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Few bands have had the cultural impact on heavy metal and guitar music than Black Sabbath. In fact, had guitarist Tony Iommi not chopped off the tips of his fingers at a sheet metal factory, heavy metal might not even be a thing. From 1968 to 2013 (with a few hiatuses in between), Black Sabbath put the metal to the (guitar) pedal over 20 albums.
Before we get into that, let’s take a quick look at how the band came together. First of all, let’s talk about Iommi’s “mishap.” He was working at a “guillotine-type press” during his last day as a factory worker. Here’s how Iommi tells it:
“I don’t know what happened, I must have pushed my hand in. Bang! It came down. It just took the ends off [my fingers]. I actually pulled them off. As I pulled my hand back, it sort of pulled them off. It was left with two stalks, the bone was sticking out the top of the finger.”
To compensate, he wore self-made plastic tips which meant he had to press down very hard. He also had a power-chord-heavy sound because he couldn’t play solos. Finally, he detuned the guitar to make it easier to play. That’s how the band got that signature guitar sound.
The four band members, Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward all met in Birmingham, England, where they dreamed of escaping the factory life. They were first called Earth but changed the name when they found out another band had it. The band recorded its first album in 1969, and they were off to the races. Let’s rank the albums!
20. ‘Forbidden’ (1995)
This is an absolute dumpster fire, and even Iommi admitted the album was “total shambles.” That’s being kind. It’s better we don’t even talk about it at all.
19. ‘Tyr’ (1990)
This album featured Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray, but by 1990 the band had used up a lot of its good grace with poorly reviewed albums. This album was probably the most mediocre of the Tony Martin era, although that’s not saying much at all.
18. ‘Cross Purposes’
Released during the grunge era and once again with singer Tony Martin, this album didn’t really do much considering it still sounded like Ronnie James Dio was fronting the band. Ill-conceived.
17. ‘Seventh Star’ (1986)
Seventh Star was supposed to be an Iommi solo album but the record company didn’t like that so they tacked Black Sabbath onto the name. It’s not terrible, it’s just not really a Black Sabbath album at all.
16. ‘Born Again’ (1983)
Sabbath went through a number of singers over the years, but Ian Gillan from Deep Purple was maybe the worst. This was the infamous Stonehenge tour, later parodied in This Is Spinal Tap .
15. ‘Dehumanizer’ (1992)
This was the Dio/Sabbath partnership that was supposed to usher in a new era for the band, and it kinda did! There was a little of the ol’ spark on the record, and it showed a band that wasn’t quite ready to hang up its guitars just yet.
14. ’13’ (2013)
This one was a big deal, considering it was the last album the band ever recorded. Something else made it huge though, it was the first album with Ozzy since 1978. Unfortunately, Bill Ward didn’t participate so the drumming is heavy but not quite the same feel. Still good, though.
13. ‘Headless Cross’ (1989)
Another album with Tony Martin handling the vocals. This was his second album, and he showed more confidence and presence than The Eternal Idol, his first go-around. It’s a great record and probably the band’s best without mainstays Dio or Ozzy.
12. ‘The Devil You Know’ (2009)
A fitting swansong for Dio. He sang with the gusto of a peak Dio ’80s record, and the band turned in one of its most powerful and heavy albums. RIP Dio.
11. ‘Never Say Die!’ (1978)
This was the last album with all four members of the band, and there are some real gems in this album, like A Hard Road and the experimental Air Dance. Definitely worth revisiting.
10. ‘The Eternal Idol’ (1987)
This was Tony Martin’s first album with the band, and it was mostly written by the time he came in to sing. Over the course of recording the record, Iommi had to replace the bassist, singer, and producer. Still, it cranked out a pretty good record.
9. ‘Technical Ecstasy’ (1976)
It’s hard to keep a streak of amazing albums going the way Sabbath did. This marked the beginning of the band’s so-called slide into being not quite as captivating. There was also too much keyboard, but still pretty good.
8. ‘Mob Rules’ (1981)
The second Ronnie James Dio-fronted album was the first without Bill Ward. This is the Dio era band pumping at all cylinders, and it’s pretty much a classic. Falling Off The Edge Of The World and Voodoo are Sabbath heavy hitters. The best Dio-era album bar none.
7. ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ (1973)
This album had to follow up the very successful Vol. 4, but everyone was starting to get a bit burnt around the edges. To refresh spirits, the band moved to Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire, where the band saw ghosts and Iommi came alive again. Iommi called it one of his best albums.
6. ‘Sabotage’ (1975)
A classic album and the last of the band’s super hot Ozzy era hit streak. The band considered this album one that got them back to the basics of what made the band tick. It’s atmospheric and expansive in all the right ways.
5. ‘Heaven and Hell’ (1980)
The first album with Ronnie James Dio saw the band pulling off the impossible: replacing Ozzy Osbourne. Dio pulled the band out of a five-year nosedive and brought them commercial and cultural resonance once again. Children of the Sea felt new and classic at the same time, and the title track had so much atmosphere it was basically its own planet.
4. ‘Vol. 4’ (1972)
A testament to the band’s cocaine years, Vol. 4 still manages to show a band not satisfied with the status quo. Experimental in all the right ways, Vol. 4 featured the classic tune Changes which still holds up to this day.
3. ‘Master of Reality’ (1971)
This was the band’s pot album. This was the follow-up to Paranoid, and the band didn’t let that song’s success influence how they were going to move forward. It’s sludgy and doom-y and beautiful.
2. ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
The album that started it all! The band showed off its bluesy side but also its sharp heaviness that gave the world something completely new. It’s a great album that shows a band just getting started.
1. ‘Paranoid’ (1970)
Paranoid is probably the song that most people think of when they think of the band. This is absolutely the band’s masterpiece, crammed with classics like War Pigs and Iron Man. One of those genre-defining albums that will outlive us all.