This is the Album that gave me paranoia.. Review on Paranoid - Black Sabbath

''Paranoid'' is not only Black Sabbath's most popular and breakthrough album, it is also arguably the best heavy metal album of all time. Saying that it's the best metal of all time should be enough to persuade you to buy it, but if you're still not convinced, read the rest of this review.

About Black Sabbath:

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne - Harmonica, Vocals

  
  




• Geezer Butler - Bass, Guitar (Bass)

  
  




• Tony Iommi - Guitar

  
  




• Bill Ward - Drums, Vocals

  
  

In the mid 80's there existed a cold war between all the Metal-music fans opting to listen and follow one band among the numerous present.. and this cold war still does exist...So the question arises who started all this Metal music stuff hence causing the cold war...The answer to this, I might not say that is unanswered, but rather has several answers...Some say that Led Zeppelin started it while some others say that Deep Purple started it..The rest which includes me say that Black Sabbath started all this Heavy metal songs...Sure Deep purple and Led Zeppelin started Metal music...But it were these guys who started something now called ''The Heavy Metal Rock''.

As I said earlier in one of my reviews-Black Sabbath debuted in 1970, so they're probably one of the only bands you listen to that you're parents/teachers have heard of, can tolerate, and maybe even grew up listening to.Their songs mostly exposed the darker side of life .Their 1st album,which streamed into the UK Top ten charts showed their to capacity to make dark and evil songs...What made them make such songs while the rest of the bands were making songs on good-will and the beauty of life

These guys initially played blues-rock sound of late '60s and were initially named ''Earth''...So what caused the change of name and the style of playing???Good question.The name Black Sabbath was somehow influenced by Black magic and a movie named Sabbath..

The group found its signature sound almost by accident. When the group was rehearsing in a studio which was situated opposite a cinema showing a horror movie, Osbourne recalls that Tony Iomm,their lead Guitarist, said to the rest of the band, ''If people pay to see scary movies, why wouldn't they pay to listen to scary music?''

The band began to purposely write dark, ominous riffs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror movies.

The newly-named Black Sabbath adopted darker lyrical themes, and a slower, ominous style - a significant element in the genre that would later be known as heavy metal, often ranked above Deep Purple and Judas Priest in importance and influence in the genre.The band is more known as Ozzy's band..As Ozzy left the band (or more so he was asked to leave)because of the existing tensions in the band in 1979, they found themselves doing some poor songs and still poorer riffs...

So lets start talking about the album before you start getting bored

Paranoid-The Album:

Black Sabbath's debut and Paranoid album simply doesn't work at low volume...I mean, seriously, how can you begin to describe this album? This album damn near made heavy metal what it is today. Many metalheads cite this album as a favorite and for good reason! People didn't know what to expect of this in 1970. You just didn't hear stuff like this back then. Tony played his guitar like no else and I wonder how he came up with this stuff!..The only way to appreciate what Ozzy, Tony, and the boys were doing is to increase the volume to ten, sit on something soft, and let yourself be crushed under mountains upon mountains of king-size, fuzzed

out,angered anguished and distorted...This album reached the top 5 in the UK charts.

Track listing

1. ''War Pigs''

   
   




2. ''Paranoid''

   
   




3. ''Planet Caravan''

   
   




4. ''Iron Man''

   
   




5. ''Electric Funeral''

   
   




6. ''Hand of Doom''

   
   




7. ''Rat Salad''

   
   




8. ''Fairies Wear Boots''

   
   

War Pigs:

Iommi, the master of the riff, manages to make it all work by cranking it up all the way to 11, by his vicious, full tone, and by locking in tightly with his madcap rhythm section.The album was originally named War Pigs but because of the sensitivity of the issue dealt with in the song it was renamed as Paranoid..

Paranoid:

There is some heavy double bass drumming and some humming bass notes, but guitarist Tony Iommi dominates the show, with wild, wailing, looping guitar solos although the song lasts for only 2 and a half minutes.Add that to Ozzy Osbourne's distinctive, broken vocalizing (a huge part of this band's more cartoonish moments), and you have Paranoid -- a landmark release..The song that has been called the birth of heavy metal.

Planet Caravan:

One of the most awesome songs of Black Sabbath is indescribable...All I can say is..

''We sail through endless skies

Stars shine like eyes

The black night sighs

The moon in silver dreams

Falls down in beams

Light of the night

The Earth a purple blaze

Of sapphire haze

In orbit always

While down below the trees

Bathed in cool breeze

Silver starlight breaks

Dawn from night

And so we pass on by

The crimson eye

Of great god Mars

As we travel the universe''

Iron Man:

This song is the definitive heavy metal band..You need to listen to it to believe the intensity the song brings with itself...

Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom:

Although these songs are not so famous as War of pigs and Paranoid they are awesome songs...Add this to the usually Hard hitting notes by Iommi you get a refined and a-state-of theart song which consists of no error whatsoever...

Rat Salad:

Amazing what Tony Iommi can do with two power chords, isn't it? An instrumental which includes awesome guitaring by Iommi.And all in all something great to listen to...

Fairies Wear Boots:

Let me be fair...To me this song acts as a filler with lots of Yeah's in the song...It still contains some good vocals by Ozzy...

Other Hits Of Black Sabbath:

Blak Sabbath

Master of Reality

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Heaven And Hell

Mob Rules

The Eternal Idol

Seventh Star etc..

Thus, if I've ever heard an album that has withstood the test of time, this is it.

As one of my friend so eloquently puts it, ''Without Black Sabbath, heavy metal wouldn't f*cking exist.'' And that is good enough for me. So why am I sitting here writing a review on something that you might already