BLACK SABBATH: REINCARNATIONS by Henry Covert

25 Black Sabbath Albums: 
Counting Down the Discography 

by Henry Covert

Black Sabbath is a British heavy metal band formed in 1968 as the Polka Tulk Blues Band, then Earth. After guitarist Tony Iommi spent two weeks in Jethro Tull, he returned to Earth. At that point, bassist/ lyricist Geezer Butler changed the outfit's name to Black Sabbath after the Mario Bava horror film of that name. The blues-rock group amped up its sound to match its evocative new name, and Butler began penning more occult lyrics, while Iommi crafted unforgettably heavy riffs. In late 1969, they recorded their eponymous debut LP, and introduced a powerful new sound and morose attitude to rock. This was codified in early 1970, with their hit LP Paranoid, which took their dark sound and nihilistic lyrics to brain-blasting new levels. Sabbath went on to become one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, and to influence countless acts, spawning whole subgenres of heavy music.

In 1979, mutual dissatisfaction between popular lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and the rest of the band led to his departure and replacement with ex-Rainbow lead singer Ronnie James Dio. Despite Sabbath's continuing success, Dio was replaced four years later with ex-Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan, and the band's sound became even more iconoclastic. After Gillan and original drummer Bill Ward departed, the band went through a number of lineup changes over the next decade, including a reunion with Dio and a long-term alliance with journeyman vocalist Tony Martin, who showed a tremendous loyalty to the group. Amazingly, they regrouped with their original lineup in the late '90s and toured intermittently for the next decade before reuniting with Dio and second drummer Vinny Appice and calling their act Heaven & Hell. After Dio's tragic death, Butler and Iommi reverted to the name Black Sabbath and recorded their first first studio album with Ozzy after 35 years and are currently touring to support it. Who knows what the future holds for this iconic band, whose tempestuous career has matched the intensity of their music.

Black Sabbath isn't just my favourite metal or rock band. For over 30 years they've been my favourite musical act of any genre (my second favourite is jazz legend John Coltrane). I've felt an incredible affinity for, and connection to, the band. I've been intending for some time to write an exhaustive article on the group and what they mean to me. It was meant to be called Black Sabbath: Reincarnations. In getting some things straight in my mind about where I stand on Black Sabbath's oeuvre before I began such a major article, I ranked 25 Black Sabbath albums and listed them in ascending order from my least to most favourite. There was no objective "best" in this countdown; it was a purely subjective exercise. Album # 25 I find to be the band's biggest disappointment while album # 1 I believe to be their finest work. 

Upon perusing this list, it will likely become clear to the reader that I don't hate any Black Sabbath album, though the first three on this list I dislike a good bit (save for one astonishing track on the album Forbidden). The next five I find mediocre but they definitely have their moments. I try to point out the good qualities even of albums that as a whole I don't much care for. I deigned not to do merely my top 15 Black Sabbath albums, but instead go for broke and rank their entire official output (sans compilations). Ranking those troublesome latter ten has been extremely difficult. It's easy to say “my least favorite Sabbath albums are most of the Tony Martins and the latter day Ozzys” (which is true), but actually getting them into a discernible order took some close listening to some stuff I haven't heard in awhile since – well, it's not my preferred Sabbath material. Album #16, however, was easy, as it's quite excellent. Not quite good enough to make my top 15, but still an awesome record. 

Please bear in mind this is merely a survey of 25 Black Sabbath albums. I've omitted many milestones in the group's history. There are even members that I haven't mentioned due to the fact they were only with the band for certain tours or between albums (though I've tried to mention those musicians when I could). I've included band lineups before each review as a short hand for the reviews and a scorecard for the reader (this band needs one). Black Sabbath has had numerous personnel, though it has always featured guitarist Tony Iommi and the band's best work almost always included Geezer Butler on bass and often on lyrics as well (Geezer plays on 20 albums). Bill Ward on drums appears on 12 of these albums, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne on 12 out of the 25 (much less than most believe). Geoff Nicholls plays keyboards on 11 albums. Tony Martin holds a record as being the next most tenacious member, appearing on 6 Sabbath albums. Ronnie James Dio sings on 5. Vinny Appice drums on 4. Beyond that it is quite the revolving door. But quality should trump quantity, and my most-loved album of the band marks its lead vocalist's sole appearance in Black Sabbath. But what an appearance!

In preparing this article, I understand more than ever why I am drawn to these artists. I believe I learned a great deal myself as I wrote this – about just why I like the things I do, and what connects me to them. I've tried to convey what this music means to me and why – what makes this band unique and so affecting in their compositions, their sounds, their words. This is not always easy, as I find it extremely difficult to write about music. I anticipate criticism but there are only so many ways to state certain things and I've tried to be as varied as possible without being terribly verbose. I'm sure this piece will galvanize and polarize the few folks who may read it, and that's okay. We all have our favourites – band, album, song, vocalist, etc. I simply proffer my own opinions on all things Sabbath. These opinions, however, have been honed by over three decades of following this band and its music in all of its varied incarnations. At the very least I hope to impart as much information as possible about the phenomenon that is Black Sabbath.

25. Forbidden (1995)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Tony Martin, vocals

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

Cozy Powell, drums

Neil Murray, bass

Ice T, guest vocalist

Forbidden is surely the nadir of the mighty Sabbath catalog. From the opening Ice T duet, The Illusion of Power, to the dull rock-by-numbers, such as Sick and Tired and Rusty Angels, this, more than any other of their albums, breaks from the qualities that make Sabbath Sabbath. Tracks like Get A Grip (the track chosen as a single and for a music video), Can't Get Close Enough (overwrought) and I Won't Cry for You (this album's semi-ballad and actually one of the best songs on the album but that isn't saying much) just don't impel me to give them further listens. These tracks were written as though the band desperately wanted a hit single and was willing to churn out as many kitschy tunes as possible til something stuck. Tony Martin's lead vocals are at an all-time low here – as though he's struggling to choke out this lackluster material.

This whole album is a tough listen; the production, by Ernie C (guitarist for Ice T's metal band Body Count) is dire. Forbidden is the textbook definition of an uninspired album – not unlistenable per se but it certainly rouses apathy. Ironically, despite all this lambasting, I must concede that Forbidden's closer, the weakly titled Kiss of Death, is one of the very strongest of the Tony Martin-fronted Sabbath compositions. This potent track alternates acoustic melancholy and righteous heaviness (propelled by a sharp Cozy Powell double bass lick). Martin's lyrics come off as very personal, not as generic as most of the record, and his vocals are emotive without resorting to cliches. Kiss of Death not only closes Forbidden on a morose note, but slams shut the door on a major era for the band. Thus ends their last studio album for 18 years.

I have found that Forbidden does have its champions, however, which underscores my theory that one's favourite albums will often remain what was current when one first got into a given band. Not that someone may not care for other incarnations of an act, but that initial imprinting is strong. An older friend of mine will swear by Ozzy and mostly dismisses the singers from Dio onwards. A friend of my spouse holds Tony Martin in the highest esteem and waxes jubilant over his six Sabbath records. I fit somewhere in the middle. I was imprinted by the Dio-Gillan-Hughes era; I guess that's “my” Black Sabbath, though I adore the vintage Ozzy material (those who think I don't appreciate Ozzy's work with Sabbath will be stunned to read some of the following entries) and I enjoy a bit of Martin's output. I admire Tony Martin's vocal ability, and what he tried to bring to the band, namely tenacity and loyalty. I just feel the material he helped create, on the last few albums after he rejoined the band especially, is sorely lacking in the big picture of Sabbath's discography.

24. Live... Gathered in Their Masses (2013)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Tommy Clufestos, drums

Adam Wakeman, keyboards

This live album, in support of the disappointing 13, is Sabbath's weakest album but for Forbidden (which it inches past by the slimmest of threads), and definitely their most lackluster live album. I nearly forgot to list this in my countdown piece, and after giving it a listen, my instincts were correct in excluding it. But I am a completist, so here it is. Ozzy acquits himself rather dreadfully here, but Tony and Geezer sound marginally inspired. Drummer Clufestos is a mess, radically altering the nuances of Bill Ward's parts in favour of a bashing Tool/ Rage Against the Machine vibe. Despite this Tony and Geezer lead an impressive modern day rendering of the classic Dirty Women, which Ozzy pulls off with a shred of dignity. Tony and Geezer, the song selection, and the overall production are all aces (and keep me from considering this the worst Sabbath album ever), but Ozzy and Clufestos bring a sound to the Sabbath table that is surely the weakest of the six live Sabbath discs – by far. And Ozzy's interminable exhortations to the crowd to “Get the fuck up you motherfuckers!” just grates on me after awhile. This is worth a listen, but perhaps only one.

23. Cross Purposes (1994)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Tony Martin, vocals

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

Bobby Rondinelli, drums

The second weakest Sabbath studio offering is the immediate predecessor of the weakest. Cross Purposes only marginally surpasses Forbidden. The sound is slightly superior, the playing more energetic, but the songwriting is not much better. Though Forbidden overall is a worse album, this album lacks the redeeming factor of one extremely strong track such as Forbidden had with Kiss of Death. Dying for Love, the de rigeur ballad/ anthem, with some compelling guitar work and solid vocals, may actually be the finest track on Cross Purposes. Virtual Death is one of the stronger tracks and appears to be written by Geezer Butler, and Cross of Thorns is fairly good. Psychophobia, Back to Eden, Evil Eye, and Cardinal Sin are simply dreadful, and the ersatz single The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (for which a music video was made) is a decent melody dressed up in a well-worn delivery.

Geezer Butler's welcome presence would appear to make this disc more “Sabbathy”, but does little to offset the dismal downturn in songwriting. Who wrote what on this album I've never been able to learn. Geezer apparently let Tony Martin continue writing the band's lyrics. This was likely a mistake, as they sadly fall back into cliché despite their ambitions (and Geoff Nicholls' assist). Musically, there is, as usual, some wonderful guitar work from Iommi, and Butler certainly holds his own. As mentioned with Forbidden, there are those who came to Sabbath late and swear by this record. I am not at all one of them. Tedium is what I experience when listening to this album, and sheer predictability is a problem that plagues this disc. I just feel that the spiral begun with Tyr and temporarily interrupted by Dehumanizer continues to beset this album, and even the presence of Geezer (carried over from Dehumanizer) and new drummer Bobby Rondinelli (another former member of Rainbow) are not enough to salvage this outing. I love the album cover though.

