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But Tony doesn't just rest on his laurels and settle for insipid chords the entire time (which he very easily could have done, the whole point of tuning down was to make playing easier on his fingers). On the rest of the album though he plays competently with some interesting offbeats and good enthusiasm. Whether or not this is a tongue-in-cheek jab at the accusations of Sabbath being Satanists, the preachy approach makes one wonder. In his autobiography Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath, Iommi describes the difficulty Osbourne also experienced recording the vocal: "It has this slow bit, but then the riff where Osbourne comes in is very fast. 3. 9. It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of doom metal, stoner rock, and sludge metal. However, the album isn't perfect. The booming bass hooking onto the upbeat lead guitars may feel that way at first, but then it drops to a chugging note, eventually winding up in a stomping bridge. [citation needed] Negatively received by critics on release, the album is now considered one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. Type: Full-length Release date: January 22nd, 2016 Catalog ID: R2 552926 . The mid-song breakdown takes the form of one of Sabbath's trademark 'band solos' before returning to the sludgy riffing of before. A steaming side of Hawkwind later and you get Kyuss and Monster Magnet and the other bleary-eyed kings of the scene as it exists today. . Beginning on the iconic note of a sampled cough, the band erupt into "Sweet Leaf", a drug-addled tune that's become a fan favourite over the years. This is easily Sabbath's heaviest album, and still one of the heaviest albums EVER made. Highlights: The guitars are dropped 3 steps on every string, and the mix is much sludgier. Master of Reality gives us great, heavy fucking metal riffs that sound great in standard tuning, or any tuning (go look up a 1992 performance of Into The Void with Tony Martin, standard tuning and still Azbantium splitting). This is obviously due to studio magic and vocal effects but it is so incredibly different that it led to oft-repeated falsehood that Bill Ward sang the song. To talk about a Black Sabbath CD without reference to the bands story and their influence on the genre is a pretty difficult task, because it is when you listen to albums like Master of Reality that the ENTIRE groundplan of metal magically begins to unfold before you like a scene out of National Treasure (if National Treasure were a better film). Sure, you could have the interludes Embryo and Orchid lengthened, but that could honestly lead to unnecessary padding. This is another song that is simply fun to listen to, and that is what Sabbath is all about. The former is a call to arms directed at the youth of the world to seek other enterprises aside from self-destruction. Ozzy's vocals are a little unhinged, a little high, with plenty of "oh yeahs!" Gone are the aimless jams of their debut (unless you want to nitpick about Embryo and Orchid, acoustic guitar pieces which together come in at less than two minutes), also while just as riff driven as Paranoid, Master of Reality focuss on the rhythm to a much larger extent. For me what makes this Black Sabbaths best album is the overall consistency in the quality of the songwriting and musicianship, the excellent atmosphere, and the lack of sustained laughable moments that seem to dot some of their other releases. Its easy to forget just how progressive this thing was underneath all the throbbing heaviness, especially with that opening riff that sounds like gangly trolls lifting boulders in some far off and distant land in a time before polygamy was a sin. While these two albums weren't particularly hailed by music critics at the time, the average heavy rock fans adored them, so it was pretty clear that Black Sabbath was up to something special. If you are a fan of metal music that routinely places a vocalist at the forefront during his worst vocals in 20 years, then this is right for you. Now while this album is arguably one of the heaviest albums of all time, the reason it works so well not just as a metal album, but as a piece of music in general, is that the five ultra heavy tracks are balanced out with three lighter ones that dont change the atmosphere. If you deem this album to be good because of the heaviness and the stripped down raw feel, I have no issue with that, I am aware Black Sabbath created doom metal with this release. Ill give them some credit I guess for the nice atmosphere the song creates the backwards piano and flute are nice touches. John "Ozzy" Osbourne (vocals) - Ozzy's voice is continually improving, gaining a little strength and some range. Master of Reality is eight songs of depressed euphoria. It rides a below-average riff into the ground and is just too late-60s-rockish for me it does not crushingly advance the cause of heavy metal like the totally evil Black Sabbath (from another album you may have heard of) or the previously mentioned Into the Fucking Void, which is just brutal. Already with the self titled and Paranoid album under their belt, Sabbath begin to experiment with their sound. "Solitude" is one of my favourite songs ever. Here Tony Iommi began to experiment with tuning his guitar down three half-steps to C#, producing a sound that was darker, deeper, and sludgier than anything they'd yet committed to record. They