Black Sabbath

Advantages: all
Disadvantages: nothing

Yep that's what this album sounds like. On this, their 3rd vinyl outing from 1971, the Birmingham band nominally led by singer Ozzy Osborne - though actually held together by riffmeister Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler - expand out from their two earlier recordings, play a few tricks in the studio, get to experiment (in more ways than musically ho ho) but still manage to lay down thunderous stone-cold riff based heavy metal that had no peers ...
...down the road of broadening their sounds, Sabbath here turned in an opposite direction and began digging even deeper into the metal pit they started excavating two years previously. Consider also that 35 years later many of the songs on here like Sweet Leaf, Lord Of This World, Children Of The Grave and After Forever are still considered classics of the genre, all this on one record! Many bands would have to have three or four albums out before ... Read review

Advantages: great music, great production
Disadvantages: sometimes repetitive

Black Sabbath were a heavy metal band, let by the world known famous singer, Ozzy Osbourne, yeah, the dude with cool sunglasses who was always in the news for drugs... but thats aside the point This band produced some awesome music, and were widely respected for their style of heavy metal. I really like how they have created their songs, and the way that they were produced, which was faultless, and flawless when I listened to it. I really enjoyed ... Read review

Advantages: awesome performer
Disadvantages: nil

Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England. Formed in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums and percussion), the band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members. Originally formed as a heavy blues-rock band named Earth, the band began incorporating occult- and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-down guitars, changing ...
...metal bands of all time, Black Sabbath helped define the genre with releases such as 1970's quadruple-platinum Paranoid. Black Sabbath has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, and were ranked number one on MTV's Greatest Metal Bands countdown. Ozzy Osbourne was fired from the band in 1979, and while initially replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, Black Sabbath would see a revolving lineup in the 1980s and 1990s that included ... Read review

Advantages sees Sabbath beginning to experiment successfully with new textures
Disadvantages lots of instrumental

...BLACK SABBATH VOL.4 1: Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener (8:14) 2: Tomorrow's Dream (3:12) 3: Changes (4:46) 4: FX (1:43) 5: Supernaut (4:45) 6: Snowblind (5:31) 7: Cornucopia (3:54) 8: Laguna Sunrise (2:52) 9: St. Vitus Dance (2:29) 10: Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes (5:50) Yet another groundbreaking powerhouse recording featuring some excellent guitar work. This includes great classics like Tomorrow's Dream, Changes, Supernaut, Snowblind, and Laguna Sunrise Black Sabbath VOL. 4 is a must have addition to any Black Sabbath collection released: early september 1972 the album features some of Sabbaths most memorble tracks and sees Sabbath beginning to experiment successfully with new textures such as strings, piano, orchestration and multi-part songs.. Yet the classic Sabbath sound is still very much in evidence... Read review

Advantages The noble exit of the original headbangers.
Disadvantages New material mediocre at best.

...Black Sabbath -the name itself should be more than enough to send a delightful shiver down the spine of any metal fan. The name is steeped in musical legend - Black Sabbath were the first, and the greatest, heavy metal band. Everything which came after them is just pale imitation in comparison. But even so, this album, while it should send me into paroxysms of delight, actually awakened a faint unease in me when I first heard that it was the original line up reformed. There was a faint niggling doubt at the back of my mind. What if they weren’t very good any more? To start with let me say that this album crackles with live energy. If anything that has improved with time, and Ozzy has an almost electric ability to communicate with the crowd. It is an impressive feat that the producers manage to bring across that kind... Read review

Advantages Good Set
Disadvantages No Ozzy

...Another live Sabbath set this time with Ronny Dio singing. Although he doesn't have quite the same raw vocal power as Ozzy or the stage presence he manages to pull off the songs on this CD pretty well. Time Machine, I Witness, Psychophobia, Cross Of Thorns & Headless Cross are all post Ozzy songs. The older songs on the CD are Children Of the Grave, Into The Void, Black Sabbath, Wizard, Symptom Of The Universe, Paranoid, Iron Man and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The CD is available on its own but is also available with a video with a couple more songs from the set added. This should be the one post Ozzy item in your collection as it's interesting to see how another singer performs classics like Black Sabbath and Paranoid.... Read review