As the most influential heavy metal band, Black Sabbath has paved the way for metal and all of the genre's sub-sects. The original lineup (frontman Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward) formed in Birmingham, England, at a time when Britain's biggest bands were acts such as Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues. The group's ominous sound, apocalyptic lyrics and satanic imagery immediately stirred controversy, as critics and religious pundits accused the band of devil worship. Even with minimal airplay, Black Sabbath's second album, 1971's Paranoid, which included the metal classic "Iron Man," sold more than 4 million copies. In 1979 Osbourne parted ways with the band to pursue his solo career, and former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio stepped in to replace him. Black Sabbath released two studio albums and a live album before internal clashes caused Dio to leave in 1983. In the years that followed, the band underwent a number of personnel changes until reuniting the original lineup with Osbourne in 1997 for the live album Reunion.

Reviews

• The Rules of Hell
• Paranoid
• Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
• Master of Reality
• Black Sabbath
• Vol. 4
• Technical Ecstasy
• Heaven and Hell
• Sabotage
• Never Say Die!
• The Eternal Idol
• Born Again
• Mob Rules
• TYR
• Headless Cross
• Live Evil
• Forbidden
• Symptom of the Universe
• Dehumanizer
• Cross Purposes

Features

• Never Say Die
• Every Original CD Reviewed: Black Sabbath