I wrote this review for a website that required you to write in a specific way, so apologies for the layout.
This is one of my all time favourite albums and for me, signifies the start of Doom, so I really hope I do this fantastic album justice.
BLACK SABBATH?
Surely there is no one on the face of this earth that hasn't heard of the immortal Black Sabbath, but incase you have been asleep your entire life, here is a list of the people who performed on this album (Thier lineup has changed over the years)
Tony Immi - Lead Guitar, probably one of the all time great guitarists.
Geezer Butler - Bass Guitar, brilliant bassist with some amazing solo parts.
Bill Ward - Drums, has played some of the most memorable drum parts of all time.
Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals and Harmonica, probably the most famous mettler of all time! You know, the guy that bit the head off a bat?
Anyway that is enough of a background about this band, now onto the review! I will review each song as it appears on the tracklist, then at the end give my final opinion of it.
TRACK LISTING
Black Sabbath
Probably the best opening song of all time, it is basically all about a man who is going to die and is going to go to hell, seeing the devil for the first time. The song starts of really slowly with rain and thunder in the background, then a church bell rings, shortly after we hear the first bit of music on the album, and for what its worth, I feel this is the best opener to a song ever, the lone guitar playing against the backdrop of the rain, fantastic stuff!
One thing I love about Black Sabbath is that all thier songs have a meaning and all thier lyrics fit into that meaning, they don't just throw random verses into things that come to mind, real thought has went into them.
With lyrics as good as that which appear on the album, you really need something special to accompany it, and Iommi makes sure of that with an excellent bit of guitarwork, you really do have to listen to this song to full appreciate it. Pure Doom.
The Wizard
A slightly more upbeat song now comes in the form of The Wizard, although it starts off pretty slow with Ozzy on his harmonica it soon develops into a nice little tune, very Stonerish in my opinion.
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
A good groovy song thing, again very Stoner Rock in nature, very powerful lyrics to be found in this song as well, all about having nightmares, probably drug induced ones from Ozzy's past. I really enjoy the laidback tempo of this song and the guitarwork in it, I would compare the sound to something Led Zepplin would produce.
N.I.B
Before actually reviewing the song itself, a little sidenote about this song, the name N.I.B has of late taken on the meaning - Nativity In Black, and various other names since the song was released, the real reason for the name NIB, was that Bill Wards beard at the time looked something like the nib of a pen! Anyway, onto the song, and what a song.
Again that groove is present at the start of the song, something that you would love to hear live as you know whats coming next! Then the main riff comes in, nothing overly technical or spectacular but good none the less. There is a bit of a weird story behind this song, I think it has something to do with the devil falling in love with a human, and changing.
Evil Woman
Well the title of the song pretty much tells you the song content straight off. The lyrics on this track are very easy to follow and sing along to, and if you are anything like me, you will be singing along quite alot!
"Evil woman don't you play your games with me"
The solo in this is nothing short of amazing, typical Iommi, and in this song in particular you can really hear the bass coming through.
Sleeping Village
A different tempo introduced to the album now, much slower and dark, this is reflected in Ozzy's lyrics, very forced and sad, full of emotion. Only four lines in this song, but as I have always been told, quality over quantity.
Some people might find the way the song changes tempo and style quite alot annoying, but I like, it lets every band member show off thier talents, alot of the time in music you only ever hear the frontman and maybe one other member perform to thier full potential.
Warning
Well a 10 minute 32 second song coming up now, the longest song on the album by a long shot, once you start listening to it however, you know that the song just wouldn't be as good if it was any shorter. The lyrics are pretty self explanitory, a woman and man split up and the woman finds another love, I can only speculate and say that it was based on a band members past experience, but I really don't know.
The little breakdowns that occur at the end of the song are brilliant, again very Stoner Rock and Bluesy. everyone should deffinatly check this song out. Perhaps Iommi's finest moment on this album.
Wicked World
An excellent way to end and album in my opinion, for the second time in this album, Ozzy votes to use a different vocal styling, wish is refreshing, and shows that he has more than one style of singing, which is good to know. About half way through this song, it all gets very slow and haunting before going back to an Iommi special. Classic Sabbath.
CD COVER / INLAY
An excellent picture of a cottage with an unknown person standing inside the grounds dominates the CD cover, with a simple Black Sabbath logo on the top right, it looks well.
The inlay gives you alot of information about the band as well as the lyrics and legal stuff, and is overall very informative and well laid out.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
This album is a must own for any Sabbath / Ozzy fans, for any Metalers, for any Doomsters, for any Stoners, for Everyone, buy it now.
