“I’m really digging schizophrenia the best of the earth;
I’ve seized my soul in the fires of Hell.
Peace of mind eluded me, but now its all mine;
I simply try, but he wants me to fail.
Feel it slipping away, slipping in tomorrow…
Now I’ve found my happiness, providence of sorrow.”
--Black Sabbath from the song “Megalomania” from the album Sabotage, 1975.
I have two favorite Black Sabbath albums. One is the one I mentioned last year, Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. The other is Sabotage. Sabotage contains three of my favorite Sabbath songs: Megalomania, Symptom of the Universe, and Thrill Of It All. The last one many may not recognize, but I think it is one of their best.
The album also contains Hole In The Sky, Don’t Start (Too Late), the eerie Supertzar, the ‘pseudo-hit’ Am I Going Insane (Radio), and concludes with the powerful The Writ.
This is Ozzy’s last hurrah with the band, even though he recorded two forgettable albums with the Sabbath line up of Tony Iomini, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. On this one, Ozzy’s voice is incredible and the band plays their brand of thunderous metal.
To be frank, Megalomania has a special place in my heart as among the quintessential songs that represent Heavy Metal: great lyrics, a powerful guitar, a strong voice, and a thudding bass and drum.
Something was lost by Black Sabbath after this album. I am not sure if the formula ran dry, the drugs ran too rapid, of the moment was simply lost, but the band fell on the weight of their own legacy for a few years. Perhaps the Ronnie James Dio years were a necessary break for the band, as Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules were so much better than Never Say Die and Technical Ecstasy.
This is not their heaviest album, but Sabotage is certainly their most melodic. Added to the musical accomplishments, they seem to really define the genre of Heavy Metal and the changes that were starting to ensue in the Hard Rock legacy that they set forth. Certainly by this point, the band understood their contributions and made this one their swansong.
Like Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand, Megalomania stood out as the moment that harkens back to their past while The Writ showed what the future could have been.
The latter two Ozzy albums either were misguided attempts to gain an audience that was not interested in Sabbath or they were poorly suggested ideas from management. It matters not, as Sabbath muddled through a few years of sad remnants of their past.
I always felt each Sabbath album moved forward for the band as they evolved. Sabotage was the final step in the evolution of metal and set the precedent of what could be described as the greatness of the level of musical accomplishment.
--Black Sabbath from the song “Megalomania” from the album Sabotage, 1975.
I have two favorite Black Sabbath albums. One is the one I mentioned last year, Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. The other is Sabotage. Sabotage contains three of my favorite Sabbath songs: Megalomania, Symptom of the Universe, and Thrill Of It All. The last one many may not recognize, but I think it is one of their best.
The album also contains Hole In The Sky, Don’t Start (Too Late), the eerie Supertzar, the ‘pseudo-hit’ Am I Going Insane (Radio), and concludes with the powerful The Writ.
This is Ozzy’s last hurrah with the band, even though he recorded two forgettable albums with the Sabbath line up of Tony Iomini, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. On this one, Ozzy’s voice is incredible and the band plays their brand of thunderous metal.
To be frank, Megalomania has a special place in my heart as among the quintessential songs that represent Heavy Metal: great lyrics, a powerful guitar, a strong voice, and a thudding bass and drum.
Something was lost by Black Sabbath after this album. I am not sure if the formula ran dry, the drugs ran too rapid, of the moment was simply lost, but the band fell on the weight of their own legacy for a few years. Perhaps the Ronnie James Dio years were a necessary break for the band, as Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules were so much better than Never Say Die and Technical Ecstasy.
This is not their heaviest album, but Sabotage is certainly their most melodic. Added to the musical accomplishments, they seem to really define the genre of Heavy Metal and the changes that were starting to ensue in the Hard Rock legacy that they set forth. Certainly by this point, the band understood their contributions and made this one their swansong.
Like Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand, Megalomania stood out as the moment that harkens back to their past while The Writ showed what the future could have been.
The latter two Ozzy albums either were misguided attempts to gain an audience that was not interested in Sabbath or they were poorly suggested ideas from management. It matters not, as Sabbath muddled through a few years of sad remnants of their past.
I always felt each Sabbath album moved forward for the band as they evolved. Sabotage was the final step in the evolution of metal and set the precedent of what could be described as the greatness of the level of musical accomplishment.
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