Nobody can accurately say who first coined the term “Heavy Metal”. Various claims include author William Burroughs, journalist Lester Bangs, Steppenwolf, and so on. But if asked which band started it all off, most people would say Black Sabbath. There were other hard-rocking proto-Metal bands around in the late 60s (Led Zeppelin, Cream, Deep Purple etc.), but Sabbath were darker and heavier than the others.
“Master Of Reality” was the band’s third studio album. Their first two had been recorded quickly, but for this one they had much more time, making it possible to try out different things. This was the first album of theirs to feature downtuned guitars, something that influenced a huge number of bands, and basically invented the Doom Metal genre.
I highly recommend this album to anyone who hasn’t heard it. Personal picks are Children Of The Grave and Into The Void (two of my all-time fave Sabbath songs).
(Fun fact: The cough heard at the start of Sweet Leaf was Tony Iommi’s)
Listen here: Black Sabbath – Master Of Reality
THRASHMANIA\m/ 