Black Sabbath – Vol. 4 – 1972
The world of dark metal gets a little sludgier in 1972. You can almost feel the band shedding off it’s working class England stink and sliding through a thick morass of L.A. debauchery. These are gods among men, these musicians. In 1972, before glam would become the next big thing, before punk, before stadium prog, there was Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, etc.
Vol.4 is a bit more experimental than the previous three albums and, you know, thank god. “Wheels of Confusion”, a multi-part opener, sort of challenges the listener to go on this journey with the band. If you were expecting “Iron Man” you would get that plus a healthy dose of psychedelia.
We get back to the riffage right afterward with “Tomorrow’s Dream”, it’s the Sabbath we’ve come to count on and it’s immediately followed by the completely unexpected piano ballad “Changes”. Stretching their wings the band pretty much invents the metal power ballad. And it’s awesome.
And what can you really say about powerhouses like “Supernaut” and “Snowblind” (& Under the Sun) that haven’t already been said.
It all gets a little tired toward the end. Imagine how bloated this record would sound if it was recorded 15 years later in the era of the 70 minute cd? Yikes.
Vol. 4 is a metal classic and deserves to be.
Grade: A
ASide: Changes, Supernaut, Snowblind
BlindSide: Wheels of Confusion, St. Vitus Dance (I include it here cuz I never remember that it’s on this record and I love that riff)
