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Black Sabbath-Gods Of Doom

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Black Sabbath-The Most Influential Heavy Metal Band Of All-Time

Black Sabbath is my favorite band of all-time, and this lens is my personal tribute to them. On this lens I will provide a history of the band from the early days to their current lineup as well as news, videos, and other cool things Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath has influenced everyone from The Smashing Pumpkins to Pantera. They can also be credited for laying the groundwork for the Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal and Sludge Metal genres. Lamb of God's Chris Adler said: "If anybody who plays heavy metal says that they weren't influenced by Black Sabbath's music, then I think that they're lying to you. I think all heavy metal music was, in some way, influenced by what Black Sabbath did." Therefore, in my opinion, Black Sabbath is heavy metal, period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I hope you enjoy this lens.

The Early Years

A.K.A. The Ozzy Years

The early years of Black Sabbath consisting of vocalist John "Ozzy" Osbourne , guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler proved to be the most formidable. After a few unsuccessful bands, primarily Iommi and Wards's Mythology and Ozzy and Geezer's Rare Breed the four teamed up and called themselves The Polka Tulk Blues Band (after a cheap brand of talcum powder Ozzy saw in his mother's bathroom) and also featured slide guitarist Jimmy Phillips and saxophonist Alan "Aker" Clarke. The band later changed their name to Earth and dropped Phillips and Clarke.

The band decided the need for another name change because there was already a band from England called Earth. After noticing the marquee on a movie theatre across the street from the band's rehearsal room showing a Boris Karloff film titled "Black Sabbath", the band decided that would be the perfect name for their new dark, horror movie-inspired ominus sound, hence in August 1969 the band Black Sabbath was born.

The four original members would then go on to record some of the most influencial heavy metal albums of all-time. Of their first 8 studio albums, the two most prolific are "Paranoid" and "Master Of Reality".

Just before the band was to enter the studio in November 1977, Ozzy decided he wanted to quit the band. Former Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker had been brought in to replace Ozzy and made their first and only appearance with Walker on vocals, playing an early version of the song "Junior's Eyes" on the BBC Television program "Look! Hear!". In January of 1978, Ozzy had a change of heart and decided to rejoin the band. Following the 1979 tour in support of "Never Say Die!" Iommi finally decided he had enough and fired Ozzy. The band was now in search for a new vocalist, which leads us to the next era of Black Sabbath-The Dio Years.

Studio Discography from "The Ozzy Years"

"Black Sabbath" Released: February 13, 1970
"Paranoid" Released: September 18, 1970
"Master of Reality" Released: July 21, 1971
"Black Sabbath, Vol. 4" Released: September 25, 1972
"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" Released: December 1, 1973
"Sabotage" Released: July 28, 1975
"Technical Ecstasy" Released: September 25, 1976
"Never Say Die!" Released: September 28, 1978

More From The Ozzy Years

War Pigs

War Pigs Lyrics

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'til their judgement day comes
Yeah!

Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig's crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh lord yeah!

Favorite Ozzy Years Album

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The Dio Years

In their search for a new vocalist, it was suggested by Sharon Arden (later Sharon Osbourne) daughter of Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, that former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio would make a fine replacement. Dio joined the band in June of 1979. The band took on a completely new and invigoring style whereas Ozzy's vocal style would follow with the riff, Dio sang across the riff. The band still had some internal issues with Geezer briefly leaving the band and was initially replaced by Geoff Nicholls of Quartz on bass. The new lineup returned to Criteria Studios in November to begin recording work, with Butler returning to the band in January 1980, and Nicholls moving to keyboards.

One of the most glaring contributions that Dio made to the metal world was the metal horns gesture, which supposedly was a gesture his grandmother would use to ward off the "evil eye".

