Black Sabbath - s/t 1970 (Eng)
Rating: 90
Picture yourself living in a world of flowers, happiness and peace when suddenly out of nowhere Black Sabbath release their debut album with inverted crosses and music more extreme than anything else! Similar to how shocked people got when Mayhem and Darkthrone released their first records! The music isn't extremely hard or heavy but the overall feeling is very dark and melancholic with occult lyrics, a kind of blues mixed with hard rock played with distorted guitars. The title track gets the honour to start the record, with its slow guitars and simple guitar riffs this is one of Sabbaths biggest anthems. "Wicked World", originaly only released as the B - side on the "Evil Woman" single is also one of my favorites from this record. Riff master Tony Iommi pumps great riffs out of his guitar like he never has done anything else in his life. The song "N. I. B." is also one of the most played Sabbath songs, and Black Sabbath has with this record created the most heavy and dark album to that date and would later become in one way or the other the inspiration for most Heavy Metal bands and invented a whole new genre, Heavy Metal. (These days with so many different kinds of Metal most people use the other words describe Black Sabbaths music, such as Stoner Rock, Desert Rock or Doom Metal)

Black Sabbath - Paranoid 1970 (Eng)
Rating: 89
Black Sabbath most popular album contains classics from the start till' the end (well, maybe with the exception of the song "Planet Caravan"). With the title track, the well know song "Paranoid" Black Sabbath reached the charts on position 4 to every ones surprise (Even the band was surprised), they showed the world that they where here to stay. "Fairies Wear Boots" which is one of Black Sabbaths finest tunes, with its "far out" lyrics (Well, actualy the title was created after some of the members where beaten up by a couple of skinheads as they believed that Sabbath was gay since the had long hair!) and heavy guitars and the intro with lots of reverb and delay this sound more like the two next Black Sabbath records bout music and lyrics. Other songs that should be mentioned is "Iron Man", "Electric Funeral" and the instrumental "Rat Salad". The song "War Pigs" shows that Ozzy Osbourne has developed his voice since their debut and he will remain as one of the greates singers in the history of music, not because he had great musical skills but he as the special "thouch" and sings with his soul like no one ever will manage to top.

Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality 1971 (Eng)
Rating: 100
To me this is the ultimate Black Sabbath record. Eight songs without any boring moments. This one even got two tracks only featuring accoustic guitar, "Embryo" and "Orchid", and Black Sabbath has proven that they were not affraid of experimenting and do what they want. The song "Solitude" which is their finest ballad shows Sabbath from yet another side with its dark and the melancholic mood it stands like an contrast to the rest of the album. The other five songs are just beyond everything else than you ever have heard before. If you can find a person who dislikes something with this record, shoot him! He doesnt have the right to live as this LP stands beyond any negative comments (ok, maybe I got a little too far with that statement...). Into the Void, the intro someway reminds me of Griegs "Dovregubbens Hall" I dont know why, probaly contains the heaviest riff in the history of Black Sabbath. Just to mention some of the other songs I can say, "Sweet Leaf" - awesome main riff and the same goes for "After Forever". As an summary to all this is that no worthy record collection could be without this one! Well, all the six first records is essential from the Ozzy years.

Black Sabbath - Vol. 4 1972 (Eng)
Rating: 95
As the Sabbaths got more and more into drugs Vol. 4 would be their most experimental record to that date. Tours were cancelled because of members who were ill and although they had sung about drugs before they now were more depressed and sang about the downsides of drugs not the upsides as it may seemed they have done before. Actualy this record were to be called "Snowblind" but the lyrics "hidden" links to cocain and the dedication to "the great COKE-Cola company of Los Angeles" made their record company refuse. Like "Planet Caravan" and "Solitude" they included a ballad also this time who stands as an contrast to the rest of the record. "Changes", which almost only contained piano along with Ozzy's vocals makes this one of Black Sabbaths most melodic ballads. This is also the first time we get introdused to synth in their sound which we could hear alot more on their next record, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". The instrumental "FX" contains only Tony Iommi's noise making on the guitar without any logical sense and fades into "Supernaut" with one of Iommi's finest moments in sound writing. "Snowblind" is a song that would fit better on "Master Of Reality" than it does on "Vol. 4" or their next one. "Laguna Sunrise" is an nice song with accoustic guitars and a synth. "St. Vitus Dance" is whitout 'doubt the direct reason for the doom metal band St. Vitus choice of name. The last song, "Under the Sun" is probaly the best Sabbath song on this record give this an worthy end to a superb LP.

