VOLUME FOUR

A true let-down after the gloomy and stunning Master of Reality. This album is the worst out of their first 6, untouchable albums. This one is even sometimes considered their best! Even if I find this statement untrue, I cannot deny the fact that there are some incredibly catchy songs with heavy progressive followings. There has never been a more inconsistent album as this one in history.

1.Wheels of Confusion - Black Sabbath's turn at hard rock psychedelia. It does not go as well as planed, I think. The song has a very trippy beginning, but after the interesting opening sequence, the song seems to be slightly disjointed. The parts and sections inside of the song are excellent, but the themes do not connect. Musicianship is great, as Ozzy Osbourne sings some meaningful lyrics with a great vocal performance. (8/10)

2.Tomorrow's Dream - A bit better than the opening epic, a great and stomping rocker, with an excellent bassline from Geezer Butler, can also be described as the anti hit. The song was a single, but failed to chart, though it has been on many compilations and gets considerable radio airplay. Odd, but the song itself is a little odd but still a rocker. Totally wicked guitar playing from the god himself, Tony Iommi, is only subtracted due to Osbournes lazy vocals and embaressing lyrics. (9/10)

3.Changes - The most embaressing of the tracks, besides some of the shorter ones. Some truely lovely lyrics, ruined by Ozzy's uninspiring lyrics. Beautiful mellotron can only save this song from a total disgrace. (6.5/10)

4.FX - Wierd sound effects, totally something you would find on a Krautrock or Space Rock album. Very progressive, but falls flat because of it's shortness. It could have been a sweet electronica track, but it was never cut. (5/10)

5.Supernaut - A good track, but seems very disjointed in the way the instruments play with each other. The guitar playing is excellent, but the drums from Bill Ward seem very lazy and almost not meant for this song. The track is groovy though, and the vocal performance from Osbourne is one of his best. Beautiful acoustic breakdown in the middle section is also appreciated. (8/10)

6.Snowblind - Easily the best song about cocain, and the best song on the album. The song talks about a truely stunning topic in the best way possible, and the ongoing dark offset of the song is very inspiring. The riff galore is in place, and it's definatly on top of the heep. Vocals from Osbourne are superb, and the rhythm section is grooving heavily with each other. (10/10)

7.Corncupia - This track is the scariest of the trips on the album. A great song, but the length seems to be a problem. So many awesome ideas squeezed into one super awesome track seems to have a toll, as the ideas are short and could have been easily expanded. Great riffs and playing overall. (8.5/10)

8.Laguna Sunrise - Another ballad type of track, but it dosent quite work as well. The string arrangements are appreciated, but the song itself just isn't a Black Sabbath song. A gentle tune, but very out of place with the chaos from above and below. (6.5/10)

9.St. Vitus Dance - Another really awkward track, as the happy R&B feel is augmented with the darkness of riffage does not work well. Terrible lyrics to add, but great musicianship as they roll down some happy tunes. Nothing to really get excited about. (6/10)

10.Under the Sun - Easily one of the best from the album. Extremely trippy guitar playing, and heavy bass riff under the murky guitar work. The song playing is extremely sloppy, but it seems to work well. Great, mystic lyrics and impressive vocal performance from Osbourne, as the group plows through the track, there are some recyled riffs, ultimatly leading back to the title track. An underrated classic track. (9.5/10)

There are some great songs, and some not so great songs on the album. It's definatly the worst of the classics, but it doesn't lag as far behind as some of Sabbath's later releases. A 3 star album, it's pretty good, but you definatly do not need it in your collection by any means. If someone were to start looking into Sabbath albums, start with Sabotage or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.