22. Cross Purposes Live (1995)

Same lineup as Cross Purposes.

A good bit better than the studio album this tour supported, this live album (which was also marketed with a video) finds Tony Martin nobly tackling a well chosen rostrum of Sabbath classics. Appearing are unexpected numbers Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (on which the band sounds great but Martin pales before Ozzy Osbourne's original), Symptom of the Universe (which Martin seems to struggle with), Into the Void (on which Martin sounds fine), and The Wizard (which he gives a particularly fine reading of and which boasts a scalding wah-wah workout from Iommi). The band sounds strong and Martin is appropriately animated, but the sum of these parts don't add up and come off more workmanlike than an expression of passion before a live audience. This is not quite as lively as Reunion, and pales before Live Evil. And though this is indeed the Cross Purposes tour, choosing two of the album's weakest tracks, I Witness and Psychophobia, to represent it was a bad move.

Martin's vocals in his early days in the band were a bit Dio-inflected without him being an outright clone. Sadly, now that Martin has more of his own sound, his vocals have weakened and the inevitable comparisons to Ronnie which arise find Martin sorely lacking when stacked against Dio. Therefore, I felt opening the show with Time Machine was a disastrous move, with Dehumanizer still fresh in memory. Martin completely slaughters the tune. Fortunately, the Dio/ Iommi masterpiece Children of the Sea is not included here. However, Neon Knights and The Mob Rules are included, and lack even an iota of Dio's nuance or ferocity. Martin fares much better on the Ozzy material actually. Throughout, Martin's voice sounds strained as though he may have been ill on this tour (which would be unfortunate). Through no fault of his own, Bobby Rondinelli seems to lack the chemistry with Iommi and Butler that Bill Ward or Vinny Appice had. It was a tough choice to rank Cross Purposes Live quite this low, as it documents this unique lineup. But it also marks it among Sabbath's weakest ones, despite the Iommi-Butler-Nicholls axis being intact.

21. 13 (2013)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Brad Wilk, drums

Mike Exeter, keyboards

As HP Lovecraft might have put it, this may well be the album that should not be. By all rights The Devil You Know by Heaven & Hell should've been the 19^th Sabbath studio album. For the compilation album Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice recorded three brand new tracks, the first ones issued under the Black Sabbath name since the two new bonus tracks (which I hated) on Reunion. These tracks were fantastic and boded well for the return of the Sabbath iteration last seen on Dehumanizer. But the Dio-fronted group opted to separate themselves from the Sabbath name for a variety of reasons, and began operating under the Heaven & Hell moniker. And so instead of Dio (who passed away in 2010), after 35 years, Ozzy Osbourne fronts a Black Sabbath album. The Devil You Know has its fair share of weaknesses (I was disappointed in it beyond a handful of great tracks) but is a superior album to 13. Sonically and lyrically ahead of most of the latter Tony Martin era (it impresses me only a hair less than Tyr), 13 is still among the weaker Sabbath releases.

This Grammy-winning return to the studio with Ozzy for a full album is largely unimaginative, combining the more mundane qualities of Ozzy's later solo work with the same paucity of fresh Iommi-Butler ideas in evidence on The Devil You Know and Cross Purposes. Album opener The End of the Beginning is heavy as hell, but immediately showcases Ozzy's uneven vocals. It's actually one of the very best tracks however. God is Dead? is the most wholly convincing track, oddly selected as the single, and it's the most interesting and well-performed, especially by Ozzy. It's just a great track all around and I wish the whole album was up to its par. I enjoy Zeigeist, a trippy sequel to Planet Caravan from Paranoid. The remainder of the record does little for me.

Tony's work on this album is stellar as always, and considering his various ailments, it's all the more remarkable. His solo on the opener hearkens to some of his finest moments. There are some great solos on this album, but then Iommi always delivers on his lead work. There are also some wince-inducing passages throughout the album from Osbourne. Geezer's lyrics are quite good (as usual). Rick Rubin's much-touted production is adequate. There is a sameness throughout – no attempt to experiment with sound or melody as Sabbath at their best have always done – just an attempt to stay stark and heavy and to keep Ozzy in key. The hype surrounding this release is completely out of bounds with its content. Lyrically the album is more than up to par, but musically, the songwriting is not much more inspired than the output of most latter Iommi, Butler, or Osbourne works, i.e. not much to my liking. This fact, along with Brad Wilk's drums (Bill Ward couldn't come to terms with the plan for a full-on reunion of the band's original members), and Ozzy's waning voice, spoil 13 for me.

20. Reunion (1998)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

A slightly better album than 13 is Reunion. The four original members embarked on a massive tour, as captured here in energized performances and some sizzling work from Iommi and Butler. Ozzy sounds fresher than he has in a number of years, though his stage antics as usual wear on me after a while and his voice wears out barely halfway through the show. It's a real thrill hearing Bill Ward back on the drum kit. The track list is impressive and the band storms through great renditions of some unexpected tracks - ones Ozzy hadn't performed with Sabbath in many years. Behind the Wall of Sleep, Orchid/ Lord of This World, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and especially the underrated classic Spiral Architect all make welcome appearances. Sadly, the performance of the latter two of those underscores Ozzy's radically diminished vocal range since the songs were originally recorded on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Another standout is Geezer's magnificent take of Bassically, the bass solo lead-in to the brilliant N.I.B. All of the expected popular tracks are here, and in all, there's not much to elaborate on beyond the fact that even at its best, this album does nothing so much as make me want to hear the album Past Lives (to be covered shortly).

It came as quite a surprise to many Sabbath fans when Tony Iommi disbanded the Martin-Powell-Murray-Nicholls iteration of Sabbath after their 1995 Forbidden tour (Geoff Nicholls remained on keyboards until 2004) in order to seriously woo back all of the original members. The original Sabbath lineup toured for several years but never recorded anything new together, beyond the two bonus tracks on this album. This was mainly due to delays by Ozzy, and so the remainder of the band put things with him on hold when Ronnie James Dio returned to the fold. As noted in the 13 segment, that version of the band became known as Heaven & Hell, and, though Ozzy recorded 13 with Butler and Iommi after Dio's death, Bill Ward never recorded or toured with Sabbath again, so Reunion is an important document of their regrouping. To this album's detriment, there are the two aforementioned new studio tracks by the original lineup and they are dreadful, resembling nothing so much as Ozzy's lackluster post-Randy Rhoads solo work, which I haven't much of a taste for. I would give this album even lower marks if the band (other than Ozzy) didn't sound so good and didn't perform as many favourites, dodgy vocals or no.

19. Tyr (1990)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Tony Martin, vocals

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

Cozy Powell, drums

Neil Murray, bass

This was a really tough call in the ranking department. I'd rank Tyr about neck on neck with the two latter day Ozzy albums, but ahead a hair due to the scope of the album, as well as one outstanding track. This ambitious album is ultimately too flawed to achieve greatness, though there are a few botched attempts. Tyr has its following, certainly, as does the superior Headless Cross, no doubt. I find the material acceptable (albeit not exceptional) on its own terms, but not especially strong by Black Sabbath's past standards. A bright spot on the album is first track Anno Mundi (despite some dodgy lyrics), which is followed by a slog through the straight up rockers The Lawmaker and Jerusalem. Halfway through, Tyr makes a slight step in the right direction with a Norse myth inspired song cycle, which includes The Battle of Tyr (with Wagnerian keyboard courtesy of Nicholls), Odin's Court, and Valhalla. It's wonderful to hear more and stronger contributions from Geoff on the Geezerless albums (as though Tony I. needed at least one other member of tenure).                               

The album's major highlight for me is a radio friendly power ballad (though not one on par with No Stranger to Love from Seventh Star) called Feels Good to Me (which received a rather cheesy accompanying music video). This cut is surely a semi-guilty pleasure of mine, and may be the only track contained herein imbued with any greatness. It's definitely one of my very favourite Martin era tracks. I almost wish this incarnation of the band had tried to do quality power ballads instead of pedaling tired riffs adorned with earnest but unsatisfying lyrics devoted to either demons and devils or Norse gods. Martin nor Nicholls have the lyrical prowess of Butler or Dio, who would've surely tackled the mythological subject matter with more aplomb.

It seems that Tony Iommi was running low on riffage this time around. That obviously changed by the next album, the Dio-fronted Dehumanizer. Cozy Powell reliably pounds the skins here, but fails to achieve the percussive inventiveness of his time with Rainbow (alongside future and past Sabbath players Dio, Bob Daisley, and Don Airey). I can't say I'm the biggest fan of his work in Sabbath (except on Kiss of Death). Unfortunately there is nothing on Tyr in the same range of quality as Nightwing or Kill in the Spirit World, off their previous album. A good chunk of Tyr is extremely forgettable and, unfortunately, it pretty much set the tone for future Martin-fronted albums. Tyr was the last serious attempt by the Martin era band to do progressive or musically advanced work. I wish there was more to write about this record, but, despite its reach for grandeur, it's not extremely remarkable. The circumstances surrounding it aren't all that interesting either save for the fact that this lineup finally acquired what appeared to be a permanent replacement for Geezer on bass with Neil Murray.

18. Headless Cross (1989)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Tony Martin, vocals

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

Cozy Powell, drums

Lawrence Cottle, bass

Brian May, guest guitarist

Edging out Tyr by a healthy margin is this, Tony Martin's second studio album with the band. In my estimation, however, this is a huge step down from Martin's first, The Eternal Idol; however there's still some inspired work. This album opens with fan favorite Headless Cross (which I find to be adequate, but not in the same league as The Eternal Idol's opener, The Shining) and is dotted with some nice work throughout, a handful of gems embedded in an otherwise pedestrian album. Devil and Daughter and Call of the Wild are dire affairs, but When Death Calls is a nice standout, and features a guest solo by Queen's Brian May (well done but not up to his usual high standards). I much prefer Kill in the Spirit World, a brisk, dare I say catchy, tune boasting the same manner of occult lyrics laced throughout the album (penned apparently by Martin with Geoff Nicholls). Martin's voice is nearly as impressive as on The Eternal Idol, though on a great deal of this album his voice and lyrics combine to create some rather clichéd and over-blown moments.

