I began listening to Black Sabbath in October 2020. I don't expect to listen to anymore of their albums but you never know. Do I still stand by these reviews? Absolutely.
Black Sabbath (1970): D+
Paranoid (1970): C
Master of Reality (1971): C-
Vol. 4 (1972): B
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973): C
Black Sabbath (1970):
What makes a bad album? Sometimes it's dull songwriting, poor execution, or lacking inspiration--these are generally the ones you are accustomed to me discussing. I often listen to musicians that I'm very likely to enjoy, which is why seldom comment on another noteworthy alternative: it sounds really dumb, often because it was made by a group of really dumb musicians. Tony Iommi, who occasionally transcends the bullshit, will probably become a riff master, but his solos are already ostentatious, directionless, and heavily dragged-out; bassist Geezer Butler chooses to write rudimentary horror lyrics because it's the easiest avenue to inspire wonder and awe in kids who never read in school; and Ozzy Osbourne, who gleefully embodies it all in his singing, sounds like the drunken loser Jim Morrison sometimes threatened to become off-stage--if Morrison was indeed one (he wasn't), at least his lyrics proved he wasn't an idiot too. All of which adds up to create and inspire the stupidest and most contemptable genre of all time, a feat scarier than the song "Black Sabbath." Yikes. D+
Paranoid (1970):
It would have been loads of fun to give this a D+ too but simply by virtue of "Planet Caravan," a quiet and decent slow jam which buries Ozzy's voice in effects, this is leagues ahead of their debut. Iommi still takes ages to finish soloing and Ozzy still sounds to high to be behind a mike, but the songs, built around solid riffs, have clear arrangements and direction; the production is okay; and, while I dislike the avenues Butler uses and their literary value is minimal, the lyrics do have admirable themes this time around. I still hate a lot of this though--the popular "Iron Man" particularly makes me want to puke. C
Master of Reality (1971):
Iommi, whom I considered to be the one talent in the band (an antihero of sorts), has started to piss me off. Other than the slow songs, of which there are two that are both under two minutes long, he has yet to play anything other his signature highly amplified and heavily distorted guitar tone, which is not an attribute of a good guitar player. It doesn't make for very good albums either. C-
Vol. 4 (1972):
Back in October 2020 (it's February 2021 as I write this) when I began reviewing Black Sabbath, I expected to dislike them and I went into their fourth album the most optimistic for a Sabbath album ever--maybe it'll get a C+! However, they've put forth a competent piece of work far above expectations. The general dumbness of the band ultimately remains, mostly with Osbourne, but the compositions are no longer one-dimensional and Iommi's guitar no longer sounds congested to the point of suffocation--partly because of occasional synthesizer use and because of a better guitar tone--both of which allow for Iommi's always solid riffs to evolve into genuinely catchy and enjoyable bases of songs. Although I'm unlikely to pick this up more than once every half a year--and even then I might not listen to the whole album--I'm sure it won't disappoint. B
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973):
Don't worry everyone, I'm back to hating Black Sabbath, who pioneered a genre which is quite possibly the worst thing to ever happen to rock music and definitely the worst thing to happen to blues music. If Vol. 4 showed the potential heavy metal has to produce good music, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath shows just how it hard it is to transcend all the genre's usual tropes--overly obnoxious guitar leads, self-absorbed vocals, dim-witted lyrics about God/Satan, and monotonous albums. C
