[edit] Black Sabbath: Paranoid

Release: 1971 (Earmark)

Members: Ozzy Osbourne - Lead Vocal Toni Iommi - Lead/Rhythm Guitars Terence Butler - Bass Guitar Bill Ward - Drums

Notable Tracks:

-War Pigs -Paranoid -Iron Man -Electric Funeral -Rat Salad

Black Sabbath laid the foundations of one of the most revolutionary genres of music, Heavy Metal. Black Sabbath used the same formula from their debut effort, using slow lumbering tempos with pummelling guitar riffs. Paranoid was the album that brought metal out of the underground and into the mainstream (despite resistance from radio stations to play the music). It fared extremely well in the bands home land, reaching #1, but was largely ignored in the states despite rave reviews. It did however manage to muster it's way into the top 40 with the singles "Iron Man" and "Paranoid". The Album also cemented a large enough fan base to give them success on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.

The Album itself is considered to be one of the "holy trinity" of British hard rock albums (rounded out by Deep Purple's Machine Head and Led Zeppelin's Untitled fourth album.) How could it not be with instantly recognizable riffs like in "Iron Man" and "Paranoid". Black Sabbath never strays too far away from their predictable manner, but Toni Iommi did experiment a little bit, using several over dubs for the solo in "Iron Man" and incorporating the sound of hammering an iron block in the intro as well as behind-the-nut bends. Iommi also experiments with effects on the guitar solo in the title track, "Paranoid". The only track that strikes me as stunningly different here is the stripped down, simplistic (but still ass kickingly great) almost fragmented sound of "War Pigs", the album's opener. It also shows lead singer Ozzy Osbourne expressing his dismay towards politicians in war time, it seems directed at British politicians in World War II, shown by the air raid siren at the beginning. The rhythm section of Butler and Ward make nice work of the keeping of time, some might say in a predictable manner, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing in this instance. It's what we all come to expect from Black Sabbath, and it's all we really want. Terence Butler and Toni Iommi often fuse their sounds by riffing in unison (octaves if you wanna get picky) to achieve that extra heaviness. Ward's drum fills always keep things rolling and interesting throughout. Sometimes the drum fills make you want to reach out and smash something (maybe that's just my A.D.D). The band showcases their tightness with War Pigs. Stopping on a dime filling in that little space with a perfect riff or fill. Everything seems to be in it's place on Paranoid. It certainly cemented Black Sabbath's position as metal pioneers and rock gods in music history. The band would come close on several occasions but was never able to better their sophomore effort, the band later splintered, leaving Iommi as the sole original member.

[edit] Black Sabbath: Paranoid

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