A number of tracks are completely predictable and forgettable. Headless Cross closes with the majestic Nightwing, the album's completely underrated and best-written track. The song opens with a cascade of acoustic guitar broken by some beautiful fretless bass work by Lawrence Cottle. Iommi contributes a gorgeous acoustic solo before a nice electric one. This cut almost redeems the album's irritating qualities.

This disc heralds new territory for Sabbath – a new drummer who is integral to the writing process; new lyricists steering things back into an overtly occult direction; a new kind of energy altogether. The music lacks the sharp edge that the majority of their work up to this time possessed. An ember of their old spark still burned, but unfortunately it dimmed with successive Martin-fronted albums. There is a real scarcity of ideas for the first time, and the riffs are much less gripping than Iommi's usual concoctions. Whatever the case may be, Headless Cross is definitely Black Sabbath at the dawn of a sharp decline, the seeds of which were planted in the prior album (which made up for it with its sheer riffing energy and at least two stunning tracks). Headless Cross simply lacks the conviction and urgency of its predecessors.

17. Past Lives (2002)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

Jezz Woodroffe, keyboards

This blistering posthumous document of Sabbath's early years reveals the original lineup at their peak as a true force to be reckoned with live. There are a number of outstanding cuts. Among them are: one of my favourite live versions of War Pigs (my favourite is sung by Ian Gillan), which is extremely raw; a pulverizing take of Iron Man; and an awesome lengthy jam on Wicked World showcasing Bill Ward's outstanding drumming and, of course, Tony's customary brilliance. There are revved up versions of three tracks off the classic Sabotage: Hole in the Sky, Symptom of the Universe (a total thrash out), and, especially, Megalomania, on which Ozzy excels.

It's great to hear live versions of these lesser-known Sab tracks, as well as ones like Tomorrow's Dream and the expansive Cornucopia. There is a nice run through of Behind the Wall of Sleep and a powerful N.I.B., as well as a tight Killing Yourself to Live with a passionate Iommi solo but some aggravating Ozzy ad-libs. It's so refreshing to hear Ozzy live in the '70s before his voice began to deteriorate. He sounds truly remarkable on most of this album. There isn't much to discuss about this album since I'll be covering the songs on it in more depth in the entries of the albums on which they originally appeared. Suffice to say, it is a great thing to hear roaring versions of these immortal tunes when the original lineup was at its performing peak.

16. Never Say Die (1978)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums, vocals

Don Airey, keyboards

Regarding Never Say Die, many folks slag off this one, but I personally enjoy it a great deal. It just happens to be my least favorite of the original eight studio albums featuring Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy actually had quit the band after their previous LP and was replaced by Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker. Ozzy soon returned and Dave was let go. However, a song Walker penned with the band, Junior's Eyes, sounds fantastic and I much prefer Dave's version to Ozzy's. The version with Ozzy (which Ozzy asked Geezer to write new lyrics for) appears on Never Say Die.

This album has some undeniable strengths. The title track is astonishing, a raging piston engine of adrenaline that kicks off the record with its great hook and fine lyrics. Shock Wave is a great heavy track with a buzz saw riff, and lyrically it turns its attention for the first time in awhile to a “chosen one” beset by demonic forces. Ozzy sounds great here. Air Dance segues from a multi-layered melodic riff and settles into a diaphonous piano piece which builds to a mighty crescendo. Never Say Die''s weaknesses boil down to songs that are great but don't always captivate me. But even those tracks have their moments - A Hard Road, Over to You, Johnny Blade, and Junior's Eyes, which work within the album but aren't as strong as individual tracks.

As with Technical Ecstasy, the preceding Sab record, Ozzy was balking at his station in things and as on Technical Ecstasy, Bill Ward was called in to sing and did a bang up job on a great tune called Swinging the Chain, which is preceded on the album by a jazzy instrumental Break Out that a lot of folks despise but that I adore. Unlike Technical Ecstasy, where Ozzy really shone, here he's sounding more like he doesn't fit what Sabbath wanted, and where they needed to go. Ozzy's vocals on this album show the beginning of his decline, which continued onwards til today (though he was buoyed significantly by Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley early in his solo career) and his signature vocal affectations became more pronounced. These circumstances no doubt played into the band's decision to sack Ozzy after the tour for Never Say Die (he was replaced with Ronnie James Dio). So, you may ask, if I have such criticisms of the record, how do I justify ranking it so high? Easy. It flows extremely well as an album and has a great vibe to it, a wonderful groove that's just a bit different than other Sabbath albums. To some, that's a cause to hate it, but for me, it's the reason I enjoy it so much.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

15. The Eternal Idol (1987)

Tony Iommi, guitars
Tony Martin, vocals
Geoff Nicholls, keyboards
Eric Singer, drums
Bob Daisley, bass

Turning our attention to The Eternal Idol, I just barely rank it above Never Say Die, which is in its way a finer album, a more substantive album. Never Say Die is more experimental; The Eternal Idol is mostly a straightforward riff fest. But what riffs they are. I also approach The Eternal Idol from a place of great nostalgia, as it was released as my passion for the band was hitting its stride as I acquired its entire back catalog. And, honestly, there's nothing on Never Say Die quite so awesome as this album's majestic opener The Shining, one of Sabbath's greatest songs. The layered clean guitar opening builds momentum with Bob Daisley's wonderful bass line, then that fantastic riff and Tony Martin's soaring vocals explode. Daisley's lyrics are drawn from the book and film The Shining. There was a nice video made for the song; I watched it obsessively for awhile. The video is remarkable as it's the only official appearance of the drummer for the Eternal Idol tour, Eric Singer's replacement, Terry Chimes of The Clash.

Ancient Warrior is another interesting and rather moody track, while much of The Eternal Idol is more straight ahead rocking, an approach which partially follows on from Seventh Star, though that record had much more to recommend it than headbanging tunes. One of the rockers on this record, Hard Life to Love, has elegant choruses and an exquisite solo from Iommi that ranks among his very finest. I would love this song if it just consisted of that solo. Glory Ride, Born to Lose, Nightmare – all feature indelible riffs and superb vocals by Martin, whose voice has in it an echo of Ronnie James Dio. Lost Forever is really the only duff track on the album and Some Kind Of Woman, recorded for the album but not originally included, is frankly awful. The album closer, its title track, is another Sabbath classic - a gloomy epic filled with atmospheric power and cautionary apocalyptic lyrics in the vein of Geezer Butler's work.

I used to hold The Eternal Idol as a whole in even higher esteem and I still really enjoy it. I'm just more acutely aware of its flaws now. However, this is definitely the finest of the Sabbath albums featuring Tony Martin on vocals. He does some amazing work here, and the rest of the record thooms along with some classic riffs and fascinating lyrics from then bassist Daisley (who sounds tremendous on bass here). This album was originally recorded with Ray Gillen on vocals, then his work was scrubbed when he exited the band and the vocals were rerecorded with Tony Martin. Martin's voice has more character, and he hit heights beyond what Gillen achieved (I've compared both versions of the album). Unfortunately he never quite delivered on the promise he held on this record.

14. Live Evil (1982)


Tony Iommi, guitars
Geezer Butler, bass
Ronnie James Dio, vocals
Geoff Nicholls, keyboards
Vinnie Appice, drums


Live Evil is not my favourite Black Sabbath album, but it is the most important one to me. Live Evil broke me into Sabbath. It was my gateway into an entirely new world of musical experience. It was the album currently on the shelves when I first became very interested in the group. I had been seduced by the song Voodoo, which I heard once on the radio when Mob Rules was released. Soon after I heard Paranoid and Iron Man on the radio. Then my local station played Children of the Sea from Live Evil which was about to be released. I was engrossed and begged my mother for the album when it was released. Thence I was given Live Evil and spun it obsessively. Bear in mind that I'd not heard the original studio versions of any of the songs on here except the first three that I mentioned.

E5150 opened the album and I imagined it to be the perfect atmospheric accompaniment to a horror film (and I wasn't even a horror buff then as I am now). I fell in love with Dio's voice on Neon Knights and I've never looked back. This is a fantastic version, and is a great lead-in just as the studio version kicked off the Heaven and Hell album. Next came N.I.B. and its roaring heavy bass riff and tremendous groove. I actually prefer Dio's rendition of this song to Ozzy's on the first Sabbath LP. What followed was Children of the Sea, a song that was truly a revelation to me and became my favourite song of all time – and it still is. This is not the best live version I've heard – and I've heard many by now – nor is it as incredible as the studio original on Heaven and Hell, But it is an awe-inspiring variant. So iconic is this version now that it, not the studio version, was used on the compilation Black Sabbath: The Dio Years.

It's hard not to simply enumerate the tracks on this album and sing their praises one by one so ingrained is this set in my mind. But I will touch on a few more tracks. Voodoo, while not nearly as soul-crushingly heavy as the studio version I'd heard that one late night on the radio, nonetheless was great to hear again. Dio does some amazing improvising on the lyrics, coming up with some memorable lines not in the original version (“If you're sailing on a lonely ocean/ If you're out on a guilty sea...”). The song Black Sabbath opens with the soft but ominous guitar piece that only appears in live versions, not on the original. While not as chilling as the studio take, this variant nonetheless is darkly atmospheric and suitably dramatic, and Dio does an adequate job with it, though my favourite version is sung by Ian Gillan and appears on a number of bootlegs. War Pigs is bone-crunchingly heavy, with Geezer hitting insane notes under Tony's bludgeoning. Dio does a fair job on this one, but as far as singers other Ozzy, I prefer Ian Gillan once again on this tune.

Vinny Appice contributes a fine drum solo that serves as a bridge to Iron Man, which is also mind-numbingly heavy (this band is a juggernaut). Dio acquits himself well on it except for the cheesy growled version of the intro. This was remedied on the next tour this lineup undertook with vocal effects similar to those on the studio recording. Next up was my introduction to the title track of the album the band was touring in support of. The Mob Rules was used to great effect in the film Heavy Metal. I knew about the film and the song being in it but had not seen the film nor heard the track until Live Evil. The reading of Heaven and Hell found here has too much annoying 'audience participation' bits for my taste. I've never been enamored of the whole call and response crowd thing. I know Dio wanted everyone to get into the spirit of things but for me it detracts from the songs' presentations, especially the vocals. Dio was not nearly as bad as Ozzy about this, but this was another area that Gillan excelled in by his restraint in not getting the audience to sing his songs!

