By LoffMusic
Today the world gets a little quieter. One of the most iconic voices of heavy metal has passed away, and not just any voice. Ozzy Osbourne, the prince of darkness, has left us. But like any myth, his presence continues to reverberate in every vinyl, in every riff as dense as the smoke of a Birmingham club in the 70s.
In honor of Ozzy, and that sonic beast called Black Sabbath, I open my sacred collection -that one that smells of dust, leather, and glory- to rescue the 5 albums that every metal lover must have, yes or yes, before going to hell… or wherever Ozzy is now doing duets with Lemmy.
1. Black Sabbath (1970)
The origin of evil
It all started on a Friday, February 13th. Rain, bells, a riff that froze the blood and the nervous laughter of those who didn’t know if they were listening to blues, doom or an invocation. This album changed music forever. Ozzy sounds like a prophet possessed, and the eponymous track is simply the cornerstone of metal. A religion was founded here.
Essential song: Black Sabbath
2. Paranoid (1970)
The battle cry
Recorded in a few days, with low budget and even lower expectations, Paranoid became the Holy Grail of metal. Everything here is legendary: “Iron Man”, “War Pigs”, “Planet Caravan” and that atomic riff that gives the album its name. If you don’t have this album in your collection, give me back my leather jacket, innkeeper.
Essential song: War Pigs
3. Master of Reality (1971)
Beyond the abyss
Here Sabbath turns the tune down even further and creates the sound of the apocalypse. It’s stoner, it’s doom, it’s pure molten lead. Iommi is the architect, Geezer the occult poet, Bill the rhythmic shaman and Ozzy…. Ozzy is the medium who channels the other side. The black cover with purple letters is already sacred art.
Essential song: Children of the Grave
4. Vol. 4 (1972)
Excess, gold and cocaine
On this album Sabbath proves that they were not only dark, they could fly. Recorded in Los Angeles with mountains of white dust, it is a wild psychedelic trip. Here Ozzy sings like a child in a trance, and tracks like “Snowblind” are confessions of a band devouring itself.
Essential song: Snowblind
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Artistic resurrection
When everyone thought Sabbath was fading away, along came this stroke of genius. It is their most ambitious work , melodic and progressive, without losing an ounce of darkness. The title track is a riff that could split planets in two, and Ozzy sounds more theatrical, crazier, more brilliant than ever.
Essential song: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Epilogue:
Ozzy is no more. But don’t cry to me, you bastards. He was a comet that crossed the black sky of rock, leaving fire, scandals and electric poetry. These five albums are more than music: they are initiation rituals, metal codices, testaments to an era where dangerous was beautiful.
So dust off the turntable, turn up the volume and let Ozzy’s voice possess you once again.
Long live the Prince. Black Sabbath is eternal.
