The importance of Black Sabbath
So if you did something like "It's a wonderful life" and you could have a glimpse of what music would be like if Black Sabbath had never been around then what would it be like? My guess it that it would be quite different. Someone would have eventually created something similar, but that would have changed things I am sure. Sabbath are quite possibly the most influential heavy metal band of all time. Why? Largely because they did a lot of things first, but also because they have aged so well. They are not just an influence on metal, but an influence on all heavy music as well. They created a style, but they also created very different tones and their whole style on the early albums showed that there wasn't just one way to approaching song structure. Some people would argue that they put the heavy in heavy metal. I think there is a good case for that, if not then they certainly defined much of how it could be done. Through the course of their first six releases they also made it look easy even if it wasn't. That is probably an aspect that many bands strive to achieve. Ultimately outside factors wore the band down a little by the mid-1970's they looked and sounded tired. However the original line-up had a great six album run and there were some more good albums to come with different line-ups as well. I think their albums have aged nicely and I think it's a fair guess that thirty some years from now people will still be listening to and be influenced by these albums.
***Black Sabbath week continues as I will review Sabbath bloody sabbath on Wednesday.
***Black Sabbath week continues as I will review Sabbath bloody sabbath on Wednesday.
posted by Metal Mark at
12:27 AM
8 Comments:
I agree with your argument here. I would emphasize, even more than you, the amazing run of six albums. I can think of no other band that had such a solid, consistently good first six albums. Kiss and Van Halen come close, but they don't reach Sabbath's feat.
-- david
Sabbath were one of the first real metal bands that I got into. I remember my cousin making his dad put it on while we drove around the city. I was probably around 10 back then. I loved it from the first time I heard it.
I have to admit that I don't listen to Black Sabbath much anymore. I tend to be more into bands influenced by them like Sleep, Cathedral, Candlemass and so on.
Stone me if you like but I probably put on Mob Rules more than any other Sabbath record.
I wonder if Sabbath wasn't around back then how much longer the flowers in your hair hippie music would have stayed around.
In the documentary "Heavy Metal: A headbangers Journey" They state thatBlack Sabbath is by definition the first heavy metal band and by what you've said about their sound and influence I'd say that is a true statement.
Another point that should be make is that the reason Black Sabbath had the creepy and dark sound that they did, was because Tony Iommi lost his fingertips in an accident. That caused him to press the strings differently and therefore create the sound that was, and is Black Sabbath.
They are definately the fathers of metal.
totally agree - - hard to not know it's them when you hear them. unlike any other, which a lot of bands cannot say about themselves.
David-I think Iron Maiden come close as well with the first seven albums.
Fred-The Mob Rules review will be up on Friday. I listen to Sabbath and the bands they review. I often find that a lot of bands get the tone and heaviness of Sabbath, but they often fail when it comes to song structure. To me Saint Vitus and Cathedral for example got the tones, but were a bit dull after that. It's like yeah we can be heavy, but what do with it? That's my trouble with a numbe rof bands thta have been influenced by Sabbath.
Fuzz-Probably longer than they had the right to.
dpth-It's quite possible that they were.
Mike- Good point. Iommi was never at a loss for heavy and odd sounding riffs on the first six albums.
Onmywatch-Their good albums are different in style to some extent, but there is a certain sound that links them.
Good point on Maiden. Although I can't rank the debut as amazing as the Black Sabbath debut, I'd say Maiden is one of the few that can match the "first six" output bar.
-- david
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