The monumental Sign of the Southern Cross and a decent Paranoid round out the album, and Live Evil closes with a fine rendition of Children of the Grave followed by a canned recording of the acoustic Fluff from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Overall I think the set list was okay but focused too much on a preponderance of popular songs from the first three albums and neglected not only a mountain of Ozzy era material but Dio classics like Lonely is the Word and Falling Off the Edge of the World. This album was the heaviest thing I'd ever heard when I first gave it a listen, and though it has since been eclipsed by other recordings (some by Sabbath), it still occupies a unique spot in my now-jaded brain. Sadly, it marked the end, for a time anyway, of this amazing lineup – my favourite incarnation of Black Sabbath. But they would be reborn like a phoenix more than once, as we shall see.

13. Black Sabbath (1970)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

This is where it all began. Peals of thunder and rain and church bells and a witch in the woods... and those chords. Those all-consuming bog-blasting chords. Thus began Black Sabbath - the first song on the first album (also called Black Sabbath) by the band of the same name. Some have pondered Sabbath's connection to underground occult rockers Coven, whose first LP, Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls, with its Satanic lyrics and imagery, predates Sabbath's debut by some months. Coven's first album contains an evocative cut entitled Black Sabbath, which is an entirely different tune (one about calls to a black mass) than the one written by the band Black Sabbath. It's hard to say if Sabbath heard Coven's track before recording their own tune about a dark figure come to claim a man's soul or not. Ozzy apparently wrote the lyrics based on an idea by Geezer (Ozzy penned only a small handful of Sabbath lyrics; Geezer wrote the vast majority until Dio joined up). What is certain is that Geezer Butler named the band for a film he and Tony went to see – Black Sabbath was its English language title, though its original Italian title translates as Three Faces of Fear as it was a horror anthology with three segments hosted by Boris Karloff and directed by the brilliant filmmaker Mario Bava. It should be noted, however, that Coven's influence undoubtedly informed and made possible Sabbath's early image and iconography.

For all that, the song Black Sabbath, heresy though this may be, is slightly played out for me due to incessant spins in high school. However, its power is undeniable, and its impact legendary. I must note here that the song as interpreted by later Sabbath vocalist Ian Gillan is much stronger, and I vastly prefer that version. I know I'm in the minority on that one, alas. I'm a bit overtired of The Wizard as well. It's great fun, with its drug dealer as folk figure lyrics and rousing harmonica, but I'm a bit, er, burnt out on the song. Behind the Wall of Sleep is a pounding tune seemingly inspired by HP Lovecraft's dream cycle and segues nicely into the bass solo Bassically, which in turn is the intro to N.I.B. With its elemental distorted bass riff, N.I.B. (which doesn't stand for anything, despite long standing rumours that it's an acronym for Nativity in Black) constitutes the heaviest moments of the album and my most-cherished ones as well. I especially enjoy Geezer's lyrics with their concept of Satan pleading for love from a mortal woman and offering her “the sun, the moon, the stars.. all bear my seal”. N.I.B. remains my favourite track on Black Sabbath and one of my all-time favourite compositions by the band (though I prefer Dio's live rendering vocally).

Side 2 (recall those days?) is more consistent, with the jazzy Wicked World, rife with the doom and gloom Butler worldview that fans would become accustomed to from Sabbath. The bracing and lengthy Aynsley Dunbar cover Warning finishes the album, but is preceded by a morose acoustic intro Bit of Finger and a brief portentous piece Sleeping Village. Taken together, side two is an amazing tapestry of acidic sound, giving the entire band room to stretch out and jam. The band is so youthful and supercharged here, with Bill Ward's swinging percussion and Tony's scathing solos absolutely nailing it throughout. Ozzy's voice never sounded so limber, full, and blues-tinged. Some versions of this album include Evil Woman, another cover (originally by the group Crow), a solid track but more upbeat and not as fitting to the LP as Wicked World. Modern CDs include both cuts. Black Sabbath was, without question, a dark and overcast album for its time, but it was nothing to the game changing next record Paranoid.

12. Master of Reality (1971)

Same lineup as Black Sabbath.

Sabbath's third LP was the album that defined doom for musicians and listeners alike for decades. Master of Reality is touted by some as the first “stoner rock” album, and there may be some truth there. It opens, after all, with Sweet Leaf, extolling the virtues of the proverbial weed with the roots in hell, with its addictive guitar hook, chugging bass, and clattering drums. The next track, After Forever, delivers a massive riff driving home an explicitly pro-Christian message. This song was credited solely to Tony Iommi but years later Tony admitted he did not write the lyrics and that Geezer did.

There aren't any weak tracks on Master of Reality, but my least favourite selection has to be, ironically, the standout track for many and one that made it into most set lists – Children of the Grave. It opens with a short instrumental Embryo, and possesses a fine galloping riff and amazing, thought-provoking anti-nuclear war lyrics from Butler (who truly changed rock lyrics forever). The next track, Orchid, is a fine guitar piece that leads into the crunching slow plod of Lord of This World, a haunting tract narrated from the POV of Satan himself informing an unfortunate man how his actions have damned him. I especially enjoy the playing on this tune by the entire group.

The sedate and mournful Solitude is my personal fave, sporting Ozzy's most beautiful vocals anywhere and ornate acoustic and clean electric guitar layers and what sounds like a flute (which is likely Iommi, as he does play the instrument). Solitude is a truly remarkable song and one of Sabbath's very finest. Album closer Into the Void is a classic – a loping buzzing riff that winds through various permutations before going all out thrash (this very well may have been the first thrash metal song). The lyrical setup is one of apocalypse, as the people of Earth are laying waste to their own planet, while freedom fighters escape the earth and hurl into the void, risking their own destruction to find a new home. This is sonic sci-fi impressionism – the perfect close to a near perfect album. Master of Reality, with it immeasurable influence that still holds a morbid sway over its listeners, is a towering metallic landmark.

11. Live at Hammersmith Odeon (2007)

Same lineup as Live Evil.

Around the time of the compilation Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, which led to the Heaven & Hell tour and band rechristening, this album from the Mob Rules tour was released. It took me completely off guard – a second authorized Dio era live album? Almost too good to be true – except it is true and it is that good. Live Evil, as noted, had a tremendous impact on me and is an amazing document. While this album hasn't been with me as long, it's continued to blow me away with each listen. Frankly, it's cleaner, tighter, more powerful, simply better than Live Evil. It soars majestically, it pounds and pulverizes, it croons and it growls, and takes no prisoners. Any album with this lineup is cause for celebration and is bound to pole vault over some other favourites, As it is, it was a toss up between this and Dehumanizer as to which would occupy the bottom rung of my top 10. The latter won out based on its freshness, but this wasn't far behind.

E5150 again sets the stage for what is to come – a spirited Neon Knights followed by one of the finest readings of N.I.B. I have yet to hear and I've heard a good number from both Ronnie and Ozzy (My wife even sings N.I.B. at karaoke). Dio howls, growls, and in the melodic break, sings with so much purity and passion that it's easy to recall that Geezer wrote the song about the Devil falling in love. Children of the Sea is vastly superior to the already impressive Live Evil rendition. Dio truly shines on this tune (as always) but this take is truly sharp and inspired. I can never underestimate the hold this song has over me. There are some nice surprises in this set list - Country Girl and Slipping Away, both from Mob Rules. The latter has rarely been performed live. Dio, Iommi, Butler, and Appice run through some truly inspired readings that without exception outstrip the versions on Live Evil.

Vinny Appice is simply awesome on this album – a one-man battery never short of inventive licks and a more than ample replacement for the mighty Bill Ward. Possibly the finest run through of the song Heaven and Hell appears here, with a jazzy solo from Tony and some beautiful work by Geoff Nicholls. This take lacks much of the irritating improvs on Dio's part and most of the audience participation deal. Dio humorously attempts to get a young lady in the audience to sing for him, to no avail. There are very focused, brisk readings of the classics Black Sabbath, War Pigs, Iron Man, and Paranoid, and an especially tight take on The Mob Rules. Ronnie's ad libs grate on occasion, though at this particular show they are more inspired and complement, rather than detract from, the material.

This recording is quite an epiphany. I have a hunch that I'll catch some flak for placing it so high. I mean, come on, is it a better work than Master of Reality or the debut album? As an original work of course not, but it edges out those LPs by the faintest of hairs in my estimation. Again, a quandary to tackle and one in which must follow my passion. This material and its presentation here move me, quite simply put. Live at Hammersmith Odeon contains outstanding versions of the Dio Sabbath songs that I love so much (and that originally appear on albums higher up on this list) and creative takes of the Ozzy era material. This is my favourite incarnation of Sabbath at their very finest live. It is a Sabbath sound that is my personal preference, though that obviously doesn't negate my feelings for other iterations of the band. I will say, though, that I pray for the release one day of a live album from the Born Again tour with Ian Gillan on vocals. That would possibly outstrip all six of the live offerings essayed in this article.

10. Dehumanizer (1992)

Same lineup as Live Evil.

Here begins the top 10. Dehumanizer once again was a difficult choice over some of the other albums ranked slightly lower, so I must assume the role of apologist for this extremely underrated album. The reunion of the Mob Rules/ Live Evil/ Live at Hammersmith Odeon lineup resulted in a stark and powerful record, their finest since Seventh Star. The songs are generally quite grinding but with some wonderful melodic breaks featuring Dio at the top of his form. After an industrial-tinged opening, Computer God detonates this explosive album, as if to announce, as Ozzy might bellow, “We're back motherfuckers!” and leads right into the doomy intro to After All (The Dead). There are echoes of Metallica and other then current thrash metal bands. This brings the group into the modern era, to stand proudly beside those they influenced, as relevant as ever. TV Crimes was the single of the album, and received a humorous video. It's built on a cracking riff, very thrashy, with pointed lyrics that lambast televangelism. Letters from Earth (named for a Mark Twain book written from the POV of Satan) is my favorite track, though I much prefer the alternate version which appeared as the B side of TV Crimes and has superior bridges and lyrics. Time Machine, the other single of sorts, appeared on the Wayne's World soundtrack, but that isn't the version on this album. Again I prefer the non-album alternative take.

