Recently, I've been listening to a very new (to me) brand of music. After hearing the kind of power that's possible with heavier instrumentals and vocals, as in Train of Thought and The Divine Conspiracy, I started looking deeper into the kind of metal that scares parents: death metal. I started to do a review yesterday about my favorite album I listened to, but realized that I really need to listen deeper to give a fair analysis. However, last week I also revisited the birth of metal in Black Sabbath's Paranoid.When the Sabbath set out to create metal, Ozzy said they wanted to create music that scared people, similar to how horror cinema was frightening, but attractive all the same. Black Sabbath (the album) really served that purpose. On their second album, though, they decided to kick things up a notch. Paranoid has more rock-style songs than the previous album.
First of all, you have "War Pigs/Luke's Wall", which makes a perfect opener. It's simple two-note riff and a cappella verse draw you in well. When the band does kick in, you might be tempted to listen only to the guitar line. Resist this temptation, because the bass and drums have a lot to offer on this track, and I'd hate for them to go unnoticed. The second part of the song is an instrumental section that really gives roots to the progressive metal genre. It changes the thought on a dime, and flows from theme to theme. Overall, this is a great song that EVERY metal fan must hear. Even if you don't like metal, maybe this will give you some perspective.
From there, you get an uncharacteristically straightforward rock tune in "Paranoid". The guitar is catchy, though, and the vocals will hold you.
"Planet Caravan" represents another side of Black Sabbath that comes out from time to time. It's a slow, mysterious composition with veiled vocals and limited instrumentation. Definitely interesting and worth a listen.
"Iron Man" is a slow, pounding with one of the most recognizable guitar riffs of all time. What you might not remember about this song are the great solo sections that pick up the tempo and change the mood. My very favorite part about "Iron Man" is the transition from that faster solo section back to the verse. It's flying along in fifth gear and suddenly just grinds down to that pounding riff we all know and love.
The other tracks are similar to what you'd expect after hearing the first few songs, but I do want to point out one more: "Hand of Doom". This has become one of my favorite Sabbath songs of all time. It doesn't start out as much. Just some bass and some light drum rims. Then, it explodes as the verse jumps up an octave with the guitar joining. Also, Bill Ward throws in some great fills on drums. The middle of the song is entirely different, but awesome all the same. Make sure you hear this one.
Overall, I just wanted to talk about an album that was one of the first on my journey to metal appreciation. I think even those of you who don't like metal out there will still find this album enjoyable. Sorry for the late post, but happy listening all the same!
No Napster for this one, but Amazon has a sampler:
http://www.amazon.com/Paranoid-Black-Sabbath/dp/B000002KHH/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1244741985&sr=8-2
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