VOLUME FOUR

By the time of their 4th album, Sabbath were still going strong, but there were signs the band needed to settle down a while and catch a breath after continuously releasing masterpieces.

Most songs are still really good but something must have gone wrong when recording this album, certainly compared to the powerhouse that was Master of Reality.

There are some serious issues with the sound and recording quality of this album. It got better on recent reissues but generally the album suffers from a thin sound that is too crisp and sharp. The guitar doesn't have enough body nor power, the drums sound as if recorded in a bathroom and there's like no bass, too much cymbals and too loud vocals.

There's also a remarkable difference in acoustics between certain songs, as if they were recorded over different sessions. Tomorrow's Dream for example sounds perfect as if it was recorded during the Master of Reality sessions but most other tracks like Supernaut are an acoustic nightmare. Only mid frequencies here.

Well I guess I'm wasting your time. It's an excellent collection of songs but not as essential as some of their other albums. 3.5 stars