Black Sabbath – Master Of Reality

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5 Stars

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Black Sabbath released their third long playing record in 1971 to much controversy. It was hailed in some quarters as the birth of Doom Metal, Stoner Rock or my favorite Sludge Metal. In other circles it was derided as drivel, not to be taken at all seriously; a fad that would be quickly forgotten by these talentless musicians.

Whatever moniker you put on it, heads banged all the way through the album either rocking to the beat or in exasperation at such a travesty. Sales of the album gave it a Double Platinum Certificate in America and it was the first Black Sabbath album to reach the Billboard Top Ten. It was, in fact, the last album to do so until forty-two years later when 13 topped the charts. Master of Reality was Black Sabbath’s third album in two years following in the footsteps of Black Sabbath 1970 and Paranoid 1970.

The vinyl album first arrived in a shiny black embossed envelope sleeve and a suitably gloomy poster of the band. A forerunner to Spinal Tap’s ‘Smell the Glove’ perhaps?

The album opens with the sound of lead guitarist Toni Iommi coughing up his lungs and descends downwards in scales from there. First track ‘Sweet Leaf’ opens the album in great traditional Black Sabbath fashion, booming lead guitar riffs with his strings loosened by a step and a half making it easier for Toni Iommi to play the exact notes he required due to his having an industrial accident in his youth severing two of his fingertips which also gave him the heavy sound he required.

Bass guitarist Geezer Butler also detuned his strings, giving Sabbath their unique sound. Bill Ward’s pounding drums and extensive use of his bass drums completed the musical side of the band.

Geezer Butler also wrote most of the lyrics, but it was Ozzy Osbourne’s delivery of the words that was Black Sabbath’s winning combination. Singing at the top of his vocal range, he became the Devil himself in the space of seconds, declaring he loves you, before enquiring if you are comfortable in your coffin? ‘Sweet Leaf’ was written about a certain type of tea that the band drank in between takes. Traditional Birmingham Boys. The song became a high point of every Black Sabbath concert from then on. The crowd would have rioted without its inclusion.

The band stomps on from song to song, being particularly effective when both guitarists hang on to a riff and the drums pound in after them, following all the way to the basement. Toni Iommi turns in some wonderful effects on his guitar with his solos often switching from speaker to speaker causing more craning of the neck if the head banging has not already shaken your brains.

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There are two other stone cold Sabbath classics in this collection, ‘Children of the Grave’ with its infectious bass riff and dramatic guitar breaks as well as Ozzy’s rabble rousing chants, and ‘Into The Void,’ which completes the album and is a master class in stoner rock/heavy metal pointing the way to a more progressive rock style with selective changes of pace and blistering solos.

Light and shade are applied on the album by Toni Iommi playing a couple of short but diligent guitar pieces and the haunting ‘Solitude’ where Sabbath, cut the pace out completely and rely upon dynamics to put their story across featuring piano, flute and a harrowing song line. A romantic ballad this is not.

Whatever your thoughts on Black Sabbath they were the first of many bands to travel down this path. Now that they have completed their last world tour, ‘The End,’ they leave behind a fine legacy and a huge fan base.