should realize before they criticize But in contrast to Paranoids overplayed nature, these songs are actively sought out and seemingly spread in a much more organic fashion. Master of Reality was Black Sabbath's first and only top . And there's the core of the album -- all that's left is a couple of brief instrumental interludes, plus the quiet, brooding loneliness of "Solitude," a mostly textural piece that frames Osbourne's phased vocals with acoustic guitars and flutes. The revised US pressing timings, shown below, compound this likely error. He also shows some dexterity on the acoustic guitar, as seen in Orchid, Embryo and Solitude. "[32] The same magazine also ranked the album 34th on its "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". On 'Master of Reality' however, Iommi decided to down-tune his guitar (Geezer's bass followed suit) and began writing more straight-forward, aggressive riffs and voila! But this was the first time when we didn't have gigs booked in, and could just focus on making the album a landmark. The first side alone, you have the epic anti-Vietnam War Pigs, which has some of the best riffs and musical passages known to man - that DUN DUN! It's a solid addition to the Ozzy era, but I wouldn't call it the best for any member of this band. Its so incredibly heavy and distinctive. BLACK SABBATH - MASTER OF REALITY ALBUM LYRICS - SongLyrics.com First are the vocals, the way he ends the lyric lines in the verses of After Forever, or the unbelievably awful delivery during the opening lines for Lord Of This World, which is a song that perfectly represents my second problem. The music is gentle but brooding, with a melodic and emotional flute played by Iommi. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality - Encyclopaedia Metallum It was dark and devilish..pioneering. Nope Just back to that single riff repeated until you loathe its very existence and those awful vocals. Black Sabbath's reputation does not make them invulnerable to unfavorable judgment and their album will be judged on its own merits, notoriety be damned. Although not everything works to expectation, the more progressive edge they have here has opened plenty of doors for the band to explore. US-made compact disc pressings of Master of Reality continue to list the incorrect timings of the Revised US LP pressing on the CD booklet. The bass sound hasnt really changed since Black Sabbath, which is a good thing; its still nice and heavy, happy to accentuate the rhythm of the guitar before throwing in a few bluesy hooks into the mix for good measure. But its only 28 seconds long, so Ill give him a break. Not only does it begin with a cough but a cough produced by Iommi after hitting a joint, method music making I suppose. This was so much so that they were often compared to their closest rivals Led Zeppelin. On the first North American editions of the album, several songs had subtitles given to segments, making it appear that there were more songs than there actually were. It's worth a listen if you want to hear Geezer and Tony at their most subdued (which is not necessarily a bad idea), but there really should have been another proper heavy song here, since we already had two very solid moody interludes with Embryo and Orchid. Some more monster riffs that only Iommi and Butler could have come up with, and good interplay between the two of them in the beginning sequence. One thing that doesn't really get talked about regarding Black Sabbath, beginning with Master of Reality is just how . Now I will concede that it is the most fun part of the song - mostly because Ozzy is not singing(see: ruining the song) - but what does that lead to? Master of Reality - Wikipedia "Solitude" is like a more fully realized "Planet Caravan", an oasis in the midst of the parched purple desert of Master of Reality. All of this is combined to make "Sweet Leaf" a strong composition, but it's not the only good track on here. to religion ("After Forever") and war and terror ("Children of the Grave"), ("Lord of This World") and ("Into the Void"). Returning to that snails pace and going absolutely nowhere musically, then Ozzy assaults your eardrums. A prayer of course that went unheard. Production was once again handled by Roger Bain, and this one sounds a little different. The song takes an accusatory Christian stance against hypocrisy and doubt but this is no sermon. His high shrieking passion is felt throughout the album and makes this perfect album all the more perfect . Also, while Hand of Doom may have given the genre of Doom Metal its title, Master of Reality contributes much more to the genres sound. I actually rather imagine this as a continuation of the lyrical themes of Solitude it makes for a rather amusing narrative: And although the alternately sinister and jaunty "Lord of This World" is sung from Satan's point of view, he clearly doesn't think much of his own followers (and neither, by extension, does the band). I critique an album as good or bad based on the album without any reference as to who made it or how influential it is/was, this will be one of those reviews. There is still a trace of the downtempo bluesy grime in their songwriting, but it becomes apparent later on that 'Master of Reality' has progressed past what the band was doing the year before. Even the band's presentation of this album just exudes a fuzzed out stoner feel that has not been matched since it's release date in 1971 . Think I am just joshing? 