Black Sabbath (studio album) by Black Sabbath

I was a 12 year old in 1970 living in, as Ozzy and the guys would see it, the wrong side of Birmingham. For those who are not aware, football is a religion in Birmingham and the city is split across the city centre and your either a villain (supporting Aston Villa), or if you come from the south of the city you’re a bluenose (supporting Birmingham City). I’m a proud bluenose and the band all support the villa. Never the Twain shall meet. Until……..

Birmingham is the quintessential blue collar city. Back then, The home of British Leyland and heavy industry. The city of a thousand trades. If you wanted it built, Birmingham could do it with highly skilled tradesmen. That was our identity and it was a rough place to grow up but we didn’t think of it that way as kid. It was just Birmingham.

What we didn’t have as teenagers was our own identity as far as music, not like Liverpool with The Beatles or London with The Stones. Then along came The Sabb.

The first time I heard the self titled album I wasn’t interested in Gezzer’s politics, although this became more important and relevant as I got older, no, it was the first time that I heard anything that sounded like the city that I loved. Industrial, visceral, something that actually had a physical effect on you.

We didn’t know that a whole new genre of music was being created in our city, me and my friends had simply found the music that felt like our city. Didn’t matter which side of the city you lived, there was no divide as far as the band were concerned.

Ozzy famously hated putting music into genre but I do feel proud that, more than 50 years later, and after many sub genre of heavy metal, my city is still the place where it was born.

Ozzy and the band mean a huge amount to me and although my musical palette has expanded hugely since my early teens I still love going back to Black Sabbath for a fix on a regular basis

From HoldenM 07/24/2025 18:10

Rest in peace, Ozzy.

Um álbum de estreia excepcional, a primeira faixa, é icônica

The beginning of something very special, although overall this isn't a particularly special album. NIB is an incredible song, but other than that I didn't enjoy much else. The last track starts well but goes on a bit too long.

There are very few albums which have “blown me away” on first listen, this was the first to do so. I was 13 in 1971 when I heard this round at a mate house on what would now be described as a very crappy “stereo”. Two sides of vinyl which changed my musical direction for years to come. The bedrock of a whole genre of music. Amazing stuff

One of the most influential and important albums in metal music. It might lack the consistency and heights they reached on later releases but it is still a solid debut with some phenomenal playing on here. It still sounds just as heavy today with the guitars on N.I.B. being a testament to that. This really does feel like the birth of something exciting and I get that feeling every time I listen to this record. Overall, great performances, great songs and a unique style leads to a thoroughly enjoyable album that is full of potential.

From VictorVale 01/22/2023 22:15

Genial começo! A atmosfera pesada do Heavy Metal nascendo.

Classic. One of the first metal albums

Almost perfect first album from one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time if not the greatest.

innovative. an absence of malice or hate. some good stuff