Dehumanizer falters a bit halfway through - Buried Alive and Too Late are decent but Sins of the Father (definitely a filler track) failed to make an impression on me. Master of Insanity took awhile to grow on me, but now I love it. 'I' rescues the latter part of the album. It's an impressive track, with Dio's ferocious lyrics belted out over an insistent riff and some wild effects-laden Iommi antics in the intro, breaks, and solo. With so many strong tracks, and the alternate versions tossed into later CDs, I can overlook the weaker cuts and place Dehumanizer in my top 10. It's an able comeback that finds the band completely rejuvenated. It was the last grand spark of inspiration for any of these musicians in my view. Not to say these four gentlemen didn't write some great songs throughout the next two decades, some even together, but no cohesive statement from any of them yielded so fine a result.

Dehumanizer is a breathtaking return to form after the tepid Tyr, and an improvement over the last few Dio solo albums that preceded it as well. The album was under-appreciated in its day, but the years have been kind, and it's looked on much more favorably now, as it should be. The sheer exuberance of hearing my most-loved iteration of my favourite band obscures any flaws this album may have. The production by Mack (of Queen fame) is spot-on – heavy, thrashing, a bit dry (though not Rick Rubin dry), and thoroughly modern with an incessantly raw vibe. The tour supporting this album was magnificent. It was not the last time these gents played together, but the last time they sounded so damned good. It's a shame they canceled their show in my city. They fell apart during that tour, with Judas Priest's Rob Halford subbing for Dio on the final shows (and he sounds amazing on the Dio and Ozzy material). Iommi and Butler reinstated Tony Martin on vocals to create the aforementioned extremely lukewarm Cross Purposes. Finally, I'm not crazy about Dehumanizer's cover; it's tied with Headless Cross as Black Sabbath's most lackluster album cover.

9. Paranoid (1970)

Same lineup as Black Sabbath.

This one is impossible not to include in the top 10, and easily outdistances Dehumanizer. A perennial favourite, one that defines the band for countless folks, it could easily pass into cliché as so much so-called 'classic rock' has. The album is admittedly slightly played out for this listener. But heard freshly, its overwhelming heaviness and endless invention cannot be denied. This album changed the face of music forever, from the bone crunching sound to the lyrics exploring the evils of humanity with an almost nihilistic worldview (these were no peace-loving hippies).

The album opens with a soul-destroying guitar riff and bass line, air raid sirens and the group playing superhumanly tight (as they do on the entire album). This is War Pigs, a savage anti-war tract reworked from a tune called Walpurgis. That song was apparently about a black mass but Geezer changed the lyrics. War Pigs was going to be the album's title, but then the band quickly knocked out the short single Paranoid and retitled the album, and the rest, as they say, is history. And what a history it has been. That single and its eponymous LP broke the band and became the bedrock of 44 years of Black Sabbath. Paranoid possesses a great infectious bass line and an unforgettable fuzz guitar solo. Little wonder that it became a huge hit single. Paranoid was the second Sabbath song that I recall hearing back in 1981 after the then-current Voodoo. It was played on the radio quite frequently and I wondered why the station didn't play more from this haunting band.

The third Sabbath song I ever encountered, played in school by a preening bully I often ran afoul of, was Iron Man. Its heaviness honestly frightened me yet also made me more curious than ever to explore this allegedly Satan worshiping aggregate. I wondered, based on the lyrics (the likes of which I'd not heard plied by any of my favourite groups), if the tune was inspired by the Marvel Comics superhero, whose adventures I collected and loved. Except in the song Iron Man goes mad and becomes a villain. Many years later, I watched an interview with Geezer where he does state that the song is about the “comic book hero” going mad. I loved the frightening yet seductive tune and wanted the album, though it was actually three years before I added Paranoid to my growing Sabbath collection (I collected them on cassette at that point).

Every album has a least favourite track on it, and Fairies Wear Boots is likely mine on here. My favorite song on Paranoid these days would be Planet Caravan, a psychedelic, mellow excursion into the lyrical world of sci-fi/ fantasy that Geezer memorably mines on occasion. Ozzy sings at his very best, almost equaling his work on Solitude, though here he uses some interesting effects on his voice. Two tracks, Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom, are archetypes of the gloomy cautionary tales woven by Butler on the early Sabbath albums. These songs warn, respectively, of nuclear war and drug addiction. Electric Funeral's signature sound is its furious wah pedal work by Iommi. Every incarnation of Black Sabbath includes the aforementioned unholy triumvirate of classics (War Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man) in their live set. Paranoid's long dark shadow stretches across all of the band's subsequent work. Its iconic status is owed to its enduring influence and power.

8. Vol 4 (1972)

Tony Iommi, guitars, keyboards

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

Black Sabbath's “progressive” era begins in earnest here. Vol 4 is an omen of the prog tendencies to come, and charts the direction of the next two albums (the band's finest work with Ozzy). This is a definitive Sabbath album, even more than Paranoid, as it marks a major evolution of the band's sound and lyrical concerns. The gloomy sludge of Master of Reality is fused with dense and convoluted song structures. Geezer's lyrics move away from the occult and society's ills and into more existentialist introspection.

Opening with Tony's guitar crying out in despair,  Wheels of Confusion explodes into a clobbering riff with Bill Ward's drums smashing through the song and spiraling along its melody. Geezer's words brim with disillusionment and resignation, and are brought perfectly to life by Ozzy. Tony crafts endless reams of inventive riffs. The song has several parts, including a final section called The Straightener, just as War Pigs had a lengthy outro called Luke's Wall. The band furthers their experiments with composition begun on their previous two records. Tomorrow's Dream continues in this vein lyrically and musically, marshaling its razor sharp percussion and colossal riffing to paint a tale of sorrow and heartbreak.

Changes continues this strain of lyricism with a dreary break up song that musically disrupts the mood of the album thus far with with a stark tune comprised of Tony on piano and mellotron, and Ozzy dominating the piece and cannily conveying the suffering of the song's protagonist. Ozzy acquits himself well here, though after Planet Caravan and his peak Solitude, the quality of his voice is slightly disappointing. From here on, Ozzy's voice is better suited to belting out aggressive tunes than dabbling in balladry, with some very notable exceptions (all to be discussed as we move ahead). I appreciate the swell of feeling that went into Changes and it's among my favourite tracks on Vol 4 in part because it is a ballad and I love to hear Sabbath render ballads (remember I'm a sucker for Feels Good to Me and No Stranger to Love).

After the very short soundscape FX, roaring up next is Supernaut with cryptic lyrics and monotonous riffing. This is my least favourite tune on Vol 4, though I love the percussive break near the end; it's quite incredible. Even a track like this that I don't hold in the highest esteem I still find eminently listenable though. The song is popular among Sabbath fans and it was resurrected for the Born Again tour. Vol 4 picks up with the mighty riff and loping drums of Snowblind, which features excellent vocals extolling the virtues of cocaine, which the band was apparently consuming massive quantities of during this time. Snowblind has a fantastic melodious break and a beautiful solo by Tony. Snowblind retains the heavy prog stylings of Wheels of Confusion as they launch into Cornucopia, which begins with a perfect doom metal riff by Tony and Geezer and then departs into a fast break. Ward's work is, as throughout the album, exceptional. The chorus vanishes into lush sonic landscapes before settling into a straightforward jam.

I'm most passionate about the two pieces that follow. Laguna Sunrise is a glorious acoustic workout by Tony, and St. Vitus Dance, with guitars alternating betwixt twang and crunch, chronicles a relationship crushed by misunderstanding. This subject matter was only occasionally broached by Sabbath back then; the band wasn't exactly known for traditional love songs. But, come to think of it, this is actually the third tune on the album to broach the topic of hard breakups. Geezer just treated such topics unconventionally; he wasn't your typical pop wordsmith. St. Vitus Dance is possibly my favourite song on the album, and a lot of that is based on the lyrics. The epic end track Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes opens with an archetypal doom riff. This tune boasts perhaps the finest example of Geezer's lyrics devoted to self-determinism. Almost a reaction to allegations of Sabbath being Satanic, Under the Sun rebuffs demonic worship as thoroughly as it does monotheism, and rejects all dogmatic belief systems (“I don't believe in violence/ Don't even believe in peace/ I've opened the door / Now my mind's been released”). This is without question my second favourite track on Vol 4. The ending is a great dirge with Iommi soloing madly over it, closing out an exceptional and important album.

7. Technical Ecstasy (1976)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums, vocals

Jezz Woodroffe, keyboards

A widely disliked Sabbath record, Technical Ecstasy is one of my absolute favorites. Many folks think it's too much straightforward rock 'n' roll. Some mourn for the band's progressive direction being forsaken (believe me I empathize). But I love the treasure trove of riffs, the instrumental interplay between the band and Jezz Woodroffe on keys, and Tony's lead work throughout. His solos are truly inspired and quite impassioned on this LP. First song Back Street Kids has a great riff and indeed is about, well, rock and roll. The dominant lyrical focus of the album seems to be rebellion against anything that threatens one's individuality. Doing as one wilt seems to be the whole of the law on this record, according to Geezer and articulated by Mr. Osbourne. I suppose in a sense the album is about rock 'n' roll – that original spirit of rock as rebellion and self-affirmation in a world of conformity (an attitude later codified as punk rock, which Sabbath had an undeniable influence upon).

You Won't Change Me is my second favourite track on Technical Ecstasy, and furthers the idea of self-reliance, though the song's protagonist seems to be admitting that he may need some one else besides himself (perhaps even God he admits). However, he ultimately believes in only himself and refuses to change (echoes of Under the Sun). The cut is unforgettable due to the solid rhythm section, the outstanding work by Ozzy and Jezz, and, most of all, Tony's searing fretwork – surely an example of his greatest soloing. He was obviously in a good place when this album was recorded because he is unmatchable here for metallic lead guitar brilliance. My favourite song on the album is It's Alright, which by rights should have been a hit, and Bill Ward contributes some awesome vocals on the track. This song was sung by Bill due to Ozzy giving the band a bit of trouble (he quit the band after the Technical Ecstasy tour). Bill sounds great on here; it's a very different song for Sabbath and he pulls it off beautifully. Tony has a nice lead break but that's about all that sounds “Sabbathy” about this cut. The first part of the tune is devoted to Bill's vocals and drums, and Woodroffe's piano; after the abbreviated solo, Tony comes back in and solos furiously through the rest of the track – except on a flamenco-styled acoustic guitar. This is gorgeous stuff I wish he would've done more of.

