I didn’t expect my list to contain a third Black Sabbath album, and after listening, I’m not so convinced that it should have, but interestingly enough, this album was the #10 rated heavy metal album of all time, so here we go with today’s selection, “Master of Reality”.
The album opens with the only song I definitely recognized from the past, “Sweet Leaf”. If you aren’t familiar, I’m pretty sure you can figure out what Ozzy is singing about there. Not too much else stands out to me, other than I can definitely see the trend evolving further into what we would recognize as the British metal sound. A bit faster at times, and more aggressive, songs like “Solitude” and “Into the Void” embrace this metal movement, and others such as “After Forever” and “Children of the Grave”, keep their dark theme with some variation on sound.
Beyond that, I just don’t have too much to say about this album. It does serve, in my opinion, as an example of why I rate Black Sabbath a notch below some of the best British rock bands. While their sound is pioneering for the metal movement, their overall range just isn’t as diverse as the Stones, the Who, or Led Zeppelin. They can play hard or soft, but you would never hear the blues, funk, honky-tonk and folk sounds that emerge through those other noted acts. I do love Black Sabbath for who and what they were, however I don’t think this album rates with their first two classic releases.
A Lifetime-Plus of Music 