That is it. Hes often the focus of much flak, which in my eyes is most unnecessary like all great singers he deals with emotions not technique. See, I LOVE this song, I love the riffs and the tune and almost everything, but this song takes a lot of shit because it's a rather ham-fisted Christianity endorsement. [8] Iommi was recording acoustic guitar parts at the time, and his coughing fit was captured on tape. The lyrically melodies start off a little annoying, but irregardless this is a band operating on a higher level. Very poignant and dark. From the initial choking cough of "Sweet Leaf" through the final thump of "Into the Void" the album is crushing, Black Sabbath playing on a more acid rock or even blues metal vibe, those almost jazzy structures on some of the songs buried under the deafening cacophony of the trio of master players. More images. Furthermore, the drumming here is positively tribal, Bill Ward proving once more to be one of the keys to the Sabbath equation. Even though most bands around this time stayed in standard tuning for another decade or two, whoops. Here Tony Iommi began to experiment with tuning his guitar down three half-steps to C#, producing a sound that was darker, deeper, and sludgier than anything they'd yet committed to record. It is a little long, but ultimately worth it, and whilst I don't agree with the song's message, it's all about the music, man, so who cares? Instrumentals have always been one of Black Sabbath's strongest points. Don't get me wrong this as well as all of the first six albums were perfect releases in their own right . Also going back to "Solitude", Ozzy's singing is superb, as his more depressed personality makes his voice sound more angelic and soothing, further enhancing the sorrowful track. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality [VINYL] - Amazon.com Music Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. In his autobiography Iommi describes the cover as "Slightly Spinal Tap-ish, only well before Spinal Tap". So, by the end of 1970, he downtuned his guitar a whole step and a half to make it relatively comfortable to play. This song is downright happier than anything else they had recorded at the time, and Ozzy especially sounds more confident than ever as he shouts out his lyrics. 1970 had gone by and the four strange Brummies under the moniker Black Sabbath had already released two very impressive, dark and heavy records: 'Black Sabbath' and 'Paranoid'. He is very raspy, and sometimes he sounds like he's choking on a rat, but even for its shrillness, Ozzy's voice fits the songs here perfectly. [6], Master of Reality was recorded at Island Studios in London from February to April 1971. The intro of "After Forever" was given the title "The Elegy", the outro of "Children of the Grave" was called "The Haunting", the intro of "Lord of This World" was titled "Step Up", and the intro of "Into the Void" called "Deathmask". [5], Master of Reality peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and number eight on the US Billboard 200. They are actually heart wrenching. The shortest album of Black Sabbath's glory years, Master of Reality is also their most sonically influential work. All it takes is the opening seconds of Sweet Leaf's "ALL RIGHT NOW!" I can remember exactly where and when I bought Master of Reality it was a summers day in York and I was stuck outside of my Grandmas house as the old dear couldn't hear me knocking, this gave me ample time to dwell on those big, quirky letters on the textured cover and the ethereal, woodland band photography and then when she did open the door she noted Black Sabbath, ugh! certainly remembering the moniker from my fathers spottier days and somewhat of an infliction of her massively Catholic leanings, rather than a somewhat out of place Tom G Warrior impression. You spin this record and you will learn there is only time to pay the piper, point the blame and leave this mortal coil. Both of these records laid down the foundation to what we know as heavy metal; basically evil sounding and aggressive blues. The pace picks up and then we are literally "in the atmosphere" with Ozzy. Terence "Geezer" Butler (bass) - With the mentality "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Geezer continues in his trademark fashion. If you are a fan of metal music that routinely moves like it is stuck in molasses, or smoked some of the finest Colombian Red Sweet Leaf around, then this is right for you. On this very album his vocal display is nothing short of phenomenal . YES! Lord of this World is a bit weaker but still great, with its fantastic chorus, and Into the Void is another monster of heaviness, even containig a little thrashy part on it. THIS is pretty much where thrash metal took root. I find myself listening more intently to Geezer's playing during the solo than I do to Iommi's. It's Master of Reality, and after listening to this whole record, the light just isn't the same for a few minutes. The timing of "Solitude" on these pressings is also incorrect, as it includes the first half of "Into the Void", whereas the timings of "Deathmask" and "Into the Void" from the original US pressing should have been grouped instead. Maybe you have We Sold Our Soul for Rock N' Roll or another compilation album that has Children of the Grave but that song just isn't complete without Embryo to introduce it with. Master of Reality was without question Iommi's greatest triumph in the driving groove filled riff department . Master of Reality - Black Sabbath | Release Info | AllMusic He turned something so simple into something so awesome and spiced things up with some sick leads and solos. Master of Reality Black Sabbath. No matter youre favorite genre of metal is, this one is for you, particularly anyone who has any interest in doom metal. Also, I must add, the second half of that album is just as good, with the one-two slow punches of Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom, the latter about the damage PTSD does to war veterans and details the story of one who resorts to heroin. But enough gushing. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Children of the Grave This song also features nice tomwork from Ward. Master of Reality deserves a place SOMEWHERE in your collection, because apart from the amazing songs on it, the blueprint for metal as we know it lies within its dark and gloomy walls, and it will undoubtedly inform you as to where most of the music you enjoy comes from. And Geezer matching the riff behind him? Here Tony Iommi began to experiment with tuning his guitar down three half-steps to C#, producing a sound that was darker, deeper, and sludgier than anything they'd yet committed to record. This is not just merely an album, it is a guide book for those bands that would seek to play any form of heavy music . Nowhere is this more powerfully displayed than on Sweet Leaf, which begins with a distorted, hacking cough that transforms into a crushingly powerful riff that doesn't let up for most of the song. The opening riff of Sweet Leaf was the bands loosest, most stoned groove to date, and it was probably the first popular song ever to be a flat-out tribute to smoking the ganj. "Solitude" is one of my favourite songs ever. Stand-Outs: "Lord of this World", "Children of the Grave", "Into the Void". If nothing else, get this for Into the Void.. 100%: erickg13: January 1st, 2007: Read: Heavy . "[7], On the tracks "Children of the Grave", "Lord of This World", and "Into the Void", Iommi downtuned his guitar 1.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12 steps in an effort to reduce string tension, thus making the guitar less painful for him to play. A prayer of course that went unheard. 100%: erickg13: January 1st, 2007: Read . 1, and "Sabotage" is a very good second. Just on this record you get the contrast between the stay-at-home-get-high anthem, Sweet Leaf and the forlorn, Solitude (a song that is inexplicably subject to a whole lot of What? An album that has reached this magnitude of worship over the years cannot receive a disinclined review lightly and I have no intention of doing so. This is most notable on the simply perfect "Lord of this World" "Children of the Grave" Sweet Leaf" and "Into the Void" although it is evident in every heavy masterpiece on Master of Reality . Each verse ends with a "yeah!" Black Sabbath's third album was their heaviest most uncompromising effort yet, and arguably of their entire output with Ozzy at the helm. The music is gentle but brooding, with a melodic and emotional flute played by Iommi. Ah, Master of Reality. With Master of Reality, we get the most ambitious Sabbath release. There is a reason they are the metal godfathers that we know them as today. Black Sabbath's reputation does not make them invulnerable to unfavorable judgment and their album will be judged on its own merits, notoriety be damned. His punishing pummeling style forces the issue at hand aggressively down the throats of all that would dare try to not pay attention to "Lord of this World" has a swinging crushing groove to it led by another brilliant riff from Iommi. The first editions of Master of Reality came in an 'envelope sleeve' containing a poster of the band, and with the album's title embossed in black lettering, visible in relief. So? He is the ultimate metal drummer on this, not by showing off his talent (although talent he does have) or by being overly technical but instead with utter unhindered go for the throat ferociousness . Sure, its heavier than anything until at least Welcome to Hell but that, again, isn't of great consequence as: You know what I said earlier about Ozzy's vocals being not technically good? There are some albums you are not allowed to hate and some albums you are not allowed to like. Seriously, lets take a look at even the more welcoming tunes before us. However, the album isn't perfect. That's where the classical music influence comes in handy. This would be where the comparisons would end. Paranoid, especially, fucking rules. Everybody in the underground knows Sweet Leaf and Children of the Grave but is anybody as sick of them as they are of War Pigs and Iron Man? This album contains some of their most famous Theyve recorded some classic albums from 1970 to 1981 and if it is their best, an album like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Mob Rules is not too far behind but Master of Reality defines from each song to song what I think of when their name comes up. The godfathers of metal themselves have had a lengthy discography with many hits, and even some of their weaker releases still have something special in them that makes them memorable. It never gets in the way, and that is pretty impressive a feat in itself. Beginning on the iconic note of a sampled