Gypsy is another interesting track, with mystical-magickal lyrics on which Tony contributes some astonishing lead work. Ozzy and Jezz sound especially good on this tune. All Moving Parts (Stand Still), features a funky bass line from Geezer, and his lyrics suggest that the tune is about a kinky and corrupt politician. This is a highly enjoyable piece with a shredding truncated solo and an outro solo played through a reverse gate. One track I actually dislike is Rock N Roll Doctor (which was resurrected on the Born Again tour!), seemingly about a Dr. Feelgood type supplying the song's protagonist. She's Gone, a mournful ballad a la Changes, is the only other weaker track and even it is quite good. Ozzy's voice works well on this track to convey sorrow.

Tony Iommi really shines on Technical Ecstasy, his best solo work encompassed in three tracks – You Won't Change Me , Gypsy, and album closer Dirty Women, one of the finest tracks on the record, on which he shreds madly over Geezer's ode to prostitution. Tony is a six string behemoth on this album, and Ozzy, despite his voice beginning its decline and losing some of its power (and he himself losing interest in the band), perfectly suits the material. Technical Ecstasy is not a perfect record. But despite this, the album's strengths are so abundant it still ranks among my most treasured Sabbath documents and is too brilliant and eclectic to be merely Black Sabbath's “rock 'n' roll record”.

6. Seventh Star (1986)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Glenn Hughes, vocals

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

Dave Spitz, bass
Eric Singer, drums
Gordon Copley, guest bassist

This one very narrowly beat out Technical Ecstasy. Some may question why I would even put this recording in the same league. Warning: I am a staunch apologist for Seventh Star, an album credited to “Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi” and sporting a radically different lineup and sound than its predecessor Born Again. You see, it was the 1980s and everyone it seemed was selling out. Pop metal and "power ballads" became all the rage. Those and big hair. Black Sabbath of all bands was roped into these trends. I believe that after Geezer Butler left the band, Iommi wanted to do something very different and do it as a solo album. But once all the behind the scenes intrigue ran its course, the dust cleared and Iommi, Geoff Nicholls, and their new recruits were Black Sabbath once more. Many bemoan this fact. I'm not one of them. I'd prefer Butler being in the band, and am not overly enamored of work that strives to be commercial. However, I am a huge fan of Glenn Hughes and feel his presence ensured a certain level of quality, coming to Sabbath as he did from the same pool of talent as Gillan, Dio, Airey, Daisley and Powell – all Sabbath players who had worked with Ritchie Blackmore.

Glenn Hughes makes the most prosaic numbers brim with soul-inflected urgency. He is utterly convincing on all of the material here, even the more straight ahead rockers but especially on the title track; the extended blues of Heart Like A Wheel; the emotive two part album closer; and, particularly, on the “hit single” of the record, No Stranger to Love, Sabbath's first power ballad. Seventh Star opens with the battery of In for the Kill, a fine tune in its own right but definitely the weakest on the record. Then comes No Stranger to Love, a song I admit to being totally obsessed with. I actually prefer the single version to the LP version. The single is augmented with souped up choruses composed of many Hughes tracks wailing behind his lead vocals. This cut is a totally infectious tune that features Iommi, Hughes, and Nicholls in top form. The song spawned a decent though head-scratching music video. It's also my favourite cut on Seventh Star and one of my all-time favourite Sabbath numbers.

I admit to a fondness for the more straight ahead Turn to Stone and Danger Zone (the first selection I heard off the album). The title track, introduced by a keyboard piece called The Guardian, is a standout. Some of the album's finest lyrics are on display here, the solo is great, and the riff is quite hypnotic. After the marvelous extended bluesy workout of Heart Like A Wheel, a two-part track brings the record to a powerful close. Angry Heart is a surging guitar/ organ riff that finds Hughes contemplating lost love through an existential lens. The cut segues into the acoustic guitar and piano-dominated In Memory..., the most melancholy tune here and the most depressing end to a Sabbath record since Over and Over closed Mob Rules. Both of these maudlin tunes are excellent, powerful stuff to close out an album that in its way ranks as another of the band's many experiments.

Regarding Seventh Star's lineup and musicianship, the rhythm section is perfunctory. This is the biggest weakness the album has. After Geezer on bass and Bill, Vinny, and even Bev Bevan (Sabbath's drummer on and off after Bill Ward left a second time) on drums, Dave Spitz and Eric Singer are a huge step down in this department. Fortunately, the other three members of this incarnation of Sabbath more than make up for the rhythmic shortcomings. However, this is the album I hold in the highest esteem that doesn't have Butler, Ward, or Appice on it so I understand why some would question my critical acuity. Ironically the song with the finest bass line is No Stranger, but that tune features Gordon Copley rather than Spitz on bass. It's sadly the only track where Copley appears. The drums have no finesse; they're just relentless pounding (though that does work beautifully on a couple of tracks). At least the rhythm section is tight. Conversely, performance-wise, Hughes' voice is top notch on every track, Nicholls sounds fine and is more prominently featured, and Iommi is, well, Iommi – the Maestro. Seventh Star features lyrics by Glenn Hughes and Geoff Nicholls though I'm not sure who did what. Sadly the lyrics are not up to the incredibly high bar set by all of the Sabbath albums prior to this. Without question, the band playing on this album is an example of something being greater than the sum of its parts.

I suppose the bottom line is that Seventh Star is an acquired taste for Sabbath fans. It departs radically from all that came before and due to its origins as a Tony Iommi solo album, many don't even consider it a “real” Sabbath record, but as prevously noted, I'm not one of them. I am admittedly very nostalgic when it comes to this record, and without question that colors my feelings about it. However, I believe if one “listens without prejudice”, i.e. check your preconceived notions at the door as to what Black Sabbath “should” be, you will find one of the greatest melodic metal records of the eighties. If Born Again was their last masterpiece, then Seventh Star was the last Sabbath album possessed of true greatness (at least until Dehumanizer).

5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ozzy Osbourne, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

Rick Wakeman, keyboards

Leaping far ahead of Seventh Star in this odd countdown is Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. When I first encountered this album, Mob Rules was on sale and its album cover frightened me enough. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath's cover absolutely terrified me. Like a lot of darker music and art that I was exposed to back then, I dubbed the album “evil”. Within a year or two, though, my stance was, “Maybe it is evil... so what?” I'm infinitely more inclusive these days, needless to say, and the album cover is one of my favourite Sabbath covers. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath itself is a lyrical masterwork, and highlights Butler and Iommi 's superhuman talent for composition, be it together or separately (though I prefer the former).

In opening this album, once more we are faced with the primacy of the almighty Iommi riff. The title track weaves another second person tale of being trapped, deceived, and lied to by “You bastards!” (meaning society?), and facing an apparently horrid fate. In addition to Tony's usual excellent work, it should be noted that Ozzy sounds especially fine here, aided a bit by some studio gimcrackery. Following the title track is A National Acrobat, one of the most lyrically inscrutable selections ever put to tape by Sabbath. The words have reached an absolute peak of eloquence, with Geezer's themes steeped in cosmic mysticism and visions of rebirth, reincarnation, and just what lies beyond this life (One of my favourite lines: “When little worlds collide I'm trapped inside my embryonic cell/ And flashing memories are cast into the never ending well”). The guitars are beautifully multi-tracked, allowing Tony to harmonize with himself. These layers contain mini-riffs and stings and much wah. As with most of proggy Sab material, this tune veers off into a melodic track near the end then a tempestuous jam, with Ward shining out and the band preternaturally tight. A National Acrobat is addictive listening, and one of my most-loved Sabbath songs.

Next is Fluff, a captivating instrumental, and one of my favourite Sabbath pieces. Fluff is a slow five minute long composition with several interlocking layers of acoustic guitar, along with some electric undertones and a sprinkle of piano from Rick Wakeman (from Yes; he serves as Sabbath's first real keyboardist in order to expand their sound). Sabbra Cadabra is my least favourite track on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, a “rocking” love song that still possesses some catchy runs and nice work by Wakeman. This tune is rather lightweight, at least put in relief against the remainder of the album. Killing Yourself to Live is another well-done number, with energy to burn, especially from Bill. Again, Ozzy is outstanding here. This was a golden period for him; he wasn't able, seemingly, to still do the really soft melodious material justice (with exceptions), but he could belt out tunes with power, and use his unique voice to enhance and draw you into the material.

Who Are You starts with what sounds like an ARP Odyssey synthesizer. This is a dark tune, lyrically and tonally, though not really guitar heavy, as the keyboards dominate. There is great piano and synth work throughout, and it's almost a shame Wakeman couldn't have stayed but he was quite in demand then. Wakeman is (as to be expected from his body of work) fantastic throughout this record, and he definitely sounds like a “fifth member”. Jezz Woodroffe became the band's keyboardist next and also contributed many memorable parts and seemed to gel with the band, but not for the long haul. And then, of course, there's that contingent that rejects the notion of keys in a metal band – though Sabbath was evolving beyond a “mere” metal band by this time. Looking for Today is another tune with several chord progressions and a lovely mellow section featuring morose lyrics (“When was the last time that you cried?”). The final song on the record, Spiral Architect, is an absolute classic, and should appear on any short list of great Sabbath tunes of any era. It opens with a nice acoustic piece by Tony and builds to sweeping electric glory as the band uses sonic tone poems to articulate the tale of a man, who may be a god, who creates a spiral city. The lyrics are still existentialist but this is more sentimental and almost utopian. This gloriously produced tune is a passionate and “progressive” Sabbath number that serves as a perfect closer for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, an album that (along with Sabotage), represents the apex of creativity of the band's original lineup.

4. Sabotage (1975)

Same lineup as Past Lives.

