Master of Reality

Artist: Black Sabbath

Please wait, the system is processing.

Average Rating: (See all 4 reviews) Quantity Available: 21 Label: Warner Bros. Records (Record Lab Ships within 6-11 days 1  Sweet Leaf - (live) 2  After Forever 3  Embryo 4  Children of the Grave 5  Orchid - (live) 6  Lord of This World 7  Solitude - (live) 8  Into the Void - (live) Performer Notes Black Sabbath: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Tony Iommi (guitar); Geezer Butler (bass instrument); Bill Ward (drums). While other frontrunners of hard rock/metal like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple began dabbling in other musical forms (folk and string symphonies, respectively), Black Sabbath stuck close to its original direction and was rewarded with several of the most enduring rock releases of all time. Coming off the worldwide breakthrough of the band's 1971's landmark, PARANOID, MASTER OF REALITY (released the same year) proved to be Sabbath's third classic in a row. Like all Sabbath albums of the era, not a second of filler is present--even the lesser-known material is superb. The album's opening track, "Sweet Leaf," a salute to one of the band's favorite smokeable substances, contains one of metal's heaviest guitar riffs, courtesy of Tony Iommi. Another eternal band favorite is the grim, post-nuclear war tale "Children of the Grave." Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne is in fine voice on "After Forever" and "Lord of this World," while the more tranquil "Solitude" and the instrumental Iommi compositions "Embryo" and "Orchid" offer a bit of variety. Though not quite as influential as PARANOID, MASTER OF REALITY remains one of heavy metal's founding gems. Professional Reviews Rolling Stone (1/20/00, p.59) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...the definitive studio relic of Sabbath's golden-hellfire era (1970-74)...Ozzy preached a gospel of light: dignity, redemption and, in the heaving stoner's hymn 'Sweet Leaf,' peace through weed..." Q (7/01, p.86) - Included in Q's "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time" - "...Malevolent....casting Black Sabbath as a Titanic-style house band on the eve of Armageddon, cranking it as the bomb drops..." Q (1/01, p.122) - 5 out of 5 stars - "...The most cohesive record of [their] first 3 albums..." Producer: Rodger Bain Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo Country: USA Quantity Available: 21 UPC: 075992725323 Studio/Live: Studio Release Date: 12 June 1990

The classics from this disc still sound as exciting as they did way back in 1971, when this album was first released. How can you not love the opening cough that leads into "Sweet Leaf," another track which has become a classic in the Sabbath catalog? How can you not smile with a little guilt at a line such as "Would you like to see the pope on the end of a rope? / Do you think he's a fool?" on "After Forever". (Note to Tipper Gore: this song, if you take the time to read the lyrics, is actually pro-God, and not a satanic call to kill religious leaders. So there.) How can you avoid getting caught up in the frenzy of the two brief instrumentals, "Embryo" and "Orchid"? Simple: you can't.

An interesting juxtaposition of tracks here. Some very hard rock with grunt and vocal style to match. Then you come to a song or two you could imagine a bard playing for the local baron in his castle, complete with two serving wenches, a beautiful harpist and a couple of dogs, such as Solitude.

Very nice work overall.

Any black Sabbath fan needs to get this one. With songs like Electric funeral and Sweat Leaf, thi is their heaviest album with Ozzy. A huge influence on grunge, stoner rock, doom metal and nwobhm, this album is a classic in every single way. Any heavy metal fans should get this.

This is Sabbaths heaviest album and one of their best. It contains some of their best song's like "Children Of The Grave", "Sweet Leaf" and "electric Funeral". The riffing on this album is great. Tommy Iommi plays a major part in making this album great. Everything about this album is good (aside from the vocals, which can sometimes annoy me). This album is reccomended to any fan of rock music.

Anyway 9/10