User Profile

Routinely ranked amongst the best heavy metal albums of all time, there is a lot to say about Black Sabbath's Paranoid, but not much that hasn't been said already. In fact, much can be said about Black Sabbath themselves, also, much of which has already been said. As I said in my review for Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power, there are six bands I consider essential to the development of the heavy metal genre, those bands being Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera. But, truth be told, if forced to chose only one of those bands, Black Sabbath is undoubtedly THE most important band in heavy metal history. Point blank, the genre as we know it today would not exist without Sabbath. Sabbath is the band that sowed the seeds for just about every single heavy metal sub-genre. Heck, the genre probably would exist without this album, even. So, why Sabbath and why this album in general? One word: heaviness. Sure, their self-titled debut album was pretty heavy, but that album also showed the band still in the process of shaking off their blues rock roots and becoming something new entirely. There are some softer parts on the album (Planet Caravan, Rat Salad) but mostly this album is a heavy metal juggernaut. The riffs on Iron Man, Electric Funeral, Hand of Doom and War Pigs defined heaviness at the time. Paranoid was a happy accident... The record label wanted Sabbath to record a single for the album, despite the fact that the band had always been a jam band. After a short improv session, the band came out of the studio with one of their most popular songs. It's impossible to overstate this album's legacy. The album's A-side is perfect, and the second half of the album is not far behind it. The players on this album are all on point as well. Bill Ward and "Geezer" Butler keep the rhythm section on track with the former's impeccable drum work and the later's commanding bass-line's. This may not be Ozzy's best performance, but, hey, what can I say? I still love Ozzy. The thing is, though, that the real hero here is Tony Iommi, as he created guitar riffs that will last forever... Plus, the guy can deliver a rousing solo as well. If there was any doubt of this album's legacy, consider this: I went to one of Black Sabbath's shows a few months prior to initially publishing this review. And guess what? They played just about every single song from this album. Paranoid by Black Sabbath is essential listening.