Review Summary: This can help you occupy your brain
There were two killer LPs in the first year that the band debuted. Let that sink in for a moment, as it takes geniuses and some of the world's 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, much like Led Zeppelin had done before, Queen, and Motorhead being other examples. This album is the complete opposite of a sophomore slump, and they build on the formula that had already been seemingly perfected on their debut. This really does seem to hold up to its status, but as I found out myself, it is definitely not without faults.
"War Pigs" opens the record with a killer riff and some of Butler's best bass playing while the lyrics protest and flip off the idea of war and lazy politicians who send soldiers to die out in the fields while they sit back and do nothing, immediately followed by the title track which absolutely rips featuring some killer riff work by Iommi and Bill Ward's drumming really holds the whole thing together. Some people call this track the weakest on the album, and I have to disagree heavily; even if it was a last minute addition, it sounds carefully made with great precision and it managed to be one of their greatest works.
The album takes a slight misstep with "Planet Caravan", however, which is the second weakest track on the album. It is worth noting that it has a unique song structure with jazzy arrangements in the bass and guitar, with Bill Ward's drumming definitely being a highlight alongside the lyrics, but the vocal filter on Ozzy is just jarring and takes away from what's meant to be a master-stroke of psychedelic goodness. Yet despite that, the song is still fairly good.
Immediately going back into the territory of greatness, "Iron man" is one of the greatest tales of revenge in metal and has one of the bands most memorable riffs, it was also the first song I heard and it got me into the band so there's a special feeling I hold for this gem, while "Electric Funeral" is a doom metal eargasm with a guitar tone that is a symphony of sweet sounds to the ears and Ozzy rips and burns with his phenomenal vocal work. "Hand of Doom" is my personal favorite track on the album and was definitely one of the most influential songs in doom metal, being a drug protest song the band wrote after observing a growing amount of US soldiers arriving in England after the Vietnam war with drug addictions, with creative tempo changes and speeding and slowing down at will while not missing a beat. Then you get the penultimate track, "Fairies Wear Boots". This is a masterpiece that I can't hardly even begin to gush over, with it's amazing intro that is labeled as "Jack The Stripper" to the way the words flow like water endlessly into a paper cup because of Geezer's incredible lyricism and his insane bassline, Ozzy's vocal performance that blisters with boiling aggression, Bill's heavy hitting drumming, and the phenomenal riff by Iommi, it's a real treat start to finish, plus a hell of a way to end the album!
Now, remember when I said this album has some faults? "Planet Caravan" may have been a good song that suffered a bit from creative choices but "Rat Salad" is the weakest track of the album, being a drum solo and while it does showcase Bill Ward being a definitive genius with his instrument, it feels shoehorned in to attempt to make something as good as "Moby Dick" by Zeppelin a year prior. It doesn't quite live up to this and ultimately doesn't work with the cohesiveness the rest of the record has, it really should've just been left off entirely or integrated into one of the other songs rather than trying desperately and missing to be its own stand-out track. It's miserable.
Even regarding the very few short-comings, 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. I'd also go on to say that I find the other album they released in the same year to be better overall.
Track By Track:
1. War Pigs: ★★★★★
2. Paranoid: ★★★★
3. Planet Caravan: ★★★
4. Iron Man: ★★★★★
5. Electric Funeral: ★★★★★
6. Hand of Doom: ★★★★★ 🎖️
7. Rat Salad: ★★
8. Jack The Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots: ★★★★★