Slightly ahead of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath due to some extraordinary tracks, Sabotage is the earth-shattering climax of the band's “progressive” phase. Sabotage manages to be bone-crunchingly dense, while containing advanced compositions with many parts sewn together seamlessly. This album is laden with eclectic moods and shifting tonalities, and showcases the band's lyrical prowess and musical acumen. Sabotage finds the group still experimenting, still fresh, still heavy. This album contains some of Geezer's most incisive lyrics, encompassing phantasmagorical fantasy and cold hard reality. Hole in the Sky leads off with a punishing riff and evocative lyrics. The band's performance is ear-splittingly intense, and Geezer's bass line is particularly nice (All of Geezer's bass work on this album is exceptional). After a very brief acoustic guitar jam Don't Start (Too Late), the album unleashes the juggernaut that is Symptom of the Universe, which vies with a couple of earlier Sabbath tracks as the first thrash metal tune. Ozzy's vocals are outstanding. As counterpoint to the thrashing riff and several more heavy parts, it has a final section with relaxed and gorgeous acoustic guitars and some rather romantic lyricism (“Woman child of love's creation/ Come and step inside my dreams”).

Megalomania is a descent into madness, with Ozzy's narration veering into maudlin territory. The tune hangs on a haunting intro, with effects-laden vocals, then a trilling guitar (one of Tony's hallmarks) shifts moods as dramatically as in Symptom of the Universe. The song plunges ahead with more shifts and sections. The band has otherworldly arrangement talent on this album, stitching together numerous disparate parts to craft lengthy powerful pieces. Butler's words keep apace with the musical adventurousness and conjure all sorts of psychological and emotional states.

The Thrill of It All starts out with an undulating riff, and lovingly abstruse lyrics. Then it breaks into a melodic passage adorned with Ozzy's greatest lyric contribution, “Oh yeah”. Geezer is still reflecting on life, still philosophical, still self-determined, and Ozzy is still his exuberant mouthpiece. Butler's reflections on mankind in this track rank it among his finest lyrical contributions ("Won't you help me Mister Jesus/ Won't you tell me if you can/ When you see this world we live in/ Do you still believe in man?"). The next two tracks are my least favourite ones on the album. Supertzar, with a monotonous guitar riff and a choir singing, is an admirable experiment that overall I find tedious. This was used, on and off, over the years as an intro to Sabbath before they took the stage live. Am I Going Insane? (Radio) has nice melody, and is a decent tune, adding even more variety to the record. Outside of Supertzar, though, it is the weakest track on the album.

Lengthy album closer The Writ, however, could well be the masterpiece of Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne. It's certainly my all-time favourite of the Ozzy era tunes. I realize that's a lofty sentiment, but few if any of Sabbath's other tracks combine lyrical concerns that were flagrantly autobiographical, albeit distorted somewhat, beyond perhaps some of their doomed love songs. The titular writ was a legal notice served to the band, and they felt betrayed by their management. The Writ is a savage rebuke of the individuals that screwed over the group, and is Butler's ultimate statement of outrage, denouncing their betrayer. Ozzy's voice is top notch on this, through the song's various passages and permutations, showing Sabbath at their most inventive, a perfect fusion of their lyrics, vocals, and music.

The Writ opens with a quiet, almost sinister, bass line and Ozzy crying literally like a baby. Then comes the angry rebuke rendered in heavy chordings, with several arresting parts strung together inventively. The tune abruptly transforms into a pleasant albeit sludgy melody in tandem with suddenly optimistic words, then shifts into a section with acoustic guitar and what sounds like a harp. This section is achingly beautiful, beatific even. But Ozzy is plaintive, tragic in his appeal to be heard. Then the band alternates to the happy jam and then back to the heavenly chorus with some of Butler's finest words perfectly phrased – his feelings that no one can understand (“Too many people advising me/ But they don't know what my eyes see”). Ozzy is at his heartbreaking best, inhabiting another manifestation of the eternal rebel figure Geezer often paints him as. After The Writ is a “hidden” cut, an amusing bit with Bill Ward singing and Ozzy apparently on piano, singing Blow on a Jug very low in the mix. Sabotage was the climax of the original lineup. Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die were wonderful addenda, but if Black Sabbath had ended with Sabotage (and some think they should have), they would've been heralded as achieving more than most bands ever accomplish.

3. Heaven and Hell (1980)

Tony Iommi, guitars

Geezer Butler, bass

Ronnie James Dio, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

Of all of Sabbath's albums, the one I've had the strongest emotional bond with is Heaven and Hell. This album, and one track in particular, got me through some harrowing times. It occupies the proverbial special place in my heart. Heaven and Hell heralds Black Sabbath's rebirth after longtime vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was let go. It marks the group's first outing with Ronnie James Dio as lead singer. Geoff Nicholls is also added on keys with this album. Otherwise the instrumental band remains comprised of all original members, though an unhappy Ward will decamp during the tour supporting this LP. Still, though most of the ingredients are the same as when the band recorded Never Say Die, Heaven and Hell yields a very different result. Sabbath's entire sound changed drastically from the former to the latter album. Most of that can be attributed to Dio taking over as vocalist. Dio's range far outstrips Ozzy's; technique-wise he is a superior singer. This is inarguable. What is arguable is whether Dio is a better vocalist for Black Sabbath. Personally, I enjoy both men's work in Sabbath (though not so much the latter day Ozzy material), and think they both sound better when working with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler than on their solo albums. However I prefer Dio as Sabbath's lead vocalist, and enjoy his solo work much more than I do Osbourne's.

Much of the change in sound lies with the band itself deliberately going in a somewhat different direction. Sabbath's sound became more modern, even visionary; it was almost in line with the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal). Heaven and Hell's influence can certainly be heard on Bruce Dickinson-era Iron Maiden. The ways in which the band changed course due to Dio's presence though boil down to a total revision of the way they approached songwriting. Tony Iommi's songwriting process with Dio was very different than the band's writing procedure when Ozzy was in the group. This new vocalist writes his own lyrics, giving Butler a break after eight albums as one of rock's stellar wordsmiths. Dio's material is more metaphorical, and he often uses fantastic imagery to explore emotions. Dio's voice helped shape Sabbath's new sound. Dio brought to the group his soaring, florid vocals. He is a more passionate, even romantic, singer than Ozzy – but he can be fierce and hard-edged as well. Also unlike Ozzy, Dio collaborated on the music itself. Actually the entire album save for the track Neon Knights was composed by Dio and Iommi alone. For the first time Geezer was not Tony's main collaborator on the musical shape of a Sabbath album. Producer Martin Birch also helped craft Sabbath's cavernous new sound. Some of the rawness is sacrificed but I'd hardly call it too polished either. There is a special energy here that Birch manages to bottle.

The first track on Heaven and Hell, Neon Knights, is a template immediately establishing Ronnie's contributions. Here Dio takes the mystical and medieval concerns from his Rainbow days and ups the metaphors of circles and rings, dragons and kings, etc. to encompass loss (“Oh no here it comes again/ I can't remember when we came so close to love before/ Hold on good things never last / Nothing's in the past it always seems to come again”). Neon Knights is fast, tight, and precise – a churning riff overlaid with Dio's smooth but occasionally gritty vocals bathed in reverb. Upon my first listen to Heaven and Hell's opening track, I wasn't braced for its power; now I find it to be transcendent music.

Children of the Sea is the first song Iommi and Dio wrote together when they began their alliance. It's also a song about loss, memories of what once was, and romanticizing those memories (“We sailed across the air before we learned to fly/ We thought that it could never end”). It's a song about accepting loss, and confronting it, no matter how much you look back to more idyllic times. Children of the Sea is a catharsis, with its spiraling acoustic intro which traces Dio's voice from gentle to ferocious when the heavy riff kicks in, one of the most gripping riffs ever to spring from Mr. Iommi. The band is tighter than ever, Geezer's bass line surges forward, and Dio is waxing gloriously morose (“Oh they say that it's over/ And it just had to be”). I cannot express how much this track means to me – it has helped me ride over some massive peaks and valleys in my life. This song is an elegiac sonic poem and nothing less than Sabbath's finest hour, as far as this scribe is concerned.

I love all of the songs on the album, but Lady Evil would have to be my least favourite. This track is still well performed and has more of Dio's “running from evil women” lyrics. The lyrics are almost like something Dio might have written for his old band Elf. The song Heaven and Hell is a favourite track for many people. It's the one Dio era song that all four of Sabbath's subsequent vocalists performed live. It was Dio's audience participation favourite. It's a seminal track, with a majestic riff and solemn vocals – a sweeping, storming number emblematic of Sabbath's material with Dio. The latter half of the album is slightly weaker though it boasts fan favorite and music video subject Die Young (a track I love but which is not one of my favourite Dio Sabbath tunes). Wishing Well and Walk Away are the “lesser” cuts on the album, but I cherish them as well. Wishing Well has a beautiful melody line with (dare I say it) inspirational lyrics and some fine lead work from Tony.

Walk Away opens with a razor sharp guitar, a thooming bass, roiling drums, and the imperishable line “Lord she's handsome as she flows across the floor”. Iommi has a great tone on this often overlooked track. Despite its obscurity, it fits perfectly within the fabric of the album. Lonely is the Word is the grandiose final track, an ode to alienation. It begins (as most Sabbath material does) with a mammoth riff and concussive rhythm from Butler and Ward before Dio enters with a hymn to loneliness on a cosmic scale. The expansive solo section opens up the tune and expresses despair just as well as Dio's lyrics. Moving from mellow, jazzy lines (with his signature octaves) to frenetic scaling, Tony's Gibson SG wails for some time, constantly building momentum as the band lead him back to Dio's final cries of desolation. From there Nicholls' keys gradually rise like a tide in the mix while Tony continues to stretch out, wrenching pathos from his tortured strings. What an amazingly sad closer. Heaven and Hell is definitely the most melancholy statement by the Dio-Iommi-Butler alliance – and also the most groundbreaking. Transcendent music indeed.

2. Mob Rules (1981)

Same lineup as Live Evil.

As I briefly related earlier, Voodoo was the first Sabbath song I ever heard, in the middle of the night (on a school night!) on a rock radio station I was an avid listener to. This was when Mob Rules was newly on sale. I first saw the record itself at the mall afterward and the album cover frightened me. I considered this evil Satanic music and definitely off limits. And yet... and yet... it was seductive. I soon fell under its sway and became hopelessly addicted to Live Evil (capturing the Mob Rules tour). Soon after I sought out that evil Satanic record, Mob Rules, and began a long, torrid relationship with this finest of Dio era Sabbath albums. To me, Mob Rules is the crowning achievement of Dio's collaboration with Iommi and Butler. There is nothing here quite on the level of Heaven and Hell's Children of the Sea or the majesty of that album's title track (though more than one track on Mob Rules comes close), but as a whole this album gels better and every track is incredibly strong, song for song, whereas Heaven and Hell is ever so slightly spottier on the latter half of the album.

