Sabbath, Best of, Sabbath
Art by Jim Stah
Black Sabbath is arguably the greatest heavy metal band of all time. They are the founding fathers of Metal Music, and are essentially credited with bringing the genre to mainstream media attention in the early ‘70s. Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi put heavy music on the map in 1970 with their self-titled debut release and follow up, Paranoid. I can recall the first time I heard a Black Sabbath song (that is a clear memory, not the foggy bits of me hearing “Iron Man,” play on the radio circa 1970s NYC rock radio). I was fifteen-years old, sitting in my bedroom, looking out the window at a storm brewing Queens sky. The Best of Black Sabbath was the cassette tape I placed in my Sears catalog all in one stereo, and when the church bells and rain sounds began to play through the speakers, I was hooked. Sabbath touched me like old Hammer horror films (my favorites), captivating my spooky attentions. As the music of the band’s title track reached my ears, I just stared out my window up to the cloud covered sky, letting my imagination paint a picture of the song's lyrics coming to visual narrative.
With the writing and release of my previous article, “What if Judas Priest Had a Top Ten Best Songs of All Time,?” the idea came up to see if I could do a top ten for Sabbath spanning the duration of their studio album catalog. I took this as a challenge because, like with Priest, a true top ten list is just not possible. After several lists being made, songs added and removed, and at one point thinking of doing a top fifteen Sabbath songs, a top ten list was finally completed. I did not want this to be just another greatest hits list, and a list that focused on just Ozzy era Sabbath. Like with my Judas Priest list, the Sabbath list needed to go beyond commercially successful songs, and what are the most popular among fans. So many of the songs you may have on a Sabbath’s best of list probably did not make this list.
This list is comprised from all of Sabbath’s studio works, except for the 1986 release, Seventh Star. That album was intended to be Tony Iommi’s first solo record and was only released under the Sabbath name because of management and label pressures. I am also excluding the body of work from the 2007 reunion with Ronnie James Dio. Though the first three songs released with Dio in 2007 were under the Sabbath name on Black Sabbath the Dio Years, the band rebranded themselves as Heaven and Hell for touring and future releases.
With that settled, let’s jump into the honorable mentions list.
- “N.I.B.”- Album: Black Sabbath, released 1970. Possibly the most popular song of the debut release from Sabbath, N.I.B. is a gothic tale about Lucifer falling in love with a human woman. A true Sabbath classic that could replace any of the songs on my list if so desired. Though it was rumored that the song title was an acronym for Nativity in Black, the song was actually named after the shape of drummer Bill Wards beard at the time of recording, as bandmates described it as a pen nib.
- “Children of the Sea” - Album: Heaven and Hell, released 1980. The first song that Dio and Iommi wrote together, and would launch the second life of the greatest metal band to be conceived. The live version of this song off the album, Live at Hammersmith Odeon, is an excellent rendition showcasing Dio’s vocals.
- “Iron Man”- Album: Paranoid, released 1970. This is the song, the riff, that Sabbath truly marked their territory with. Arguably the most iconic guitar riff in metal music history. Simple and heavy, lyrically and musically.
- “Die Young”- Album: Heaven and Hell, released 1980. There is something about Dio and Iommi getting together to write music. Almost every song they write is a classic. It was difficult to exclude this song from the top ten.
- “Headless Cross”- Album: Headless Cross, released 1989. This is the second Sabbath record with vocalist Tony Martin at the helms and is arguably the best Sabbath release since Heaven and Hell. The album is creatively themed with horror and Satanic elements, as found here in the title track.
For those not familiar with the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath, Martin joined the band in 1987 to re-record vocals for the album, Eternal Idol, after the departure of Ray Gillan. (Eternal Idol is an underrated Sabbath record with killer tracks like The Shining, Scarlet Pimpernel, and the title track. 100% worth checking out.)
Tony Martin has more studio albums with Sabbath than Dio and is the second longest running vocalist next to Ozzy. This version of Sabbath has its own musical flow and harkens as well to the Dio era of the band. Some of the material released with Tony Martin (vocals), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass), Geoff Nichols (keyboards) and Tony Iommi (guitar) as the lineup stands up to the Ozzy and Dio classics. Martin was set to replace Dio for the Dehumanizer record and tour on two occasions during the recordings of Dehumanizer due to trouble in the Sabs camp, already forming between Dio and the gang. Allegedly, the reasons this did not happen were that Martin was already committed to finishing his first solo album, and Warner Bros was already heavily invested in the album's production, insisting on either Dio or Ozzy being on the record. Martin did return after Dehumanizer, and that album, Cross Purposes, has live CD and VHS (DVD now as well) recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1994. Cross Purposes has been considered by some to be the most “Sabbath sounding” album in years.
With all the honorable mentions and Tony Martin history lesson out of the way, let’s see what I chose as…
The Top Ten Best Black Sabbath Songs
10- “When Death Calls”- Album: Headless Cross, released 1989. This song is a classic Sabbath tune filled with tempo changes, melodic and heavy guitars, and is comparable to songs off the Sabbath classic, Heaven and Hell. Tony Martin’s vocals are layered, something he did on the first three studio albums consistently. Though Martin has said layered vocals were a new thing to Sabbath, Dio did it throughout Heaven and Hell and those vibes are here with this song.