cough, the band erupt into "Sweet Leaf", a drug-addled tune that's become a fan favourite over the years. But otherwise the song has supernaut, Iommi in ripping form. His vocals on here are full of unrelenting passion . On the other hand, Orchid adds horn-like effects to the back of its acoustical mass to invoke the feeling of crashing into a proverbial barge while out at sea. But the 7 other albums had diversity, MoR just plods along, each song riding one or two riffs through their entirety. Yes, even worse than Changes. There are no excuses however for why it also has only 2 guitar riffs. Well, given its positioning Im assuming the Embryo is from whence the Children of the Grave came and their moans are a result of some displeasure at being born into the grave. The shortest album of Black Sabbath's glory years, Master of Reality is also their most sonically influential work. Speaking of bad lyrics, the words to After Forever may irritate some listeners. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal In a universal sense, this is Sabbaths most metal moment in their original line-up, thought I personally view Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as their overall finest moment. While guys like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton managed to occasionally play something fast and impressive, this guy was shredding up a storm (by the standards of the time), despite often inflicting pain upon himself in the process. The lyrics deal with themes on drugs, especially on the track " Sweet Leaf". This release has gone two times platinum and that might not seem like much considering some very popular bands go platinum in one year and this is two times platinum over the period of over 40. The first time I listened to this album I was truly stunned at just how much of the music felt familiar to me. However, he was absolutely perfect for Black Sabbath. On 'Master of Reality' however, Iommi decided to down-tune his guitar (Geezer's bass followed suit) and began writing more straight-forward, aggressive riffs and voila! But like all of the compositions here, it fails to have any imagination, the opening musical stanza is tense but plummets immediately. Bill Ward sings it, and when you have a singer as good as Ozzy Osbourne, youd better learn to stick to your own instrument. After Forever starts with an ominous synthesizer, but soon unfolds into an upbeat, major-key guitar riff. It's unfitting and off-putting. (Studio Outtake - Intro with Alternative Guitar Tuning) 03:42 (loading lyrics.) Its easy to forget just how progressive this thing was underneath all the throbbing heaviness, especially with that opening riff that sounds like gangly trolls lifting boulders in some far off and distant land in a time before polygamy was a sin. [8] "After Forever" was released as a single along with "Fairies Wear Boots" in 1971.[10]. It's a solid addition to the Ozzy era, but I wouldn't call it the best for any member of this band. (Studio Outtake - Intro With Alternative Guitar Tuning) 03:42 (loading lyrics.) To paraphrase Sweet Leaf, this album introduced me to my mind. But more importantly, the dark and heavy sound will smack you harder if you are a fan of rock music from the late 60s and early 70s. It was certified double platinum after having sold over two million copies. 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. Geezer Butler's bass guitar adds a lot of the quality which makes this album so amazingly heavy. Everyone has an opinion as to whether it was Led Zeppelin or Rainbow or I've even heard the most ridiculous of bands mentioned such as Jimi Hendrix or Steppenwolf but like I said "let's be realistic here" . The booming bass hooking onto the upbeat lead guitars may feel that way at first, but then it drops to a chugging note, eventually winding up in a stomping bridge. Whether expressing his undying love for the "Sweet Leaf" or sharing his warning to those who would listen of war and the end of times this is his moment and his moment alone to be crowned undisputed king . new releases; staff reviews; best new music; . It isnt until Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that to me his drumming is no longer odd at best, laughable at worst. The Cast Master of Reality is an extremely short but very effective album. It's skull-fryingly heavy. On every compilation, on every radio playlist in the Sabbath section, every song that non-fans remember are generally from the first three records. That is fine for what it is but this is heralded as one of the crowning achievements of a riff god. This I elementary stuff for Iommi. It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of doom metal, stoner rock, and sludge metal. Black Sabbath's Master of Reality is a very interesting piece of art to review. Sabbath like most 1960's and 1970's bands were influenced heavily by the blues masters of old and up until Master of Reality this influence was peppered throughout their releases . Plus, it's a thinker's album. The structure on Children of the Grave was, at the time, unlike anything Sabbath had normally written. A two-disc deluxe edition was released in the UK on 29 June 2009 and in the US on 14 July 2009 as an import. This ultimate heavy metal album was released in 1971, a million light years away from what we as metal heads would come to know and love as heavy metal . Seeing him try was hilarious." As stated before, this album has a more simplistic approach to structure than the previous albums, but this does not mean that we dont have any progressive moments. An album with only six songs and two interludes, with none of them being overly long, while achieving this much, and allowing it to stick together without any awkwardness is really the best way to describe something that is perfect. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality | The Documentary - YouTube And then theres Solitude, which kind of sucks. Master of Reality is a 34 minute journey that ebbs and flows. The riffs are so heavy and so masterfully created that they will always stand the test of time as a masterpiece just like the Mona Lisa or Beethoven's fifth symphony . Bill Ward breaks out some insanely unfitting and gross cowbell work over some of the transition portions before the solos, but this is one minor complaint on an otherwise fantastic track. The band was clearly done meandering around and not a single second is wasted, effectively bridging the gap from the psych blues jams of Warning and N.I.B. to the elaborate journeys of Megalomania and Wheels of Confusion. He just whines his monotonous voice all across the track as if he just couldn't care to try. The tone and themes here are very dark. Master of Reality - Review by TrooperEd - Encyclopaedia Metallum Children of the Grave probably is the best tune of the bunch, being one of the faster songs too. And so the album draws to a close with a great solo and an even better riff from Tony Iommi. Overall, riffs are as strong as ever. Master of Reality - Black Sabbath | Release Info | AllMusic from Iommi. Without them, the music of Black Sabbath would have been stiff and stunted. Yet, most of the songs are five minutes long, with the album closer being six, so you get some sizeable epics on this thing, ranging from surprisingly pro-Christian themes as a retort against the claims of Satanism (After Forever & Lord of This World), the rallying up of the children of the future to resist atomic war before it's too late (Children of the Grave), the loss of the self after a break-up (Solitude), the want to leave Earth after the damage done (Into the Void), and an ode to smoking the puff ting spliff (Sweet Leaf). Ozzys voice is in top form as he expresses his undying love for marijuana, and the band sounds equally confident. Solitude is certainly similar to Planet Caravan, as they share the same dreamy, wistful feel but emotionally theyre undoubtedly different. The music. "[28] A critic for the magazine cited it as "the most cohesive record of [the band's] first three albums. This album has just always seemed to me to be such a pure metal record with nothing but the purest form of metal contained with in it's majestic purple and black covered walls . I hate to even think of placing them on a list, but if I have to, It'll be number three. He could bear to tone it down, but this song still isn't bad by any means. This doesn't mean that the music was completely stripped off technicality. The Sab Four always had fantastic chemistry but the structures on this album are more fully realized than anything that had come before. Album Review: "Master Of Reality" By Black Sabbath Black Sabbath did nothing musically, in regards to metal, on MoR that was different from their previous material. Sure, you get louder songs and about more gruesome subject matter, but it doesn't get any better than the closing minute and a half of Iommi riffage. Given that 1971 was the year of Fireball, IV, Killer, Love it to Death, Whos Next Split, Aqualung and God knows how many great records outside of rock music, and thus, my collection! After the success of Paranoid, youd think they would start to sound formulaic, but hell no! "Orchid" is an outstandingly beautiful piece from Iommi. From Sweat Leaf and Children of the Grave, to Into the Void and After Forever and the absolute gem Lord of This World, Master of Reality packs quite a punch. 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. Tony Iommi had created a brand-new way of playing heavy music by turning blues into something evil and corrupt with the simplest of riffs on the famous (and the first doom metal song) "Black Sabbath". You hear feedback. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. How do you follow it up? Osbourne had to sing really rapidly: "Rocket engines burning fuel so fast, up into the night sky they blast," quick words like that. With the exception of Solitude, every song is a masterpiece, and I have a hell of a lot of fun listening to this record. "Sweet Leaf" is a prime example of why I dislike Bill Ward's style. His acoustic melodies shine a bright light on the album, and the relaxing calm before the strong this track brings give so much life into the album. I miss songs like Wicked World or N.I.B. though, with their big emphasis on the bass lines, but heh, it's not a big issue at the end of the day. One half of people are still definitely afraid of Black Sabbath and the music they ended up very rightfully burying into the ground. Children also has one of the catchiest riffs you'll ever hear, and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head later. One thing that doesn't really get talked about regarding Black Sabbath, beginning with Master of Reality is just how high Ozzy's vocals would get here. The third Black Sabbath record is widely regarded