Turn Up the Night opens up the album with a thrashing rhythm laced with wah-laden leads and Dio's enigmatic lyricism. Next comes, at last, Voodoo, the song that had haunted me for many months. From the most ominous guitar riff ever devised by Iommi, the track barrels forward with pummeling drums and bass. Enter Dio's chilling delivery of “Say you don't love me you'll burn”. With lyrics like “Call me the Devil, it's true/ some can't accept but I crept inside you”, I'd never heard a song so thoroughly diabolical. Sign of the Southern Cross was a wholly different animal. A lovely acoustic opening and gentle vocals segue into a rampaging riff and pulverizing drums. From there the tune alternates between quieter parts limned with bass guitar drowned in effects to a reprise of the main guitar riff. Dio's voice climbs ever higher with more of his oblique lyrics with a mystical, didactic bent. Geezer was cautionary, and so is Dio, but Ronnie isn't quite as nihilistic, as though he finds some hope for the doomed world both men have written so eloquently about over the decades. Both men are astrologically Cancers, interestingly, and share a sensitivity that manifests in the singular worldviews put forth in their words.

From here the album dips into E5150, a well of ambiance dominated by Nicholls' synth; non-lyrical vocals; and guitars and bass heavily treated in effects (a direction the band mines more heavily in their next studio LP). This darkly atmospheric piece leads the way into the classic riff of the album's title track, originally conceived for the soundtrack to the film Heavy Metal, and indeed the tale of an evil invasion syncs perfectly with the passage of the film it's used in. The Mob Rules is a blistering track, and one of Sabbath's most popular. Next comes the sublime Country Girl with its simple but powerful drums, raging solo, and yet another timeless riff. Country Girl is another tale, like Lady Evil and some tracks on his Elf and Rainbow albums, of Ronnie Dio warning of an evil woman he's fleeing from. “Her smile was a winter song, a sabbath ending” is my favourite line in Country Girl, mainly because it's the only time Dio uses the word “sabbath” in a Sabbath song.

After the jamming interlude Slipping Away, notable for its bass and guitar breaks, comes a flawless track, Falling Off the Edge of the World. Like Sign of the Southern Cross and Heaven and Hell, it has an epic scope, and begins with fragile vocals and a haunting keyboard melody. The shifting dynamics include a bass drum pulse that becomes more insistent until it explodes into a raw dirge, then a raging fast riff that hurtles toward a dramatic finale. With some of Dio's soul-shattering lines, final cut Over and Over is the most mournful tune on the album, and one of the saddest songs Dio has ever written (“Too many flames with too much to burn/ And life's only made of paper”). Tony's guitars come crashing in with one of his greatest melodies, alongside intense work by Vinny. The track closes with Tony' soloing, going completely off the deep end with his squalling wah throwing shapes. He scales harder and harder til he's practically careening off the fretboard. The guitar screams out in pain as Iommi manhandles it, and in the final fade out he's still going at it.

I have listened to this album endlessly for over 30 years and I never weary of it. This band has reached its summit here. They're hermetically tight and astonishingly heavy; Vinny has seamlessly assimilated into the band as a more than able replacement for the brilliant Bill Ward; Nicholls is somewhat more prominent; and Dio has his footing so solid on the vocal side of things it was as if he was always in the band, born to sing in Black Sabbath (though naysayers will differ with me on this point). The chemistry between the four main members (and Geoff) has created music that I've taken with me most of my life and that will never end. I used to believe that this album distilled everything great about Black Sabbath over their entire career into one perfect document. Almost. That honor goes to the next entry in this piece.

1. Born Again (1983)

Tony Iommi, guitars, flute

Geezer Butler, bass

Ian Gillan, vocals

Bill Ward, drums

Geoff Nicholls, keyboards

If Forbidden is the nadir of Black Sabbath's output, then Born Again is surely the zenith. Combining the experimentation of the Ozzy years with the straightforward melodic power of the Dio years and Ian Gillan's unbridled ferocity, this album lives up to the fears every parent and pastor held for years as to what Black Sabbath was really all about – an all-out quintessentially rebellious assault on all convention, propriety, and religion. For an aficionado of heavy, transgressive music, it is something to glory in. No other Sabbath recording grabs and shakes me so viscerally as Born Again. It generously rewards with every listen.

From the initial track Trashed with its fast, crashing chords and Gillan's trademark shriek you know you're in for something mind-splittingly heavy. Gillan goes for the throat right at the outset, segueing into a melodic chorus and back into an unholy scream, and is followed by Tony's insanely shredding guitar solo, where he makes extensive use of the whammy bar for the first time. He abuses the tremolo all through the album actually. Trashed was the LP's chosen single, and spawned a ridiculous music video (post-Ozzy, it took til No Stranger to Love for this band to actually have a classy music video). This album is unrelenting in its fury yet also touches on its progressive roots hearkening back to the band's middle period. This is embodied in the moody ambient piece Stonehenge, featuring Nicholls, which erupts into Disturbing the Priest with its down-tuned riffing and maniacal laughter. This pummeling tune has several parts – its stanzas, with Tony doing wild lead work, followed by a heavy chorus featuring a booming bass and the bruising battery of returning drummer Bill Ward. Then comes an amazing bridge with pounding bass and the lines “Good life is contradiction /Because of crucifixion/If you're ready and have the need/ I will take your soul and plant my seed”. Again Gillan's voice soars to delirious heights. He is also quite good on the quieter but no less menacing passage of the tune as he intones, “The force of the Devil is what we're all told to fear/Watch out for religion when he gets too near”.

The Dark is another eerie soundscape featuring a heavy effects processor on a portentous bass lick. This lick meshes into Zero the Hero and recurs throughout, urging the track forward as a reverse gated effect runs counter to it. There are many layers of fractured sounds weaving around Tony's grand riff and Ian's clever wordplay. The Zero the Hero riff was allegedly nicked by Guns 'N' Roses for Paradise City. Not surprising given that they covered It's Alright at many shows. This track also, amazingly, received a music video, and, again, I see little correlation between this tune's lyrics and the imagery chosen for the video.

Digital Bitch is a roaring piledriver of a track with a great up tempo and an ear splitting tremolo soaked lead right out of the gate. Again Ian's savage squeal strafes the brainpan. The lyrics to this tune, as the title implies, are somewhat tongue in cheek as are many of Gillan's lyrics here and elsewhere. Gillan often tells a story inspired by things and people he's observed or experienced in real life and he then twists them into satirical jabs (his Deep Purple lyrics, from Mary Long to Ted the Mechanic, bear this out). Gillan has said Disturbing the Priest was also conceived thusly.

Born Again's title track is the standout piece on an album loaded with brilliant cuts, and is my second favourite Sabbath song of all time following Children of the Sea. With its slow sullen guitar chording with flange, chorus, and mild distortion (I'm merely guessing which effects Tony used), Gillan's flawless phrasing is the finest vocal work on any Sabbath album, all apologies to Ronnie Dio. I must cite the evocative lyrics that open the song, obscure yet awesomely poetic: “If you look through my window/ Deep into my room/ At the tapestries all faded/ Their vague and distant glories concealed in the gloom/ Icy fingers of forgotten passion/ Softly brushing my lips/ At the tips of my primitive soul”. The mellow segments are hypnotic, Gillan's voice possessed of a coiled intensity. The track builds to ungodly heaviness and a chorus so intense that Gillan had trouble replicating his lines here in a live setting. He hits unparalleled notes, of the caliber he doled out on Deep Purple's Child in Time. The incredible contrast between the two extremes is more profound even than Dio's soft to hard dynamic. This is more like angelic to demonic. The song bottoms out to a nice reprise of the effects-laden intro riff and some nice percussive work by Ward, before hitting a crescendo with yet another staggering Tony Iommi guitar solo.

The two closing tracks are extremely energized thrashers. Hot Line is a titanic riff with groovy lyrics and Gillan's superhuman larynx going completely over the deep end as the song progresses. Keep It Warm is an ode to Ian's wife and lamentation of his distance from her while touring. The song boasts a long fearsome but very tuneful solo. These are fitting, rousing wrap ups to the album, though Keep It Warm could have stood to sheer about a minute off its running time with its endlessly repeating chorus – a very, very minor caveat.

Born Again weaves in and out sonically, encompassing dense layers of guitar and bass effects, including flanges, fades, reverse gates, Tony's signature wah work, and his newfound conquest of the whammy bar. Tony is credited with flute on the album but to this day I am hard pressed to identify where it appears; It must be dressed up in a haze of effects and meshes into the impenetrable mix. Gillan's work teeters between perfect tunefulness and savage displays of vocal prowess. Gillan, by the way, hated the final mix of the album. The original mixes are floating around and admittedly do sound sharper, though I personally love the sound of the record as is. The album's lyrics, as far as can be determined, were all penned by Gillan, and almost eclipse Geezer's and Dio's with their transgressive bent. One of the first things that struck me about Born Again was that the song titles sounded so much more prosaic than on the Ozzy and Dio albums as if the band had lost their literacy, with cuts like Trashed, Digital Bitch, Keep It Warm... even the punny Disturbing the Priest. How wrong I was. In general this album featured some of the band's most literate lyrics.

There is still an excitement among fans surrounding the Gillan era due its brevity and the album's cult status. Born Again the tour proves how amazing this configuration of Sabbath was. If only the tour could have been captured in an official recording (filming it would have been even better). Fortunately there are many bootlegged audio recordings of the touring lineup (no clear video exists), which included ELO's Bev Bevan on drums, who did an admirable job subbing for Bill - though Bev's not as intense as Vinny is at the kit. Live, Ian was at times unable to replicate the inhumanly high notes he hit on the LP, especially on the chorus to Born Again. Back to Born Again the album – without question it is among Sabbath's most experimental work, and it's certainly their most aggressive record. It stands as the the apogee of recordings of this most important of heavy music aggregates. Many will differ on this point, but I contend that Born Again is the seminal work by Black Sabbath.

Henry Covert

Special thanx to Joe Siegler (www.black-sabbath.com)

RIP Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)

Copyright 2014 George Henry Smathers Jr.