20
Forbidden (1995)
-This was the last of the original lineup. The man behind the production was Ernie C, known mostly for his work with gangsta rap out fit Body Count. Unfortunately, it was thought that someone with a hip hop background would be good enough to produce an album for the legendary doom metallers. But the work is said to be dismal
-My opinion: I simply didn't care for it
19
Tyr (1990)
-Once again, a total letdown. Tony Martin was on vocals this time and former Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell was behind the skins. This album seemed as though it were trying to capitalize on the recent comeback of creative energy.
-My opinion: I simply didn't care for it
18
Cross Purposes (1994)
-This album was a mix and match of members. With Bobby Rondinelli filling in on drums and being the done in the wake of Ronnie James Dio's second album with the band, there are just not enough good songs here to even give a listen to
-My opinion: I simply didn't care for it
17
Seventh Star (1986)
-Originally intended to be a solo album for Tony Iommi, the label it was recorded through wanted to capitalize on the name "Black Sabbath". This album featured former Deep Purple bassist/backing vocalist Glenn Hughes. Unfortunately, Glenn was in the thrall of a devastating drug addiction and this, in turn, affected his voice
-My opinion: I like it. I love all the songs. It has that classic 80s Sabbath sound. The songs are not doomy, so who cares? It's good to do something unexpected. Overall, all the songs are good
16
Dehumanizer (1992)
-This is round two with Vinny Appice on drums and Ronnie James Dio on vocals. Unfortunately, some Sabbath fans didn't care for it.
-My opinion: I simply didn't care for it.
15
Born Again (1983)
-The first (and last) album with Ian Gillan of Deep Purple. This album was a one time thing for Gillan. The band had tried to mold Gillan in to something more along the lines of Sabbath, with things like getting him to darken down, in color, his clothes. He tried to adapt the black and leather look. His vocals are sure impressive here.
-My opinion: I like it. Sure, a lot of people say this album stinks. I like it, though. There are a lot of good songs here. "Hot Line" is one of my favorites
14
13 (2013)
-This album was meant to revisit the classic Sabbath sound. The only bump in the road was Bill Ward leaving for good and only to be replaced by Zac Clufetos
-My opinion: I simply didn't care for it.
13
The Devil You Know (2009)
-The last album to be made with Ronnie James Dio before his tragic 2010 death from stomach cancer, this album was made under the band moniker Heaven & Hell, which stemmed from the 1980-era lineup that made the album of the same name.
-My opinion: Too intense. Almost industrial metal
12
Never Say Die! (1978)
-This was the final album of the original lineup. Things were coming to a head, between rampant drug use, in band fighting and more, the album seems to drag its way through the production work, making for a simply poor effort
-My opinion: I like it. I think it has its good parts. "Hard Road" is a good song. And "Swinging the Chain" is a good effort on Bill Ward's part because he is a pretty good singer. He has a slightly raspy quality to his voice that kind of puts you in mind of Rod Stewart
11
Headless Cross (1989)
-Most fans think this album was pathetic. By the mid 80s, Black Sabbath had been pushed aside in favor of more aggressive groups like Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, etc. This album was made when they were going down in terms of success and that's not in a good way
-My opinion: I like it. "Devil & Daughter" and "Headless Cross" are two of the great tracks. The others are good as well, but I definitely like the above mentioned tracks
10
Technical Ecstasy (1976)
-Despite the fact that most Sabbath fans would look at this album as being like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Mach II, you have to give the guys credit for trying to explore other avenues in music. It did come out with two songs that seem to be popular- "Back Street Kids" and "Dirty Women"
-My opinion: I simply didn't care for it
9
The Eternal Idol (1987)
-There was a revolving door of members on this album. Tony Martin had to come in and do vocals after short term singer Ray Gillen quit in the middle. This is one of the few, maybe only Sabbath albums not vocalized by Ronnie James Dio or Ozzy Osbourne
-My opinion: I like it. "The Shining" is an interesting song. Most of the songs are interesting. But they're good, overall. The artwork is interesting as well. I can't even begin to imagine how hazardous it was to the health of the models who had to be painted for the cover
8
Mob Rules (1981)
-This would be the last album Dio would make with Sabbath for a while. The songs are great, but that didn't mean things were all cheery behind the scenes. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler often butted heads with Ronnie James Dio and it was because Ronnie was a.) writing his own lyrics, essentially taking away work from Geezer and b.) being generally bossy and trying to take over the whole thing. Tony and Ronnie butted heads bad, essentially mirroring the same issues Ronnie had with Ritchie Blackmore in the band Rainbow. Ronnie had been overly bossy in that band and Ritchie was done with him and wanted him out!
-My opinion: It's kind of weird
7
Sabotage (1975)
-This was one of the last albums that had the power of a true Sabbath record. The band was getting sued left, right and center throughout the whole process. Most likely it was because they had changed management and former management wanted to sue for breach of contract
-My opinion: It's kind of weird. But you can hear the overall stress the band was going through in the songs
6
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
-This was a hard nut to crack. Tony had taken up writing lyrics as well as riffs and everyone was suffering from writer's block. To ease that, the band relocated to Clearwell Castle. In addition to playing pranks on each other, the eerie vibe of the castle helped everyone move on and write some good songs
-My opinion: It's okay
5
Heaven and Hell (1980)
-This was Ronnie James Dio's first album with the band. This album managed to not only be successful, but it also helped keep the band in the vein of what they were known for best-hard hitting metal.
-My opinion: I like it. A lot of good songs. I have respect for Ronnie as a singer, but as a person, I think he's arrogant
4
Vol. 4 (1972)
-This was a mixed bag of songs. They had a romantic-type song with "Changes", a sort of love song about their drummer Bill Ward and his then wife. "Snowblind" explores the band's heavy cocaine use while the song "Laguna Sunrise" is an acoustic track written while watching the sun rise in Laguna, California.
-My opinion: It's interesting
3
Black Sabbath (1970)
-This was the world's introduction to the name Black Sabbath. Full of slow, trudging doom metallers, this album showed the world what the name Black Sabbath had to offer. Even to this day, this album is referred to as a landmark because it was recorded on a shoestring budget but managed to be successful in every way
-My opinion: Some of the songs are a little too intense for me
2
Master of Reality (1971)
-This is doom metal all the way. With songs like the marijuana-inspired "Sweet Leaf" (BTW, that coughing you hear at the beginning is Tony Iommi coughing on the smoke of a joint Ozzy had handed him), the sheer eerie vibe of "Children of the Grave", to the absolutely emotional yet beautiful "Solitude", this album is good
-My opinion: I love it. "Solitude" is so beautiful.
1
Paranoid (1970)
-The title track came about when the band was told they had a certain amount of time left on the record and that one more song was needed. Tony started with a riff and the song built from there. This tends to be one of those Sabbath albums that introduces a lot of fans to the music. And like most fans, they will work their way ahead to modern day and then work their way back through the back catalog.
-My opinion: I like it. This one is special to me because it was the album that first got me into Sabbath. Two of my high school classmates had thought that I needed to listen to what they considered "real metal". So they decided to, in their words, "start me off easily". They played this album and instantly from the second the title track ended, I loved it!
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