as a classic and is also one of the heaviest albums of the band's long catalogue. "Then it got to the point where we tuned even lower to make it easier vocal-wise. The world's first true stoner metal album was born. I wish you the best of luck with your dentistry degree and may your kisses be as sweet as your tooth! No other 70s band could have played a song like Children of the Grave and then follow it up with a beautiful instrumental Orchid. Of note are Bill Wards strange drumming (what is that, a trash can?) Ill give them some credit I guess for the nice atmosphere the song creates the backwards piano and flute are nice touches. That's just one example of how heavy Sabbath could get, only to bring it down with a mellow track. They helped lay down the foundation for heavy metal. Now being a previously mentioned die hard Sabbath fan the obvious answer to this question would be their first album Black Sabbath . during the wordless chorus, and the first appearance of synthesizer in a Black Sabbath song toward the middle (if you dont count the intro to After Forever). This is in no way a put down to those great albums as they all mean just as much to me as any of those six other releases, it's just that one album in particular has always stood out as the undisputed heavy weight champion of the world in an early discography peppered with undisputed heavy weight champ's, and that album is Master of Reality . After this we return to the heavy chug previously established. Master of Reality is an extremely short but very effective album. But Ozzy (Osbourne) would then sing higher so it sort of defeated the object." Sure, to outsiders they are the epitome of doom-and-gloom drugged-up heavy metal and those that idolised them like, say, Electric Wizard stressed this by focusing in on these aspects in a fairly cartoonish manner. Frank "Tony" Iommi (guitars) - On this album Tony starts experimenting with downtuning, with most of the songs performed tuned 1 1/2 steps down (the exceptions, Solitude and After Forever, are tuned down 1 step). He rides the cymbals and obliterates his drum kit like a man on a mission possessed by every inner demon that has dared to try and torment him . I don't know which 1971 song was written down first but Sweet Leaf's rhythm structure has a commonality with Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. Although perhaps not as consistent as their seminal album "Paranoid", Black Sabbath took new steps forward with "Master of Reality". It literally does not sound like him at all. I actually enjoy "Sweet Leaf" beyond this, though. The sixties are gone and the whole album plays like a savage rebuttal to the hippie optimism of Turn! Ozzys singing is great as always. No emotion. The contradictory message ("Think for yourself and don't let others dictate your beliefs! They really help to give that song its wonderfully evil atmosphere. Not only does it begin with a cough but a cough produced by Iommi after hitting a joint, method music making I suppose. They didn't care about a radio single, it was all about quality to them and that would continue on into the 70s and beyond. Ozzy's vocals on this album are damn near perfect overall, and it mixes extremely well to the instruments. It is without a doubt obvious that no one else could have even come close to nailing the vocals on this album quite like Ozzy did . Geezer Butler's bass is the perfect companion to the ultimately dominating riff work that this great album displays . Orchid suffers from the same plight as Embryo, except it is a little more developed. Solitude is a relatable song about loneliness. Planet Caravan is one of the more abstract Sabbath songs and as such a typically Butler-esque affair and if anything its strangely close to Into the Void in terms of lyrical themes, whereas Solitude is the sound of road-weary band in some distant hotel room just getting high and jamming because theres nothing else to do. After Forever has a progressive approach to it, with dissimilar sections and all, but that had already been done with Hand Of Doom. 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 song is all that keeps the album from being perfect. Twenty years later groups like Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and, particularly, Nirvana, would excavate the same heaving lung sound And be rewarded with critical garlands." It illustrates perfectly what I wrote before, when Ozzy is singing over an energetic composition he can sound really awesome. Tell me how the first time I ever heard Children Of The Grave that I thought the eerie outro voices sounded like Jason Voorhees. Instead, the opening song Sweet Leaf is a love song dedicated to marijuana. But its only 28 seconds long, so Ill give him a break. It's incredible how a band could release three top notch albums in two mere years, but, I tell you, Sabbath did it. Heh. I actually rather imagine this as a continuation of the lyrical themes of Solitude it makes for a rather amusing narrative: Incredibly innovative not just for it's tunings, but for its ghastly vocals as well as sewing the seeds of thrash. And although the alternately sinister and jaunty "Lord of This World" is sung from Satan's point of view, he clearly doesn't think much of his own followers (and neither, by extension, does the band). Just balls to the wall riffage that doesn't relent and keeps coming back for more and more.