9- “Snowblind”- Album: Vol 4, released 1972. Off the fourth studio album from Sabbath, this song is about a “Snortable” love of winter, and is a solid Sabbath classic that fans are always cheering to hear at live shows. Again, heavy guitars, brutal but beautiful drums, and Ozzy’s vocals being one of his strongest performances off the first four studio albums.
8- “The Sign of the Southern Cross”- Album: The Mob Rules, released 1981. This record was not loved by critics, claiming it was the same album as its predecessor. Though I see the similarities between the two records, The Mob Rules is a heavier sounding album. This being the heaviest song from the album, it sports classic Sabbath (there's that phrase again) guitars, Dio’s powerful voice, and the heavy hands of Vinny Appice on drums. The track also highlights Geezer Butler’s bass work with him using a wah pedal throughout the song, adding a new dynamic to the music.
7- “Symptom of the Universe”- Album: Sabotage, released 1975. This song is a return to Sabbath’s original form, after the experimental sounds from their previous release, Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. With one of Iommi’s greatest riffs, pounding through this song, Geezer’s bass and Bill Ward’s drum matching the intensity, and Ozzy’s vocal range at its most powerful, this song would be one of the first I played for a new Sabbath fan to give them the full Sabbath experience.
6- “War Pigs”- Album: Paranoid, released 1970. In the opinions of many, Paranoid is Black Sabbath’s greatest album. It sports Sabbath classics from start to finish on the record, with the three most popular/successful offerings being, “Iron Man,” the title track, and the song that made my list, “War Pigs.” Any of the songs off this record are worthy of this list, but “War Pigs” is the strongest song on the record. It’s a time-tested classic that still carries a connective message with listeners today.
5- “I”- Album: Dehumanizer, released 1992. The first Dio reunion with the band, and most tumultuous, produced the heaviest Black Sabbath album of all time. Riffs, bass, drums, lyrical context, and production, all are the heaviest from Sabbath’s library. Another album with multiple classics worthy of this list, such as “Computer God,” “TV Crimes,” “Time Machine,” and “Buried Alive,” Dehumanizer is an underrated beast. “I” is the standout anthem song from the record, boasting angry vocals by Dio to accompany Iommi’s savage guitar work.
4- “Neon Knights”- Album: Heaven and Hell, released 1980. A captivating masterpiece of all musical pieces coming together in unison. This song is a prime example of Dio’s vocal and lyrical genius, and comes off yet another Sabbath record with best of worthy classics. The entire album shows the musical evolution of Sabbath from Ozzy’s departure.
3- “Black Sabbath”- Album: Black Sabbath, released 1970. The riff, the song that started it all. Without this song, there is no Black Sabbath. Lyrically I have heard opinions that the song is weak and it is the dark musical tones that make this song the classic it is. I beg to differ. Though simple, the lyrics tell a tale of horror that is married to the musical darkness. Many classic metal and hard rock songs have simple lyrics, but simplicity wins most of the time. Look at Alice Cooper’s hit songs. Look at KISS hit songs. All these are examples of simple lyrical content, with a stronger storytelling capacity. “What is this that stands before me? Figure in black which points at me.”
2- “Children of the Grave”- Album: Master of Reality, released 1971. The third record from Sabbath introduced us all to the darker, heavier, more brooding tone of their music created in C# tuning. The totality of the musical conception of the album rivals that of Paranoid. Children of the Grave is an intense song, with such an iconic, classic riff from Iommi. Geezer’s bass work and Bill’s drumming fall into symphonic sync with Iommi’s riff, creating a heavy hitting head-banger masterpiece.
1- “Heaven and Hell”- Album: Heaven and Hell, released 1980. If I were asked what are the greatest songs of my favorite band and vocalist of all time, I could answer both questions with one reply. Heaven and Hell. Ronnie James Dio, replacing Ozzy in Black Sabbath, created a new “Musical Magick” that was a creative departure from the band’s first eight studio albums. The heavy guitar riffs Tony Iommi was famous for were still there, but were now enhanced with more melodic and layered tones. Geezer Butler’s bass work showed his roots as a rhythm guitarist and complimented Iommi’s guitars beyond just sound alone. Bill Ward’s drumming adapted to Iommi and Butler’s refreshed creative approach. Sabbath developed into another version of the band, as AC/DC did the same year, with Brian Johnson taking the vocal position there.
Heaven and Hell is a song about chasing your dreams, and not losing them to those who would deceive you, and take what are your ideas for their own. It is a song about everyone’s choice between good and evil. It is a song about how a band can reinvent themselves creatively, and start a new timeline of classics for the metal and rock world to hear. With so many killer, iconic, classic songs in the Sabbath library, Heaven and Hell is the epitome of the band’s abilities.
What is your best of Black Sabbath list, spanning the band’s entire studio album library? We want to hear from you. Comment and follow on the social media links below!
Thank you to my tattoo dude Jim Stah for the Judas Priest art contributions to this article. Jim has been tattooing for over twenty-years, is one the most talented people I know, whose art is simply extraordinary. Check his work out on the following links and hit him up at Just Deadly Tattoo, if you are looking for some insane tattoo work.
Boris Lee is an American author best known for his work in horror fiction and as a columnist covering music and other arts. His anthology of short horror stories, The Shadows of Insanity, was a Best Thriller Top Ten Finalist. Musically Lee is the front Monster for the band, Boris & The Horribles, whose music can be found on all streaming services in early 2025. Currently, Lee lives in California where he is creating new horrors for readers everywhere.
For more about Boris Lee, check out his website here: Boris Lee
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