Black Sabbath Note: Due to endless re-releases only the orignal year of release has been listed with "various labels" as the releasing label. Tracklisting are taken from the albums reviewed but may differ extreemly from re-release to re-release! For different tracklistings also see www.black-sabbath.com. On a personal note watch out which re-release to get as some (like mine) have a lot of stupid misakes. For example listing 'Luke's Wall' as 'Likes Wall', etc.
Black Sabbath (CD) 1970 Various Labels
I can only imagine the impact this album had when it was originally released back in 1970. It is save to say that this is one of the most important releases in the history of music (not forgetting other early Sabbath albums). While I do not consider Black Sabbath to be a Doom-metal band, I believe they and this release have been very important for our little genre. The album begins with a thunderstorm and a bell tolling introducing the first track 'Black Sabbath'. This track has so many characteristics one can later find back in the Doom-metal genre, that its significance can not be overlooked. The slow pace of the song, the build-up, Ozzy sounding positively scared, this truly is an epic track. Of course there are no bad tracks on this album and if you ask me all of the tracks here are classics but that first impression 'Black Sabbath' makes on you is unforgettable, truly blood freezing. When the second track 'The Wizard' starts it is clear that on this album there still are a lot of blues influences. Actually one can find a slight blues atmosphere on the entire album. All in all this entire album is filled with a mix of great musical ideas, melody, emotion and raw power. In fact it is close to impossible not to spot all sorts of ideas that later grew out into entire genres and spun off all sorts of new bands. Aside from a doomy undertone, you can also for example hear the groove one can link to Stoner rock. However, if I were to compare this album to the albums that followed in its wake, I prefer those. Sabbath experiments less on albums like 'Paranoid' or 'Master of Reality' than they do here. Sometimes it does feel like the band is just jamming away. Which feels very spontaneous, but I prefer my songs a little bit more solid (not that I dislike this album, not by far!). An interesting side note may be that the song 'N.I.B.' does not stand for "Nativity in Black" as many people think. It is a reference to a nickname the band had for Bill Ward's beard at the time, a "pen nib". It is also worth noting that the amounts of re-releases of this album are numerous and that the track listing is not always the same. For this reason, you may want to shop around and see what version is best. In my experience the later Castle Communications re-releases are the next best thing to an original release (ha! try finding one of those!). Featuring additional information, art and liner notes.	1. Black Sabbath 2. The Wizard 3. Wasp 4. Behind the Wall of Sleep 5. Basically 6. N.I.B. 7. A Bit of Finger 8. Sleeping Village 9. Warning 10 Wicked World Approx. 39 minutes Note: I can not find any other release with this odd tracklisting and I suspect it to be wrong! Most tracklistings look something like: 1. Black Sabbath 2. The Wizard 3. Behind the Wall of Sleep 4. N.I.B. 5. Evil Woman 6. Sleeping Village 7. Warning 8. Wicked World
Reviewed by: Aldo Quispel
Paranoid (CD) 1970 Various Labels
Originally intended to be named 'War pigs', but changed to 'Paranoid' due to the Vietnam war, this is perhaps the best known early Sabbath record. Featuring such tracks as the absolute classics 'War Pigs', 'Planet Caravan', 'Iron Man' and of course the surprise hit 'Paranoid', this is simply an essential release. While the title track is beyond doubt the most famous song, being featured on nearly all classic rock compilations ever, the entire album is considered to be a massive classic masterpiece. A little less of a bluesy undertone ensures that there is more of a dark and rock atmosphere on this album than its predecessor. Still I would not expect a great work of melancholy or heaps of depression. This is truly a great old heavy Rock 'n Roll record of which I am presuming most people are actually familiar with. I mean come on, who has not at least once in his life heard a few tracks from this album?! Personally I find the second half of the album to contain the strongest songs. These are the lesser known songs, but the atmosphere is much darker and doomier. Especially with the tracks 'Electric Funeral' and 'Hand of Doom'. It is interesting to note that the suspenseful and extremely dark song 'Hand of Doom', next to often scaring the living daylights out of me due to its brilliant build-up, is also by some regarded as the song that gave name to our genre (doom-metal). Black Sabbath must be one of the few bands that are insane enough to actually give their intro's and outro's their own names, as the intro to 'War Pigs' is called 'Luke's Wall', and the outro to 'Fairies Wear Boots' is called 'Jack the Stripper'. Incidentally, 'War pigs' was first going to be called Walpurgis, and had totally different lyrics. In the end it is quite simple, if you own this album you hardly needed to read my comments; you can walk on the streets head held up high, knowing you own a piece of musical history. If you do not yet own this album, I suggest you go hide in shame for the time being and get your unworthy little ass to the record store to buy it!	1. War Pigs / Luke's Wall 2. Paranoid 3. Planet Caravan 4. Iron Man 5. Electric Funeral 6. Hand of Doom 7. Jack the Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots 8. Rat Sald Approx. 60 minutes
Reviewed by: Aldo Quispel
Master of Reality (CD) 1971 Various Labels
It is safe to say that any real Black Sabbath fan will recognise this album with the first few coughs. These coughs open the possibly best Black Sabbath record ever, at least in my ever so humble opinion. 'Master of reality' holds some of the -perhaps not the best known, but definitely musically- best and doomiest tracks. While I normally am not big on labelling Black Sabbath as the first Doom-metal band I will make an exception in this case. The album is slow, heavy, dark and stomps and rolls forwards without retention. Tracks like 'After Forever' and especially 'Children of the grave' (a personal favourite of mine) are prime examples of this. Dark and unstoppable classics that must have lid the way for countless early Doom- and Stoner acts alike. Unlike what fans of for example MDB and other modern Death/Doom acts are used to, the music does make you want to jump around or bang your head in as if in "quiet" agreement, a constant confirmation that "Yeah, this rocks man!!!". This album also sees a change in the lyrical content. Some of the tracks, like aforementioned 'After Forever' clearly show that Iommi and friends where tired of the constant link towards Satanism made by press and Church alike. The topics in these songs deal with rejecting Satan and accepting God, but also contain a big dose of criticism towards the endless onslaught of criticism they have had from the established Church. A fun fact about this album is that the short instrumental 'Orchid' was the inspiration for the album title of Opeth's debut album; 'Orchid'. All in all it of course is not my place to pass judgement on this, or any other BS record. History has already proven the majestic power and influence of BS's work. If I however had to end this review with a solid conclusion it would be that 'Master of reality' simply is a blue print for Doom-metal.	1. Sweet Leaf 2. After Forever 3. Embryo 4. Children of the Grave 5. Orchid 6. Lord of this World 7. Solitude 8. Into the Void Approx. 34 minutes
Reviewed by: Aldo Quispel