Black Sabbath Paranoid
It is arguable whether Black Sabbath invented heavy metal or if it was born in the blues-rock of bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. However, it is undoubtedly true that with the release of their second album Ozzy, Iommi and co. refined the genre into the dark, aggressive, power-chord dominated counter-culture that we know and love today. Inspiring countless metal acts from the brutal Black Label Society to the mighty Metallica, Paranoid is quite simply one of the most important and influential albums of modern music.
Paranoid shows considerably more structure and focus than its predecessor, the self -titled Black Sabbath, with crushing riffs, heavily distorted lumbering basslines and drums that alternate effortlesly between flawlessly tight rythym and an erratic, heavy pounding. Throughout the album Ozzy Osbourne's distinctively harrowing voice wails maniacally on constantly dark themes of war, death, the occult, drug abuse, hallucinations and nuclear annihilation. With tracks like the defiant and unnerving "War Pigs", the classic, almost cliche "Paranoid" and the apocalyptic "Electric Funeral" this album was destined to be a classic from the moment it was recorded. How apt that in the film 'School of Rock', Jack Black teaches his student the main riff from "Iron Man" as his introduction to the world of heavy metal.
Although Paranoid appears to be dominated by simple, power-chords that smash through the driving bass lines like a sledgehammer, on closer inspection it is a surprisingly diverse and technical album. There are several unexpected key changes, shifts in tempo that the band flow through with the minimum of effort in songs such as the acid inspired "Fairies Wear Boots", and even hints of psychedelia with the surreal "Planet Caravan".
Many bands have paid tribute to and tried to emulate the classic sound of Black Sabbath, the most notable being Pantera's "Planet Caravan" and Faith No More's "War Pigs", but none come close to the raw power and sheer aggression that makes up the most important album of one of the greatest bands of all time.
