Album Review: Black Sabbath – Master of Reality (1971)

Overview: 

Master of Reality combines the pace of Black Sabbath, with the heaviness of Paranoid.  It is absolutely the best of both worlds and is a fine ending to the first “act” of Sabbath’s career.  These first three albums were recorded in rapid succession, with Master of Reality coming out only about six months after Paranoid in the United States.  Sabbath took a bit of a break after this album to recharge their batteries as the extensive tour-record-tour regimen was starting to take its toll on them.

Tracks you may know: 

“Sweet Leaf”:  Starting out with Ozzy coughing into the microphone, “Sweet Leaf” takes a heavy, plodding approach, much like Black Sabbath or War Pigs before it. 

“Children of the Grave”:  A staple of the live set, this is one of Sabbath’s heaviest tracks, taking on war and politics and providing a galloping beat under Ozzy’s haunting lyrics.  Bill Ward’s drums here are exceptional as they follow and then build off the original beat.  Then, of course, we get Tony Iommi’s guitar solo followed by a crescendo that is perfect to close out a concert 

Tracks you should know:

“Lord of This World”:  Exceptional drumming from Bill Ward (are you seeing a pattern yet?) combined with a bluesy beat make this one of the standout tracks that you may be unaware of.  The way that Geezer Butler weaves his bass guitar around and through Iommi’s guitar is incredible.  There is never a plain, boring bass line (and this is even more evident when you see Sabbath live) as Geezer makes sure that his instrument is not lost in the shuffle.

“After Forever”:  Yet another reason for Christians to be pissed at the boys from Birmingham.  This was definitely a song that provided a different point of view in terms of organized religion (especially Christianity) and obviously failed to make the band any friends in the religious sector (which was a lot bigger back then than it seems to be now).  Kids ate this stuff up though as it was an anti-establishment, anti-authority song that asked you to question your beliefs and why you believe.

My personal favorite:

“Children of the Grave”:  See above; just as heavy and powerful when I first heard it in the late nineties as it was back in 1971. 

Album rating: 

This is a fitting finale to Sabbath’s first act.  Each album feels like there is growth and development from its predecessor.  It shouldn’t be a surprise that each of these albums is a “10” as they, in my opinion, are the pinnacle of Sabbath’s career. 

10/10