100%: erickg13: January 1st, 2007: Read: Heavy . This is not some experimental avant-garde piece where there are 7 vocal lines in a 12 minute suite. In conclusion, Sabbaths Master of Reality sees the sound of metal continuing to blossom and branch out, now encompassing the heavy sound from which thrash and power metal take their cues. Ozzy screams and yells, for maybe the most powerful vocal performance of his career, though hints of his signature mechanical, overdubbed vocals appear on Master of Reality. Everybody thinks "Black Sabbath", "N.I.B", yeah yeah darkness reigns etc. It never gets in the way, and that is pretty impressive a feat in itself. Bach himself would have been proud to hear that transition break where the thick time-stop thumps the middle followed by Tony's patented blues soloing that goes back to the eponymous record. Embryo less so because its over so quickly, but its odd placement of connecting the upbeat After Forever with the menacing drive of the main riff in Children Of The Grave is what gets me; the suspense of knowing what is ahead of you. But the song is mostly known as the weirdest and most original vocal performance of Ozzys career, at least with Black Sabbath. They both work with each other and they both need each other to be successful. Plus, it's a thinker's album. Best viewed without Internet Explorer, in 1280 x 960 resolution or higher. Scary how a catalogue can be diminished to so little, more frightening still when it's a catalogue as deep and rewarding as that of Black Sabbath. Next, "After Forever" gives us the creation of white metal, and more specifically Trouble. Nobody even came close to making such outwardly heavy music at the time that Black Sabbath did . It was also my first album from them and everybody in the band sounds much better on here than before. Plenty of excellent riffs show up here, in particular Children Of The Grave, After Forever, Sweet Leaf, Lord Of This World and Into The Void. Proof there is no God? Picking up where they left off on "Paranoid", "Sweet Leaf" is pumped full of Tony Iommi's distinctive guitar fuzz. Its true that you either like his voice or you dont, but if you do like his voice, theres absolutely nothing wrong with his performance on this record; he delivers. You'd think that it would get boring but Black Sabbath always keeps it fresh and entertaining on this album. And the riffs fucking hell, the riffs on this album are brilliant, from the groovy grunt of Children of the Grave to the sludge covered monster that is Sweet Leaf to the intricate weaving of Orchid its all great and its all different, and thats another reason why this album is so important in defining the band: the CD exhibits a hugely varied palate of riff styles, from doom, rock, folk, acoustic, psychedelic, to whatever, but theyre all SABBATH riffs, unmistakable in their simplicity and delivery, which is what made them such an important band in bridging the gap between genres at the time. This was the first Black Sabbath sleeve on which the lyrics were reproduced on the back of the sleeve. There is even more debate as to which of their albums should be classified as the beginning of metal or even as to what albums were considered to be the first metal masterpieces . Planet Caravan is one of the more abstract Sabbath songs and as such a typically Butler-esque affair and if anything its strangely close to Into the Void in terms of lyrical themes, whereas Solitude is the sound of road-weary band in some distant hotel room just getting high and jamming because theres nothing else to do. Master of Reality deserves a place SOMEWHERE in your collection, because apart from the amazing songs on it, the blueprint for metal as we know it lies within its dark and gloomy walls, and it will undoubtedly inform you as to where most of the music you enjoy comes from. This music on this release is very aggressive but at the same time it's very melodic there's a lot of great music encased within this release. Of the 5 (only 5 mind you) metal songs on this album, the one with the most riffs is Into the Void with 5. Planet Caravan slows things down, before picking it all back up with Iron Man, another contender for best riff ever. Each verse ends with a "yeah!" The band certainly go out with a bang with this metal standard. Master of Reality is full of such weird little moments, be it that pig-based-medieval-instrument guitar sound in Embryo or those haunting moans at the end of Children of the Grave. To my ears it is never good to have Ozzy sing over slow music, where we are forced to listen to his voice. While Paranoid is the defining album of Black Sabbaths career, little attention is paid to its follow-up Master of Reality. Some albums become so popular over time that saying anything bad of them has become like heresy now; this is likewise for albums that developed a reputation for being awful. The band also seemed to be tighter as a unit with a much more focused vision. The phrase nothing happened can never be more literally stated about an Ozzy era release than this. As for the rhytmic department, Geezer Butler's bass guitar isn't as audible as in the past, unfortunately, but is still there. Again, this was the best Iommi could do at the time? to realize this is a much more sonically developed Ozzy Osbourne then the man who could barely droll out "the world today is such a wicked place!" Dark themes such as drugs, death, sadness, and