MASTER OF REALITY (Black Sabbath, 1971)
Artist: Black Sabbath (C+)
Recording Date: Feb 5 – Apr 5, 1971
Release Date: July 21, 1971. UK
Record Label: Vertigo
Producer: Rodger Bain
Rating: 10 (MUST HAVE)
Era: Metal (1970-???)
Subgenre: Metal
Best Song: Children Of The Grave
Tracklist: 1) Sweet Leaf; 2) After Forever; 3) Embryo; 4) Children Of The Grave; 5) Orchid; 6) Lord Of This World; 7) Solitude; 8) Into The Void.
In 1965, Frank Anthony Iommi was an English teenager who had to work in a Birmingham metal factory to survive and afford his passion: music. He was a good guitarist and dreamed of one day forming a great band and becoming a renowned guitarist. Ironically, on his last day of work before quitting to pursue his dream of dedicating himself to music, a metal cutter at the factory crushed the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand. “But no problem”, you might say, “guitarists play the rhythm with their right hand and the fretting with their left!” Yes; but the thing is, Tony is left-handed, which meant he was unable to perform a large number of basic fretting techniques! In fact, looking at it closely, being left-handed saved his career. It would have been impossible for him to play lead guitar solos and arpeggiate without those fingers!
Our tenacious protagonist considered giving up music, but his boss encouraged him to reconsider and even helped arrange for him to play on a Django Reinhardt jazz record. Iommi received positive reviews despite the difficulties he faced using his hand and continued pursuing his dream. However, he still struggled to play. He tried to become right-handed, but it proved impossible, so he learned to flex his weakened fingers and began using thinner strings to minimize injury and bleeding. With this, he invented a new guitar technique. Shortly after, he formed a band in Birmingham called Black Sabbath. Due to the power of their playing, he continued to injure himself despite using the thinnest strings, sometimes even banjo strings.
The band, as we all know, eventually became famous and released a self-titled debut album and Paranoid, both in 1970, which were huge hits and made them one of the biggest sensations of the year. For Black Sabbath's third album, Master of Reality, Tony decided to lower the tuning of his guitar by three half steps, or a tone and a half, reducing the string tension and allowing him to play with more freedom and ease. This created a new sound: darker, deeper, denser, with heavy, colossal riffs. Geezer Butler also lowered the tuning of his bass to match. Although unintentional, this changed the band's sound more than they had anticipated.
Perhaps Black Sabbath's most popular and revered album is Paranoid, but Master of Reality is undoubtedly their heaviest and most creative, at least of the Ozzy era. Master of Reality is also the epitome of what Black Sabbath symbolizes: devastating and apocalyptic riffs, sounds as dark as black holes, raw power, a certain malevolence in the music that sounded more forced on the previous two albums but feels more natural here, perhaps due to the change in tone, and more mysticism in the lyrics, contrasting with the sounds. Furthermore, Ozzy reaches absolute maturity as a vocalist, not meaning that he now sings like an angel, but rather that his style would never sound so perfect for the music the band was developing. Master of Reality is the exact blend of all the ingredients that make up Black Sabbath, captured at their peak and at the height of their stylistic perfection. It is their doom metal peak, before they began experimenting with keyboards, orchestrations, ballads, and lighter sounds.
By the time they entered the studio in February 1971, Iommi had promised his fans they would record the heaviest album ever; this was a reference to Led Zeppelin III, which had disappointed many Zepsters. So the band went into Island Studios in London, with a very generous budget from the record label, which they used to acquire an impressive supply of drugs. At that time, they were experimenting with cocaine, and I think that dark, acidic, and sometimes suffocating tone of the music is largely due to that. Ward would say that they would come up with brilliant ideas on the way to the studio and by the time they arrived they had forgotten them, because of all the drugs. Otherwise, we might have had a tremendous double album. In any case, it caught all four of them at their creative peak.
The album is colossal. I suppose there are now a trillion more powerful and heavier metal albums, especially since the 80s when the genre became more mainstream and diversified. But Master of Reality has to be the heaviest album of 1971, and one of the most powerful of the entire decade. If there was any doubt about the difference between Zeppelin's hard rock and Sabbath's metal, I think this album makes that chasm crystal clear. There's no blues here, no swing. It's pure power. The doom sound they accidentally stumbled upon is monstrous, dark, massive, oily, and denser than ever before. That is to say, later bands would come along and use these same techniques, perhaps sounding more powerful, even darker or more malevolent, but they would never sound as balanced, and at the same time as natural, as this.
The young man with two mutilated fingers, who watched his dreams vanish on a sheet of metal, persevered. He created a completely new technique, changed the tones of his guitar, crafted extensions for his fingers himself from plastic and metal, and ended up becoming one of the greatest riff makers in history, alongside Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Angus Young. And this album is just that: a masterclass in riffs of the highest caliber, one after another, that keep us hooked from beginning to end. Not only that, but he also became one of the most influential guitarists in history. Not only do most metal guitarists have their roots in Iommi and this album, but many alternative and grunge guitarists also try to copy the tone Tony uses, particularly on this record.
