BLACK SABBATH
The unquestionable founding fathers of heavy metal are Black Sabbath. The quartet from Birmingham, England, combined the disparate contributions of multiple bands (from Blue Cheer to Led Zeppelin) into the potent, uncompromising, and surprisingly adaptable style we recognize today, starting with their eponymous debut and groundbreaking sophomore LP, “Paranoid” (both released in 1970). After a string of successful albums, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and guitarist Tony Iommi of Sabbath broke away from singer Ozzy Osbourne in 1979.
For a short while, they experienced almost as much success with former Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio leading the group. Following Dio’s exit, however, the band’s fortunes took a turn for the worse as Osbourne’s solo career took off. Eventually, a reunion of the original foursome was arranged for touring purposes in 1997 and, more recently, for the recording of Black Sabbath’s most recent album, “13” (minus Bill Ward), in 2013. After almost fifty years of existence, Black Sabbath continues to be the standard by which all other heavy metal bands are judged.
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