Legends of Heavy Metal's second post comes in the form of the band that birthed a genre - Black Sabbath.
Is this the song that started metal as we know it?
Quite possibly.
The main guitar riff sounds like evil-incarnate - and for all you music theory nerds, it is because that most evil of sounding intervals (the tritone, or augmented fourth) is used heavily in it.
Tony Iommi's legendary riffs coupled with Ozzy Osbourne's inimitable voice gives this song an eerie feel. The slow tempo of Black Sabbath, really makes the song heavy, without the need for a shit-ton of distortion on the guitar and bass, as is so commonly found in modern metal.
With the release of their debut album of the same name, Black Sabbath ushered in a new sound - harder than hard rock, with lyrics referencing Satan, and the occult in general, heavy metal was born.
Any young metal head who is unaware of this band's legacy, needs to educate themselves.
And I urge any aspiring metal guitarist that has not cracked out the main riff of this song, to turn the lights off in their bedroom, crank the master volume on their amp, and feel the doom pulsating through their hands as they play, in my opinion, heavy metal's signature riff.
Enjoy!
Black Sabbath
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