There are just eight songs, one of which is a 30-second prelude and another a beautiful minute-and-a-half acoustic instrumental. The rest range between five and six minutes. The songs are neither too long nor too short, although the album seems to fly by. Thirty-five minutes, to be exact.
We've talked a lot about Iommi, but Geezer Butler also does a colossal job, seamlessly blending guitar and drums, sounding incredibly powerful and dynamic. Bill Ward sounds impeccable, multiplying his vocals and generating the explosions, creating that semi-slow, dense atmosphere, guiding the time changes, and adding very precise fills. And as for Ozzy, in my opinion, it's one of his best performances, reaching his vocal maturity, hitting high notes without sounding excessive or exaggerated, and these are perhaps the most focused lyrics of his Sabbath era. For all these reasons, this is the quintessential seminal metal album.
The album kicks off with “Sweet Leaf”, one of the most powerful and dark riffs I can remember. Tony, with his new technique, creates a veritable dinosaur that crushes everything in its path after that fake cough of his that opens the song. Incidentally, the cough is a nod to the lyrics, which can be interpreted as an incredibly cheesy song … or as what it is, a true ode to marijuana, which makes it a hilarious track. Incidentally, the lyrics here don't fit at all with the dense and gloomy mood of the music. It's clearly a joke that many took a little too seriously, like almost everything Sabbath did. Anyway, the song is monumental, with several great riffs, starting with the main one that Tony kicks off, in an exquisite mid-tempo groove. Then comes a monstrous, slower sequence of tones at :50 where Ward blends incredibly well with the fills, and finally that tempo change around 2:30, where the drums begin to gallop and create gongs, while Butler takes off and plays lightning-fast arrangements, setting up the explosive solo. Around 3:15, Tony plays a descending figure that only serves as a mask for a hidden drum solo. And after taking us to the climax, they return as if nothing had happened to that dark abyss of the main riff. Wow! Ozzy sounds great, with his helium voice, not shouting too much, delivering a simple but incredibly catchy melody and filling it with hooks like "Come on , now !" It's still a song with a seemingly simple structure, like the previous albums, but from the first song on the album, you can tell that something has changed… for the better!
Next up is “After Forever”, which begins with a sustained, synthesized sound, featuring a strange effect on Bill's cymbals, before immediately launching into another incredibly powerful riff, this time combined with the monstrous guitar and a superb bass that fills the instrument's highest notes. It quickly shifts to another staccato riff, an ascending sequence of tones where guitar and bass mirror each other, setting the stage for Ozzy to enter with the verses, which also carry a swift and killer melody. At 1:55, they deliver another of those phenomenal tempo changes, seemingly inserting a completely different song, like a slower bridge, and when Osbourne returns, the vocal melody seamlessly blends the different sections. Making these transitions work so well is much more difficult than it appears, but Black Sabbath makes it look effortless here. At 3:30, Iommi plays a tremendous solo, and Geezer does too, though he's a bit overshadowed by the guitar. But if you listen closely to this part, it sounds magnificent! The riffs are undoubtedly the most important element, creating an incredibly heavy and overwhelming atmosphere, but the lyrics are almost equally important. Many people mistook them for another of Sabbath's satanic lyrics, showing that they hadn't even read them and just picked up on isolated words or phrases. Ozzy launches a vicious attack, but on atheists, making a sordid defense of God. I don't know if it's a Christian song as many claim; it doesn't take a particular religious viewpoint (although it mentions the Pope), but it certainly poses a series of questions that strongly defend belief in God and fiercely attacks atheists: “Could it be you're afraid of what your friends might say, If they knew you do you believe in God above?” As an agnostic, I couldn’t agree more with every word.
Then there's "Embryo", which is essentially an instrumental prelude to "Children of the Grave", lasting barely 30 seconds. It's an arrangement by Tony experimenting with distorted violin strings, while Geezer accompanies him in the background on bass. If Page can experiment with the bow, why can't I do it with the violin? Yes, it's short and innocuous, but it's very well done, with a medieval, remote, dark, and powerful feel. And I can hardly help but associate it with " Children of the Grave." Radio programmers who DON'T add it as a prelude should be burned at the stake.
