In honor of the recent announcement that the original lineup of Black Sabbath is getting back together, I figured that now would be the appropriate time to review their classic album: Paranoid.
I think that, before going any further, we have to ask ourselves: where would heavy metal be without this album? I would say, without a doubt, that it probably wouldn’t exist at all. Bands like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin had been toying with the idea of heavy music but neither achieved the doomy feel that Black Sabbath captured on this release (and their debut). Three of metals most iconic songs appear on this album “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” and “War Pigs”. Not to mention the countless heavy metal bands that cite the as an influence. Ask any heavy metal guitarists to name their influences and Toni Iommi is sure to be high on their list.
Today this album might seem tame but when it was released in 1970 it was groundbreaking. The sheer force and heaviness was something that had never been heard before. From the “devil’s note” tuning to the high-pitched singing, this album had heavy metal written all over it. And the lyrics, courtesy of Geezer Butler (not Ozzy Osbourne), were some of the most gloomy and dark. This album proved that Iommi was a master of riffs and that just when it seemed that he couldn’t come up with anything better he did.
But it’s important to look at the individual songs. I won’t delve into every one of them, that would be tedious.
Let’s start off by taking a look at “War Pigs”. That was actually supposed to be the title of the album (hence the album artwork), but the record company was concerned about its association with the Vietnam War and vetoed the idea. Now the idea of antiwar songs was not a novice one to rock music. But antiwar songs back then were usually done in the folk style (see Bob Dylan). Never before had there been an antiwar song that was so crushingly heavy and loud. The lyrics of the song generally don’t talk about the soldiers but about the politicians and world leaders who instigate the war and yet don’t fight it themselves, “they leave that role to the poor”.
“Paranoid” of course is one of Black Sabbath’s most recognizable songs. It is one of those songs where the minute you hear the riff, you know exactly what song your hearing. The lyrics on this one focus on just what the title implies: a person who is struggling with paranoia (and perhaps a few other things). This definitely started metal down the road of songs that deal with metal problems.
Of course any review of this album would be incomplete if I didn’t talk about the Black Sabbath song that even fans of Justin Bieber know. I'm talking about “Iron Man” no doubt. With a riff even more recognizable than the title song’s, this is one of Sabbath’s best. Contrary to popular belief, the line “I am iron man” is not sung over the riff but is only heard as a heavily distorted guitar in the beginning. The lyrics on this one tell a very odd story about someone who was turned to steel as a result of time travelling. It’s weird but given a lot of the stuff that has come since it seems to fit.
There would be no metal without this album. All metal bands owe a tribute to this album and every member of Black Sabbath. If you don’t have this album then you’re probably not a metalhead.
War Pigs
Paranoid
Iron Man
