Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

After only four months since the release of their debut album, Black Sabbath went into the studio again to write the material for the sophomore album. This album was initially meant to be named "War Pigs", but Warner stopped it since the title was a critical remark against the ongoing war between Vietnam and USA. So instead, the album was named "Paranoid", after the last song that was written for the album (took around 25 minutes to create according to the band).

This is probably the most well known Black Sabbath album, mostly because several of their biggest "hits" are in this album. "War Pigs", "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" all make an appearance on this album and they all deserve the praise that they have gotten through the years. "War Pigs" is an excellent song about corrupt politicians that sends out the poor to war instead of themselves, "Iron Man"'s simple riff and epic ending makes it irresistible, and "Paranoid" is just groovy as hell. It stands clear, only after one or two listening sessions, that this album would be a lot more boring without this magical trio of songs.

But just like with Iron Maiden's "The Number of The Beast", "Paranoid"'s strength is also its greatest weakness. The three well known songs are almost so good that the listener can easily forget the rest of the tracks, which is a shame since "Paranoid" has some other sweet songs that makes this album very diverse. Take for instance the soothing melodies in "Planet Caravan" or the infectious beats in "Hand of Doom" and "Fairies Wear Boots". I am sure that this album would not have its status if these songs were replaced by some bad copies of "the big three".

The only thing I do not get along with in ""Paranoid" is the instrumental "Rat Salad". First off, what kind of a name is "Rat Salad"? Secondly, all I can think of when listening to this song is how much of a show off the drummer Bill Ward can be during this song. The random drum solos just makes the song sound like a broken record. And even if the song is the shortest in the album (2:29), it still feels like it is too long. Remember kids, when you are going to make an instrumental, do not let the drummer be the main attraction.

I can honestly say that "Paranoid" clearly deserves its legendary status, but it is not only because of "Paranoid", "War Pigs" and "Iron Man". It is because this album has an impressive variation and a timeless sound that both young and old metal heads can enjoy. It is impressive that this album was release within a year after the band's debut album, but what is more impressive is the significant development that has happened to the music during that short time. The music is more well constructed and the length of the album is not too short. So if "Black Sabbath" marked the birth of metal, "Paranoid" is a prediction of what great things this genre was about to unfold.

Songs worthy of recognition: War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man, Fairies Wear Boots

Rating: 9/10 Rat Salads

Black Sabbath - S/T (1970)

Known as the band that more or less created heavy metal, Black Sabbath was conceived in 1968 under the name Earth Blues Company in Birmingham, England. Looking to escape a boring life of working in a factory, Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi, John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne, Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler and William Thomas "Bill" Ward started to play together, but it wasn't after Butler's brief encounter with the black arts that the band found a mysterious and interesting direction to follow. After that, Black Sabbath continued as the sort of polar opposite of The Beatles. Instead of happy melodies, the music was darker and more progressive. And the rest is, as we call it, history.

And that history could just as well have been released today. "Black Sabbath" sounds just as good as I think it did in 1970. The production is dark and mellow, and together with some blues influences scattered here and there, "Black Sabbath" is just as underground as you almost can get. I can only imagine the amount of jaw drops when the people got a hold of this new type of music.

The most notable song is without a doubt the legendary "N.I.B." (loosely rumored as Nativity In Black) which shows the band's ultimate potential. A groovy and simple riff together with Ozzy's psychedelic voice gives this song a special mood that we today know as the typical Black Sabbath groove. And I swear to Lucifer, if it was not for the amazing riff and solo work of Tony Iommi, then this song would be so much worse.

But it is the darkness in this record that makes it truly stand out. The demonic vibes in the title-track just chills my bones, while the ballad like "Sleeping Village" is something out of this world. Then the band also finds other ways to impress, like with the harmonicas on "The Wizard" or making the songs "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)" and "Warning" sound like their own creations (originals made by Crow and Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation)

However, this album is only 38 minutes long, and if we take away the two covers, the play time of their own songs reaches a length of around 24 minutes, which makes me longing for more. I know that it only took one day to record this album and that the band played it live together, but did they not have anything more to fill up the album with?

This self-titled debut saw the light of day the 13th Febuary in 1970. 44 years ago today. It is hard to believe, especially since the band is still active today, that some youngsters from Birmingham would create the greatest music genre in the history of mankind. But when you are listening to "Black Sabbath", it is all starting to make sense. It may not be the perfect album, but it had that special "it" factor that laid the foundation for heavy metal.

Songs worthy of recognition: N.I.B., Black Sabbath, The Wizard

Rating: 7,5/10 Sleeping Villages