BLACK SABBATH

I'm not a huge fan of the band considering their overall career, but their first studio album is a real gem in my opinion, and it's sad that they later deviated for the promising starting points towards more primitive commercial macho metal style. Anyway, the title track manages to evoke really strong and mad sensations, and it also was a big influence for upcoming leagues of doom metal groups. I really enjoy the raw but not too heavy sounds of this stuff, the menacing insanity of the singer, and the audible roots of blues music yet reminding this is old stuff. "The Wizard" slips in some white magic, painting a funny portrait of a wizard. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" starts the first longer continuous batch of music on the album, focusing on dreamy paranoid anxiety. Heavier "N.I.B." rises out from a quick bass solo tying the two songs, describing the masquerading Lucifer tempting his prey. "Evil Woman" is more down-to-earth bluesy rocker in style of Deep Purple and other early 1970's hard rock bands. Then the last two songs "Sleeping Village" and "Warning" make up the most ambitious musical moments on this album, introducing several musical motives and bringing out anxious journey to the valleys of desperation, madness and self-pity. If you are among the fans of this very first album, try to seek out Black Sabbath's "Paris Concert 1970" named film (could be some other venue though); It was broadcasted in the British television network, and there are some really fabulous scenes of Ozzy whipping it out whilst wearing a suit jacket without any shirt.