That aside, Master of Reality is every bit the classic it's been made out to be over the years. It has a dark mood and thick atmosphere that, if nothing else, introduced a new instrument to the fold and evidence of what was to come. He is instrumental in propelling Children Of The Grave, with the tom-work moving the song along nicely. Like all the things, the sweet leaf that these guys sing of can do some serious damage in excess, and some might argue that Ozzys lack of an ability to speak without stuttering like crazy might be connected to his drug use. As Mr. Iommi would call it, Master of Reality has elements of light and shade. As a millennial, Ive had more than one friend question if 70s Black Sabbath is actually metal by modern standards. An excellent performance here. Bill Ward's jazzy influences were pretty pronounced and was not flashy, though his fills were subtle and well thought out. (This trick was still being copied 25 years later by every metal band looking to push the . As usual Geezer is on fire, anchoring the songs with heavy notes, often playing awesome ascending and descending lines (especially in the first two songs), and just generally fitting in flawlessly with whatever Iommi is doing. what is being displayed here . If you are a fan of metal music that routinely places a vocalist at the forefront during his worst vocals in 20 years, then this is right for you. Ozzys voice is in top form as he expresses his undying love for marijuana, and the band sounds equally confident. The speed and chugginess of it right after a song like Solitude strengthens the overall heaviness of Master of Reality. The combination of light strings and low tunings made for a doom-laden guitar tone that instantly set Sabbath apart from the pack of blues-based English hard rock bands. It isn't just Tony dropping great riffs either, After Forever's primary riff is actually an immense bass line from Geezer, while Tony counterparts with chords (I said the entire time, and these chords Shirley can't be insipid). They have been so blindly accepted as good or bad that their caliber, or lack thereof, have developed the honorary but erroneous title of officially good or officially bad and this has led to the following, unfortunate, truth: To this I can only respond that the songs serve the purpose of showcasing a varied approach to music and a defiance of conventional thinking, and in this particular case it didnt fully work out as intended. Into the Void "Spanish Sid" (Studio Outtake - Alternative Version) . Album Review: "Master Of Reality" By Black Sabbath If nothing else, get this for Into the Void.. Embryo in particular sounds like it could be from the dark ages. Throwing any hint of a solo only into the end was such a power move that I feel like it could have gone on even longer and I wouldnt have complained. This was the "best" he could do at the time? The best Ozzy-Sabbath song. This is the same band who managed to snag a perfect visual representation on their debut by having one of the best album sleeves in all of music history, yet just two albums later we get artwork with just the title and nothing else. Production, as always for the classic lineup of Black Sabbath, is muddy and grainy. They really dont bang you over the head with the fact that they are heavy metal whilst doing the exact same thing at the same time. Being contrary for the sake of it? To say that Black Sabbath as a band was ahead of their time is an understatement. tho - and the title track which is persistent and driving. Tony Iommi again shows off his riffing prowess, and possibly the best performance of his career. "Solitude" is like a more fully realized "Planet Caravan", an oasis in the midst of the parched purple desert of Master of Reality. Tony Iommi's guitar is and will remain true art. A word about Black Sabbath: Unless I am missing something here, the only notable songs are Orchid (being a classical guitar interlude) and Solitude (introducing the Flute and as the next evolutionary step from Planet Caravan). Now I will concede that it is the most fun part of the song - mostly because Ozzy is not singing(see: ruining the song) - but what does that lead to? While Paranoid gets much of the fanfare and glory, Master of Reality out does it, and then some. But this is Black Sabbath, emotional variation is one of their many fortes it may a stoned, happy anthem its still a Sabbath anthem. This pain was the result of a factory accident years earlier in which he had the tips of two of his fingers severed. I know there have been endless discussions and debates concerning who the first metal band ever was but let's be realistic here it was and it is Black Sabbath . Moving on, every musician sounds pretty inspired here. Man is so distraught he doesnt think he can deal with being alone anymore. Even the hauntingly beautiful tracks "Embryo" "Orchid" and "Solitude" all fit perfectly amongst the masterful songs that are documented on this great album . For this metal head the answer would be their first six albums: Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Volume 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage respectively . the thrashy segment on Into the Void. "COME ON NOW!" Ozzy Osbourne delivers a competent performance, with his unique voice, even though he isn't, technically speaking, the best singer out there. Geezer's