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 1973 (Eng)
Rating: 95
With Sabbath Bloody Sabbath they where turning into another musical direction, from the more simple song structure on Paranoid or even Master of Reality they now got more proggressive and more mature (Please note that when I say they got more proggressive and complex I dont mean they started to play the same way that Yes does) and Rick Wakeman from Yes is playing on the record. The first song, the title track, is an great song. It's extremely heavy but it also got a melodic chorus with accoustic guitars. A "National Acrobat" got an groove that only Black Sabbath can create (Metallica has actualy covered this song on their "Garage Inc".). The nice Instrumental "Fluff", which features accoustic and steel guitar, piano and harpsichord is in true Black Sabbath spirit in the way it stands out from the other songs, just like "Changes" ("Vol4") or "Orchid" ("Master Of Reality"). "Sabbra Cadabra", which features Rick Wakeman, is also an good song (This one has also been covered by Metallica on their "Garage Inc".). The song "Who are you" contains alot of synth , is an good "spacy" song and the middle section are extremely good with piano and mellotron. "Looking For Today" got a good chorus similar to the title track, with accoustic guitars and flute. The last song, "Spiral Architect" ends this awesome LP and with fiddlers making it sound kind of sad and with bagpipes this is a superb song. Most people who are into Proggressive Rock tend to have this as an personal favorite while others who are more into metal usualy have "Master Of Reality" as their favorite. Both records are ekstremt good and should be own. to see a bigger version of the cover and some of the pictures inside.

Black Sabbath - Never Say Die 1978 (Eng)
Rating: 65
This would unfortunately become the last studio recording with the classic and original line up. Atleast "Never Say Die" is better than "Technical Ecstasy" but then again it would have been difficult to make an worse record than "Technical Ecstasy"... The title track is quite good and one of my favorites from this record. I don't know why but the main theme for "Johnny Blade" reminds me of Hawkwind's "British Tribal Music" and its quite good. The song sound like something from "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" or "Sabotage" even though it isn't that good. "Junior's Eyes" got an O.K. chorus but thats it. The main riff sounds almost like something from the old Led Zeppelin records and it doesn't suite Black Sabbath. "Hard Road" was released as an single and reached the chart at position 33 but don't ask me why... It has nothing to on a Black Sabbath record thats for shure. I'm not even going to mention something about "Shock Wave"... "Air Dance" is a good ballad with alot of piano but I dont call it a Black Sabbath song as it doesn't sound like it. The main theme for "Over to you" sound like something on Volume 4 but it lacks the quality but its O.K. "Breakout" is an stupid instrumental featuring Tony Iommi and some horns. On "Swinging The Chain" we are again so lucky to hear the voice of Bill Ward... but it wouldn't have made a different if Ozzy were to one singing as the music also is terrible. In my eyes "Sabotage" became the last Black Sabbath record, not that I dont enjoy "Mob Rules" or "Heaven & Hell" but it isn't Black Sabbath, call it Dio & Iommi or something...

Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell 1980 (Eng)
Rating: 85
The first one without Ozzy. Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio have made an great record. Dio got an great voice eventhough most fans turned their backs to Black Sabbath after the departure from Ozzy. The first song, "Neon Knights" is an good uptempo hard rock song. "Children Of The Sea" are one of my favorites of the "new age" of Black Sabbath. The melodical intro which burst into a heavy riff. The chorus are also great and during the guitar solo/middle section there are an synth (mellotron?) sound backing which are cool. "Lady Evil" sounds like something like Rainbow or what Dio have done on his own, actually most songs sound like that, atleast they don't sound like Black Sabbath. The title track, "Heaven and Hell", is the ultimate "new" Black Sabbath song. The verse got an incredible good melodi line and bass is pumping and then the chorus comes crushing. The riffs are good and when listening to it live (With Dio's own band) you feel the power that this song has. Play it LOUD! "Wishing Well" is an average song who has some good parts but are mostly quite boring. The next one, "Die Young", got an cool intro with synth and guitar but suddenly it turns into a fast, heavy song. It's actually a very good song and unlike most songs the verse's got tons of guitar leads and fills and the middle section is awesome, something similar to the intro at the beginning but also this one turns into a more heavy passage. The main riff for "Walk Away" sounds to 80's to me. Something like Van Halen and similar artist. The last song, "Lonley is the word", got an good middle section with an laid-back feeling, but it's a bit boring song. All in all this is an good record, the title track alone makes this a must buy. For the people who don't buy Black Sabbath without Ozzy see it as an Dio record. "The world is full of Kings and Quenns. Who blind your eyes, then steal your dreams. It's Heaven and Hell!"