Black Sabbath, formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, stands as the undisputed pioneers of heavy metal music. Emerging from the industrial grit of post-war Britain, the band drew initial inspiration from blues and psychedelic rock but transformed it into something darker and heavier, characterized by down-tuned guitars, ominous riffs, and lyrics delving into themes of war, occultism, and societal ills. Their innovative sound, born partly from Iommi's adaptation to a factory accident that severed his fingertips, revolutionized rock by slowing down the blues and infusing it with a sense of dread, influencing generations of metal bands and subgenres from doom to thrash.
Over their storied career, Black Sabbath released iconic albums like their 1970 self-titled debut and Paranoid, which marked a paradigm shift in music and have sold over 75 million records worldwide. Despite line up changes, including Osbourne's departures and returns, and periods with vocalists like Ronnie James Dio, the band's enduring legacy includes induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and critical reevaluation in the 1990s amid grunge's rise, where figures like Nirvana hailed their impact. Today, they remain a cornerstone of heavy music, their raw power and thematic depth continuing to resonate in a landscape they helped forge.
Here are some interesting facts about Black Sabbath:
- The band's name was inspired by the 1963 horror film starring Boris Karloff.
- Tony Iommi briefly played guitar for Jethro Tull before rejoining Sabbath in 1968.
- Geezer Butler started using the Devil’s Horns hand sign in 1971, teaching it to Ronnie James Dio, who later popularized it.
- The song "Paranoid" was written in just 25 minutes during a lunch break to fill album space, and Butler didn't initially know what the word meant.
- Black Sabbath auditioned Michael Bolton as a potential vocalist in 1982 after Dio's departure.
- Their 1983 Born Again tour featured oversized Stonehenge props due to a measurement error (meters mistaken for feet), making them too large for most venues.
- Rob Halford of Judas Priest filled in for Ozzy Osbourne at a 2004 Ozzfest show when Osbourne had bronchitis.
- Early reviews in the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide gave their albums one star, but by 1992, many were upgraded amid growing acclaim.