This is one of my all time favourite albums and for me, signifies the start of Doom, so I really hope I do this fantastic album justice.
BLACK SABBATH?
Surely there is no one on the face of this earth that hasn't heard of the immortal Black Sabbath, but incase you have been asleep your entire life, here is a list of the people who performed on this album (Thier lineup has changed over the years)
Tony Immi - Lead Guitar, probably one of the all time great guitarists.
Geezer Butler - Bass Guitar, brilliant bassist with some amazing solo parts.
Bill Ward - Drums, has played some of the most memorable drum parts of all time.
Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals and Harmonica, probably the most famous mettler of all time! You know, the guy that bit the head off a bat?
Anyway that is enough of a background about this band, now onto the review! I will review each song as it appears on the tracklist, then at the end give my final opinion of it.
TRACK LISTING
Black Sabbath
Probably the best opening song of all time, it is basically all about a man who is going to die and is going to go to hell, seeing the devil for the first time. The song starts of really slowly with rain and thunder in the background, then a church bell rings, shortly after we hear the first bit of music on the album, and for what its worth, I feel this is the best opener to a song ever, the lone guitar playing against the backdrop of the rain, fantastic stuff!
One thing I love about Black Sabbath is that all thier songs have a meaning and all thier lyrics fit into that meaning, they don't just throw random verses into things that come to mind, real thought has went into them.
With lyrics as good as that which appear on the album, you really need something special to accompany it, and Iommi makes sure of that with an excellent bit of guitarwork, you really do have to listen to this song to full appreciate it. Pure Doom.
The Wizard
A slightly more upbeat song now comes in the form of The Wizard, although it starts off pretty slow with Ozzy on his harmonica it soon develops into a nice little tune, very Stonerish in my opinion.
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
A good groovy song thing, again very Stoner Rock in nature, very powerful lyrics to be found in this song as well, all about having nightmares, probably drug induced ones from Ozzy's past. I really enjoy the laidback tempo of this song and the guitarwork in it, I would compare the sound to something Led Zepplin would produce.
N.I.B
Before actually reviewing the song itself, a little sidenote about this song, the name N.I.B has of late taken on the meaning - Nativity In Black, and various other names since the song was released, the real reason for the name NIB, was that Bill Wards beard at the time looked something like the nib of a pen! Anyway, onto the song, and what a song.
Again that groove is present at the start of the song, something that you would love to hear live as you know whats coming next! Then the main riff comes in, nothing overly technical or spectacular but good none the less. There is a bit of a weird story behind this song, I think it has something to do with the devil falling in love with a human, and changing.
Evil Woman
Well the title of the song pretty much tells you the song content straight off. The lyrics on this track are very easy to follow and sing along to, and if you are anything like me, you will be singing along quite alot!
"Evil woman don't you play your games with me"
The solo in this is nothing short of amazing, typical Iommi, and in this song in particular you can really hear the bass coming through.
Sleeping Village
A different tempo introduced to the album now, much slower and dark, this is reflected in Ozzy's lyrics, very forced and sad, full of emotion. Only four lines in this song, but as I have always been told, quality over quantity.
Some people might find the way the song changes tempo and style quite alot annoying, but I like, it lets every band member show off thier talents, alot of the time in music you only ever hear the frontman and maybe one other member perform to thier full potential.
Warning
Well a 10 minute 32 second song coming up now, the longest song on the album by a long shot, once you start listening to it however, you know that the song just wouldn't be as good if it was any shorter. The lyrics are pretty self explanitory, a woman and man split up and the woman finds another love, I can only speculate and say that it was based on a band members past experience, but I really don't know.
The little breakdowns that occur at the end of the song are brilliant, again very Stoner Rock and Bluesy. everyone should deffinatly check this song out. Perhaps Iommi's finest moment on this album.
Wicked World
An excellent way to end and album in my opinion, for the second time in this album, Ozzy votes to use a different vocal styling, wish is refreshing, and shows that he has more than one style of singing, which is good to know. About half way through this song, it all gets very slow and haunting before going back to an Iommi special. Classic Sabbath.
CD COVER / INLAY
An excellent picture of a cottage with an unknown person standing inside the grounds dominates the CD cover, with a simple Black Sabbath logo on the top right, it looks well.
The inlay gives you alot of information about the band as well as the lyrics and legal stuff, and is overall very informative and well laid out.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
This album is a must own for any Sabbath / Ozzy fans, for any Metalers, for any Doomsters, for any Stoners, for Everyone, buy it now.
