 5 getting some love here because that album is ridiculously underrated
1 is really good, but I also really prefer Paranoid, Heaven and Hell, Self Titled and Dehumanizer
I dont think I even fucking remember 13-20 lol | Futures
07.06.24 | really great writeups dude! respect the effort.
sabbath bloody sabbath is also my favorite! and great to see some dehumanizer love, incredible album. my favorite dio sabbath as well. my ranking is going to be impossible lol. so many 4.5's. | widowslaugh123
07.06.24 | Sick list sabbath bloody sabbath is usually my number 1 as well but it do be switching depending on the mood | deathschool
07.06.24 | Solid ranking. Your top 4 is mine as well. Might switch Paranoid and selfie |
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