And then comes "Children of the Grave", which kicks off with an impressive, galloping bass line and a touch of distortion. Then the drums and guitar kick in for a colossal intro, together creating one of the most brutal riffs in history. The way Bill Ward hits the drums, with a drumming style that changes the toms without missing a beat, is truly remarkable. Tony contributes his part with sharper, more sporadic bursts, while Ozzy delivers that unusual phrasing with a furious voice. The lyrics follow the anti-war tenor of "War Pigs " and "Electric Funeral" from Paranoid. It's not the best anti-war song in the world; in fact, it's somewhat corny and has rather naive ideas. But hey, considering it's Ozzy and they were high on cocaine, we can salvage lines like: "Children of tomorrow, live in the tears that fall Today, will the sun Rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?" At least the intention is good. It seems they lyrically wanted to cleanse that image they somehow acquired of being satanic. Otherwise, the song is incredibly powerful; the three instruments combine brutally and perfectly to create a track that this time doesn't let up for a single moment and maintains an apocalyptic feel from beginning to end, which this time is a bit more in line with the indignant lyrics. Iommi 's solo at 3:45 is pyrotechnic, perfectly executed and thought out, very technical, with the guitars doubled, one distorted and one slightly cleaner with a small phase difference, one of the best from his time in Sabbath. And the ending is also spectacular, with the guitar screeching in ascending tones and the bass lingering on a long note. A perfect song from every angle.
We continue with “Orchid”, a delicate instrumental piece by Iommi, featuring a very rapid arpeggio on acoustic guitar. Yes, I know. You'll say it's pointless. I could agree with you. When you cut off the tips of two fingers and are able to play arpeggios and arrangements this clean and fast, then we can discuss it. This is a victory for Tony over his disability and his homemade prosthetics. And a brief minute-and-a-half respite from one of the most tremendous album openings I can remember.
Next up is “Lord of this World”, with a slow intro that morphs into another brutal riff, where Ward masterfully explores every beat of his drum kit. Around the :30 mark, there's a shift to a more playful riff, at which point Ozzy launches into his signature helium vocals, again with unprecedented fury. He finishes the verses with a powerful “YEAH!”, followed by some excellent bass work. But my favorite part is the instrumental bridge at the 2-minute mark, which could be considered a solo, but I love how the cowbell stands out and when Butler breaks away from Iommi 's line to create another creative interplay with the crunchy bass. Then comes a savage chorus, with Ozzy singing the song title: “Lord of this world, Evil Possessor”… By the way, the lyrics are corrosive, this time sung from the devil's perspective, but being a kind of critical mockery of all those who go to “the dark side of the force”: “You made me master of the world where you exist, The soul I took from you was not even " Missed". I don't see it so much as a critique of Satanists, but of all those who have somehow lost their humanity for power or money. I think this song is more anti-war than " Children of the Grave," but few interpreted it that way, and it only worsened the band's reputation. The ending is apocalyptic, and Geezer sounds phenomenal in the intense coda, even overshadowing Iommi's furious guitar.
We continue with “Solitude”, a very atmospheric and tranquil song compared to what the band had shown on this album. It vaguely recalls “Planet Caravan”, although it's less accomplished. Ozzy sings with a surprisingly passive tone; many people even thought it was Bill Ward singing, but Ward didn't sing until “It's Alright" from the Technical Ecstasy. Tony plays guitar, piano, and the flute in the background, showcasing his multi-instrumental skills; only Butler provides a repetitive, mantra-like bass line. The song is beautiful, melancholic with an air of hopelessness and pessimistic, introspective lyrics.
We close with “Into The Void”, where the density and power return with another legendary riff, more complex and longer than the previous ones. Butler and Tony mirror each other in the intro, while Ward propels them forward with his explosive drumming. The intro stretches to 1:15, where Tony accelerates with another faster and heavier riff, and the band comes in with renewed energy, generating tension and preparing the stage for Mr. Osbourne's entrance. At the 3-minute mark, it seems like it's going to end, but they take a brief pause only to return faster and more furious than ever. This, ladies and gentlemen, THIS is the definition of Metal. Attitude and raw power, none of today's posturing. In short, the time signature changes work very well; the song builds spectacularly. Geezer once again blows the roof off, and by the time Tony's solo arrives, you don't even notice there's no backing guitar, as the bass fills all the gaps flawlessly. The second solo is even better, again with the trick of the two overlapping guitars, before ending unexpectedly with a guitar roar.
In short, a perfect album. I'm convinced that many people know and consider Paranoid, the more melodic one, to be better; but true Black Sabbath fans and true metal fans know that this is their best album, the most powerful, the most accomplished, the darkest, with the best riffs and the highest level of creativity from the four original members. It has a majestic yet natural aura, menacing, but without being poser or fake. No note sounds forced, and that dark tone of the guitar and bass, which resulted from the tuning change, proved incredibly influential in the history of rock. It's where the metal bands of the late 70s, who had their boom in the 80s, got their start. And the harsh, apocalyptic tone of many grunge bands of the 90s also has its roots in this album. Sabbath will never sound so gigantic and brutal again. They will continue with a certain power, but by then experimenting with other sounds and adding other instruments. Master of Reality is a true gem, the least pretentious metal album ever made, and perhaps that's why it's so good and so unique. Its only flaw is being too short. A must-have!
By Corvan
Mar/29/2009
