You don't need any explanation as to who Black Sabbath is. As a matter of fact, I'm not so sure if I need to type an introduction to this review, 'cos chances are you're already coming up with one in your head. The presence of Black Sabbath in the history of metal is just as prevalent as the presence of Abraham Lincoln in American history. Everything that must be said about them has already been said. [1]
Released the same year as their self titled debut album in 1970 after seven months of writing and tours, Black Sabbath's Paranoid would instantly become the irrefutable icon of their entire discography, and one of the most important albums for the early foundations of heavy metal in general. Virtually every classic rock radio hit from Ozzy Osbourne era Sabbath is here including Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid. All of which have been overplayed to the point of actually depreciating their worth. Even still I can acknowledge that Paranoid is a strong collection of material which has spawned many imitators to this day, but no one has ever managed to replicate this raw unbridled stoner rock doom and gloom. [2]
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The riffs of this album, written by Tony Iommi, are somewhat basic and easy to play. The title track especially is an extremely simple riff that only consists of a few power chords. I'm giving that a free pass 'cos this was state of the art at the time of its release. Bear in mind that in 1970, heavy metal was pretty much unheard of. Black Sabbath was pretty much the only "real" metal band in existence at that time, and a simple riff like that in the title track could get away with being basic, since nobody else at that time would play something like that. If the album was released today, "Paranoid" would be considered one of the worst things ever since people have come up with even more basic riffs in this day in age. I guess it's probably why "13" never did so well, 'cos we've heard the riffs found in its songs so many times before. Had it been released in Black Sabbath's heyday, it would've been looked at as a masterpiece. Speaking of masterpieces, we also have the songs that would go on to influence doom metal. "Electric Funeral" with its plodding and ominous vibe is one of them. [1]
The three aforementioned radio hits need no introduction, but they are a good indication of what you can expect on the album. Paranoid rids Sabbath of their blues rock sound predominantly heard from their debut album in favor of crafting every song around the slow, atmospheric and theatrical hit song "Black Sabbath" from the same album. There's plenty of variety here too though, still obviously taking inspiration from their blues rock foundations as musicians, but song like "Fairies Wear Boots", "Planet Caravan", and the instrumental "Rat Salad" incorporate elements of jazz while Planet Caravan dials down the punk rock aggression of War Pigs and Paranoid, going for a Pink Floyd style space rock tune, practically absent of Tony Iommi's raw electric guitar with exception to the laid back muzak guitar solo. [2]
"Paranoid" is also a step up from their previous self-titled debut, since the band has upped its game in so many ways. One way is that they decided to record separate tracks separately, as the previous album had different sounding tracks that combined to make one song (the famous "N.I.B" got paired with "Behind the Wall of Sleep" as one song for some reason). It kind of draws us away from the whole jam session feel of the previous album, which some people would probably lament the loss of, but to me I think it was necessary to get rid of. As a result, the longest song, "War Pigs", doesn't even make it past the 8-minute mark. [1]
Geezer Butler comprised most of the lyrics for the album and much of the tension and atmosphere also come from the lyrics themselves. It's worth stating again that this album was recorded in 1970, there were plenty of acts out there that sounded just as heavy as Black Sabbath including bands like Blue Cheer, Iron Claw, and Gun but none of them could match Sabbath's haunting atmospherics as heard on tracks like "Electric Funeral" and "Hand of Doom". It's like comparing Street Fighter with Mortal Kombat; sure there are plenty of similarities between the two, but one is going to immediately jump out and grab everyone's attention when Sub-Zero freezes a guy in a sheet of ice and rips his head off with his spinal chord still attached. Black Sabbath had that same kind of appeal in a sonic sense. For me personally, it was the first heavy metal album I'd ever listened and it almost sounded like something that was forbidden to be listened to, and as one might imagine, Black Sabbath have become one of the most reviled heavy metal bands by churches and religious officials mostly due to the very material heard from this album. [2]
The band took this satanic and grim imagery and really ran with it all the while sounding every bit as inspired as they did on many of their early work from the 1970's. Ozzy Osbourne has an unmistakable nasally high pitched voice that helped to distinguish Black Sabbath from all the other bands of their time. While he'd much later be replaced with much more talented singers, he gives the listener perhaps his most varied vocal performance on this album than any other recording he's been on. Electric Funeral finds him hitting some of the highest notes in his range towards the latter half of the song while Planet Caravan utilizes a Leslie speaker that gives Ozzy's voice a very ghostly quality all the while displaying his lower register. [2]
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Not only is "Paranoid" basically the cornerstone of heavy metal as we know it, but it's also a must-have for any metal fan out there. It's a classic that is to us as Shakespeare is to high school English teachers. Needless to say, there doesn't need to be much to say about it. It's an album that I'm pretty sure its title track is covered by every fifth grader just starting their band. This album has made its mark that much. [1]
Black Sabbath's sophomore release is one of those legendary moments in heavy metal history where each member is firing on all cylinders. There's more experimentation here than most other Black Sabbath albums, most songs have taken on progressive structures and there are so many musical ideas tossed around on Paranoid that it's actually surprising that the album comes to any kind of cohesive whole. Although some tracks have been overplayed on Classic Rock radios for decades now, upon listening to the album it's easy to see why. Because of this it hasn't aged as gracefully as it perhaps should have, but even taking my bias towards that into account, I find myself struggling to come up with much criticism towards Paranoid. By 1970's standards or rock n' roll music, this release was not only ahead of its time and evocative, but an absolute blast to listen to. [2]
TRACKS
- War Pigs
- Paranoid
- Planet Caravan
- Iron Man
- Electric Funeral
- Hand of Doom
- Rat Salat
- Faires Wears Boots
If you like it, please buy their original CD or Digital Albumon official website/store.
These reviews are written by Brainded Binky and Superchard on Metallum.
- [1] Brainded Binky, Generals gathered in their masses..., www.metal-archives.com
- [2] Superchard, Black Sabbath's Career Defining Moment, www.metal-archives.com
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