Black Sabbath: The First Two Albums Reviewed

Black Sabbath (1970)
A struggling English blues band determined to make it and incorporate the dark themes of horror movies into their music, Black Sabbath's debut album is nothing sort of a Heavy Metal masterpiece, unknowingly spurring a new genre and decades of musical followers. Everything you need to know about the band, their imagery, sound, power, and direction can be found on the opening title track; Tony's phenomenal powerhouse riffs, Ozzy's dark howling vocals, Bill's relentless drums, and Geezer's pounding clean up bass. The title track would have been enough to start a revolution, but Sabbath crafts a complete album of menacing black magic. "N.I.B", a twisted would be love song from the perspective of Satan, still stands as one of the band's greatest numbers, and "The Wizard" features the meanest harmonica song I've ever heard. Overall, the album is essentially a tour de force of 6-string guitar god Tony Iommi, he simply overpowers everything else on the album with one earth quaking riff after another. For many artist, their first record can be bracing, and unpolished groundwork effort to their future glory, but with Sabbath, their first record arguably stands up to all the classic albums that would follow.
Loved this album.

Sadly the track "Evil Woman" did not appear on the original US release (which I have), but was on the 2004 reissue as a bonus track. Here it is:


Paranoid (1970)
Masterpiece, all that can really be said of this album. Containing all three of Sabbath's most recognized songs, "Paranoid" "Iron Man" and "War Pigs", along with longtime band and fan favorite "Fairies Wear Boots", this record is a beast to be reckoned with. For me everything is harder and strong on this sophomore effort. Tony's riffs create a new metal universe for Bill and Geezer to sow heart beating nightmares, and Ozzy's vocal performance brands him a legend. Outside of the obvious gems, "Planet Caravan" is a fantastic spaced out bongo trip, with Ozzy's soft hypnotizing vocals leading the charge. Amazingly brilliant, this album owns.