On August 18, 1980, after a show in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bill Ward was fired from Black Sabbath. Concerned with Ward's declining health, Iommi brought in drummer Vinny Appice, without informing Ward. During the mixing process for "Live Evil" , Dio was angered enough by the way the album was being mixed that he decided to leave the band. Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath in November 1982 to start his own band, and prompyly took drummer Vinny Appice along with him. The search was on for another vocalist, the first of many more to come.

Studio Discography From The Dio Years

"Heaven and Hell" Released: April 25, 1980
"Mob Rules" Released: November 4, 1981
"Dehumanizer" Released: June 22, 1992

Live Release

"Live Evil" Released: December 1982

Mob Rules

Mob Rules Lyrics

Close the city and tell the people
That something's coming to call
Death and darkness are rushing forward
To stamp light from the wall!

Oh! You've nothing to say
They'll drag you away!
If you listen to fools,
The mob rules, the mob rules

Kill the spirit and you'll be blinded
The end is always the same
Play with fire, you'll burn your finger
And you'll get hold of a flame, oh!

It's over, it's done
The end is begun
If you listen to fools,
The mob rules
You've nothing to say
Oh, They're breaking away
If you listen to fools

Break the circle and stop the movement
The wheel is thrown to the ground
Just remember it might stop rolling
And take you right back around!

You're all fools!
The Mob Rules!

The Vocalists Of Black Sabbath

After Dio left the band, there were many personnel changes, primarily the vocalist. Here is a list of all the vocalists that came and went from Black Sabbath.

Ian Gillan, 1982-1984, "Born Again" (1983)

Glenn Hughes, 1985-1986, "Seventh Star" (1986)

Ray Gillen, 1986-1987, No Recordings, Touring vocalist "Seventh Star" tour

Tony Martin, 1987-1991, 1993-1997, The Eternal Idol (1987), Headless Cross (1989), Tyr (1990), Cross Purposes (1994), Cross Purposes Live (1995), Forbidden (1995)

Ice-T, 1994/1995 ,Forbidden (1995) - "The Illusion of Power" only

Ron Keel, 1984

Dave Donato, 1985

Jeff Fenholt, 1985

The band has also had its share of musicians come and go. For a complete list go here:

Favorite Black Sabbath Vocalist

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Best Of The Rest

Check out some of these albums with some of the other vocalists that were in Black Sabbath.

The Reunion Tour

In the summer of 1997, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne officially reunited to co-headline the Ozzfest festival tour along side Osbourne's solo band. The lineup featured Osbourne's drummer Mike Bordin filling in for Bill Ward. In December 1997, the group was joined by Ward, marking the first reunion of the original four members since Osbourne's 1992 "retirement show". The original lineup recorded two shows at the Birmingham NEC, which were released as the double live album Reunion on October 20, 1998. That release also featured two new studio tracks "Psycho Man" and "Selling My Soul". The band remained on hiatus until the summer of 2004 when they returned to headline Ozzfest 2004 and 2005. In November 2005, Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and in March 2006, after eleven years of eligibility, the band were finally inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which by the way is pretty much a joke).

Black Sabbath Reunion CD & DVD

Children Of The Grave

Children Of The Grave Lyrics

Revolution in their minds - the children start to march
Against the world which they have to live in
Oh! The hate that's in their hearts
They're tired of being pushed around and told just what to do
They'll fight the world until they've won and love comes flowing through

Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sunrise of tomorrow bring in peace in any way?
Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?
Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear?

So you children of the world, listen to what I say
If you want a better place to live in, spread the words today
Show the world that love is still the life you must embrace
Or you children of today are Children of the Grave, Yeah!

Tony Iommi-Lord of the Riff

Despite losing the tips of two fingers on his right hand in 1966 due to an accident while working in a sheet metal factory, Iommi decided to take a friend's suggestion and listen to Django Reinhardt, a jazz guitarist who lost the use of two fingers. Inspired by Reinhardt, Iommi created two thimbles made of plastic and leather to cap off his missing fingers. The guitarist began using lighter strings, and detuning his guitar, to better grip the strings with his prosthetics, a move which inadvertently gave the music a "darker feel". Early in the band's history Iommi experimented with different dropped tunings, including C tuning, or 3 semitones down, before settling on E%u266D tuning, or a half-step down from standard tuning which gave Sabbath their distinct sound.

"Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in rock music: according to Allmusic, "Iommi is one of only two guitarists (the other being Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page) that can take full credit for pioneering the mammoth riffs of heavy metal." In 2003, Iommi was ranked 86th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and, in 2004, number one on Guitar World's "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time".

All hail Tony Iommi!

The Amazing Tony Iommi

Heaven & Hell

"Heaven & Hell is a musical collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. The four members of Heaven & Hell recorded and toured together as Black Sabbath from 1980-1982 and again from 1991-1992. In 2006, while the foursome reunited to record three new songs for the compilation album, Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, they decided to embark on a 2007 - 2008 tour. Iommi (owner of the Black Sabbath name) decided to call the touring group Heaven & Hell to differentiate the project from the Ozzy Osbourne-led Black Sabbath. The moniker was taken from the first Dio-fronted Black Sabbath recording, Heaven and Hell."

Heaven & Hell CD & DVD

Bible Black

Bible Black Lyrics

At last alone, his fire's dying
Burned another day
Now to pretend
and make up an ending
somewhere far away

He reached for a book all bound in leather
something that he knows he's never read
and the first page says beware you've found the answer
the next one says I wish that you were dead!

Don't go on, put it back
You're reading from the Bible Black!

What's this word I see
Who are you and who are me
Maybe I just stumbled in the dark

I must have been out cold
but the way the story's told
They found me lying naked in the rain..yeah

Let me go I've seen a vision
But the line has left me blind
Take me back
I must have the Bible Black!

Well here I go again
From the start to the end
I wish I could remember what I've done

Now here's another spell
it could take me straight to hell
and I feel I'm getting closer to my home

Let me go I've found addiction
and it makes me feel alive
Take me back
I must have the Bible Black!

[Guitar Solo]

He locks himself away and tastes the silence
Hungry for another bite of wrong
and just the words "oh Lord please take me with you"
Took him to a place we don't belong

Let him go!
He can't come back
He's reading from the Bible Black!

So if your fire's dying,
then what's the use of trying?
I may know another place that you can go

It's hiding in the pages
but you may not come back
you're reading from the Bible Blaaaaack!!!

Black Sabbath's Legacy

"Black Sabbath are arguably the most influential heavy metal band of all time. The band helped to create the genre with ground breaking releases such as Paranoid, an album that Rolling Stone magazine said "changed music forever", and called the band "the Beatles of heavy metal". Time Magazine called Paranoid "the birthplace of heavy metal", placing it in their Top 100 Albums of All Time. MTV placed Black Sabbath at number one on their Top Ten Heavy Metal Bands and VH1 placed them at number two on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. VH1 ranked Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" the number one song on their 40 Greatest Metal Songs countdown. Allmusic's William Ruhlmann said:

Black Sabbath has been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style. The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like Cream, Blue Cheer, and Vanilla Fudge to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasising screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies. If their predecessors clearly came out of an electrified blues tradition, Black Sabbath took that tradition in a new direction, and in so doing helped give birth to a musical style that continued to attract millions of fans decades later."

Complete Black Sabbath Discography

Essential Reading

Here are a few books that give a more in depth history into the band.

Essential Viewing

Check out the band live!

Black Sabbath Posters

Black Sabbath Stuff on eBay

Black Sabbath Links

BlackSabbath.com: Official Black Sabbath Website
Black-Sabbath.com: Comprehensive Fan Site
RonnieJamesDio.com: Official Ronnie James Dio Website
HeavenAndHellLive.com: Official Heaven & Hell Website
Iommi.com: Official Tony Iommi Website
BillWard.com: Official Bill Ward Website
GeezerButler.com: Official Geezer Butler Website

Black Sabbath News

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