accomplishment's besides his song writing abilities are in his perfect instinctual deliverance of his bass lines that round out the unbelievable groovy heavy riffs of Toni Iommi . The lyrical subject matter borderlines on Christian rock evangelism, and was probably a bit influential amongst certain bands, particularly 80s mainstream Christian hair band Stryper. [36] However, the songs are not indexed on the CD using those timings the breaks between songs are correctly placed. It was the certified double platinum after having sold more than two million copies worldwide, a first for the band, Master of Reality was the first and only number one album in the US charts until . But much like Ozzy's raspy voice, this actually has an advantage, because the production quality fits the songs being played nigh-perfectly. . (This trick was still being copied 25 years later by every metal band looking to push the . There's stuff here that's haunting (Into the Void) thought-provoking (Children of the Grave) controversial (After Forever) and poignant (Solitude). There are some albums you are not allowed to hate and some albums you are not allowed to like. We also see a tendency towards brief instrumentals which also are often found in more recent metal efforts. The band also seemed to be tighter as a unit with a much more focused vision. Let's start off with the instruments. The song "Solitude" showcases guitarist Iommi's multi-instrumental talents, featuring him playing guitar, flute, and piano. Lord of this world! etc. Everybody thinks "Black Sabbath", "N.I.B", yeah yeah darkness reigns etc. The song takes an accusatory Christian stance against hypocrisy and doubt but this is no sermon. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. THIS is pretty much where thrash metal took root. Should you get this? Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality (Tab) - Ultimate Guitar "Orchid" on the other hand is a nostalgic bit of acoustic plucking that works well to separate bouts of the band's typical heaviness. Speaking of bad lyrics, the words to After Forever may irritate some listeners. This is Sabbath's first really good production job, Geezer's bass being so loud and so flat-out heavy that Iommi could take the album off and the band would still be heavier than any other band plying their trade as of '71. The music. Bill Ward's drumming on that same track is ridiculously tight. The stop-start thing in the middle of the guitar solo. The guitar is so smooth and sorrowful, whilst the bass emphasises the melancholy of the song's themes. Master of Reality [LP] by Black Sabbath | Vinyl LP | Barnes & Noble But yes, here is the beginning of the detuned era for the Sabs, and I say era because it would not last throughout the rest of the band's career despite what unscrupulous critics would say (they would tune back up again around Technical Ecstasy). I guess they thought we would be happy they are written in giant font but no, the font is ugly, the colors are weak and it reeks of laziness. BLACK SABBATH - MASTER OF REALITY ALBUM LYRICS - SongLyrics.com The absent drums work in the song's favour, and the addition of flutes and pianos foreshadow the band's next album, Vol 4. The first thing that strikes me is Iommis tone. Like the debut album, Master of Reality deserves props simply because it introduced the world to a brand new sound which launched a whole subgenre or two of metal. So what else can I say about this album other than it's the best Sabbath record ever? "[17] In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 298 in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[29] 300 in a 2012 revised list,[30] and 234 in a 2020 revised list. The song "Into the Void" was especially problematic, with Iommi revealing in the same interview: "We tried recording 'Into the Void' in a couple of different studios because Bill just couldn't get it right. The first side alone, you have the epic anti-Vietnam War Pigs, which has some of the best riffs and musical passages known to man - that DUN DUN! Although not everything works to expectation, the more progressive edge they have here has opened plenty of doors for the band to explore. It isnt until Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that to me his drumming is no longer odd at best, laughable at worst. Some could deem the album too short, especially with two of eight songs being short interludes, but anything more would just be superfluous. This is, and will probably continue to be, an inspiriting factor in someone picking up a guitar for the first time and forming a band, or the key to unlocking metal for someone who previously had not been able to appreciate it. If the album were "Children of the Grave" and "Into the Fucking Void" four times, it would be totally fucking perfect. Considering they will release these records so quickly and within a certain period of time this was not a problem for Black Sabbath. This performance is one of the absolute worst in Ozzys career, which is saying something considering the majority of his solo output. Let me start by saying that I absolutely ADORE Iommi's into riffs on this song. Also of note: those twinkling bells at the end of the song, what are they? This record is definitely still a solid one, with a lot of good elements to it, but there's nothing masterful about it like the album name suggests.