destruction are just the ticket for these songs. Like all the things, the sweet leaf that these guys sing of can do some serious damage in excess, and some might argue that Ozzys lack of an ability to speak without stuttering like crazy might be connected to his drug use. He just whines his monotonous voice all across the track as if he just couldn't care to try. "Children of the Grave" is one of those rumbly, propulsive forced marches like the "Black Sabbath" fast break, the song certainly one part of the Maiden formula (the other part being the Priest/Wishbone Ash harmony leads), that being the trademark Harris gallop. All music composed by Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward), except "After Forever", "Embryo" and "Orchid" by Iommi. Bill Ward's jazzy influences were pretty pronounced and was not flashy, though his fills were subtle and well thought out. The perfect closer on the album. The shortest album of Black Sabbath's glory years, Master of Reality is also their most sonically influential work. "Solitude", however, remains one of my favorite sad metal tracks of all time, as the guitars play some calming riffs, with flutes and bells in the background further enhancing the slow and moody atmosphere. Prog elements had also been injected to the classic sophomore album. Even the fun number around smoking the reefer Sweet Leaf dials the rhythms down into darker depths with the minor keys of execution. Also of note: those twinkling bells at the end of the song, what are they? This, to me, is the first cohesive CD they put out. (Studio Outtake - Intro With Alternative Guitar Tuning) 03:42 (loading lyrics.) Songs about insanity, the Devil, nuclear war, war in general, drug-induced paranoia, depression and anger at what mankind has done do not sound best through pitch perfect vocals. I'll be honest: Ozzy Osbourne's vocals were not technically good. Also the excellent Children of the Grave those are the two that make this album essential. Tony Iommi's guitar is and will remain true art. It is Solitude that I must single out for particular attention and thus praise (see: rating). It is one where you see a lot of raw emotion but at the same time you also find a lot of real issues with the music from a lyrical persepctive. He actually sings on this song, and he sings well and emotively. An ironic sudden shift in tone and style ( la The Straightener, Symptom Of the Universe or Johnny Blade)? I've always preferred just going into the studio and playing, without spending a lot of time rehearsing or getting sounds." Originally released in July 1971, it is widely regarded as the foundation of doom metal, stoner rock, and sludge metal. Closing Comments Black Sabbath - Master of Reality - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal What I like best about this song is Iommis very creative guitar playing. He has nothing to bring to this track. 1, and "Sabotage" is a very good second. The execution is so wonderful that you forget how simplistic and monotone a lot of this track is, and it goes on for just the right amount of time. However, while there is a huge debate on what is the best Sabbath record, my choice would easily have to go to their third studio album "Master of Reality". The lyrics are a little vague, and the main verse riff is a little same-y, but overall this is another great Sabbath classic. It ended up being the heaviest record at the time and decades later, Iommi's technique is still being imitated . You hear feedback. Unless I am missing something here, the only notable songs are Orchid (being a classical guitar interlude) and Solitude (introducing the Flute and as the next evolutionary step from Planet Caravan). -The heaviness of this whole thing is secondary to its overwhelming quality Ozzys voice is continuing to improve, and all of the others are continuing to expand the capabilities of their styles. Out of nowhere there is a minute long jam session, which I concede is not half bad but why is it here? It has all the various elements of the first album, but they have now been separated into their constituent parts; the heavy songs are heavy, the folky songs are folky, and the rocky songs are rocky, whereas on Black Sabbath (and, although to a lesser extent, on Paranoid) the influences were a bit more disorganised, mixed in together on the same song which still sounded great, but it didnt allow a strong identity to form behind the band. In fact, it's probably Sabbath's best ballad full stop. Geezer's accomplishment's besides his song writing abilities are in his perfect instinctual deliverance of his bass lines that round out the unbelievable groovy heavy riffs of Toni Iommi . The shortest album of Black Sabbath's glory years, Master of Reality is also their most sonically influential work. Master of reality was far ahead of its time for 1971 and it is still a breath of fresh air in today's standards. beautiful and brilliant. Yet, most of the songs are five minutes long, with the album closer being six, so you get some sizeable epics on this thing, ranging from surprisingly pro-Christian themes as a retort against the claims of Satanism (After Forever & Lord of This World), the rallying up of the children of the future to resist atomic war before it's too late (Children of the Grave), the loss of the self after a break-up (Solitude), the want to leave Earth after the damage done (Into the Void), and an ode to smoking the puff ting spliff (Sweet Leaf).