Rating:

The majority of pop music does not age well, ending up sounding pretty silly less than ten years after its creation. The mark of a classic album is its ability to sound fresh and relevant years after its original release. All the great ones sound as good today as they did when they were released, be it Nevermind or Let It Be. Black Sabbath’s Paranoid is one of those albums that doesn’t sound the least bit faded or dull, even 35 years after its original vinyl circulation. Perhaps the definitive Sabbath record, it features the immortal metal masterpieces “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” and “Iron Man.” Each of these songs still sounds incredibly vital and creative, and Ozzy Osbourne’s vocals are reminder that he wasn’t always a drug-damaged old man; the geezer could wail! Tommy Iommi’s guitar steamrolls all other sound waves with the able backing of Bill Ward and Geezer Butler on drums and bass, respectively. If Sabbath invented heavy metal with their debut album, they perfected it on Paranoid, blending the perfect mix of dark imagery, heavy guitar, solid songwriting and badass attitude. Classic.

1. War Pigs/Luke’s Wall

2. Paranoid

3. Planet Caravan

4. Iron Man

5. Electric Funeral

6. Hand Of Doom

7. Rat Salad

8. Jack The Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots

Buy album

– Kevin

This 5-beetsreview was posted on March 16th, 2005. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.