Sabbath, as I'm sure we all know, spent the beginning of the decade pioneering heavy metal as a genre. While small scraps of the genre would rear its head from groups like The Who or The Beatles every now and then, none of them pushed it to the extent that Black Sabbath did on either their 1970 debut or their sophomore album Paranoid, the latter of which is still widely considered one of the best metal albums ever. With a winning formula on their hands, Master of Reality feels like the natural evolution of Paranoid - the songs are more pounding, more dark, more gritty. The thick sound of this record makes it, in my mind, a far more appealing and raw sound in comparison to Paranoid, and this album's best moments show for it. It's not quite as consistent as Paranoid, though, and some moments definitely have that "filler" feel, but overall this is a great album that serves to move Sabbath forward.
By far the biggest improvement over Paranoid on this record is the sound of the group - every song is thundering, pounding and heavy through and through. From what I've read, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler both down-tuned their respective instruments, which results in a thicker, almost angrier sound. It absolutely makes some of the best moments on the album too, as seen by the now iconic "Children of the Grave," which is easily one of the most enduring songs from the group's early days. This added muscle is also heard to great benefit on closer "Into the Void," one of the most powerful and foreboding tracks that Sabbath has put out yet. Everything on Master of Reality is more thunderous, to the point where the album is sighted as an early influence on doom metal.
However, I think consistency is where the album takes a hit. In comparison to the finely-tuned eight songs of Paranoid that showcased everything from ghostly rock and roll to blazing metal riffs, Master of Reality is a bit more streamlined to focus on metal - not at all a bad thing, of course. All but two of the eight songs here are above five minutes in length, and the two that aren't easily fall into "filler" territory. "Embryo" and "Orchid" are these two, clocking in at 30 seconds and 90 seconds respectively, and while I like "Orchid," "Embryo" is completely wasted space. I'd liken these to those Steve Howe solo guitar showcases on Yes albums, although for my money "Clap" on The Yes Album is really more entertaining than either of these by a mile. "Solitude" is also a bit of a weak penultimate song - just a very dreary number.
Even still, Master of Reality is something to behold in the group's catalog. It easily hits highs that outshine both their debut and Paranoid, while also having their chunkiest, nastiest sound yet to much success. If it weren't for the aforementioned weaker tracks, this could easily been seen as Sabbath's defining moment for the genre, giving us even more punching riffs and dark occult rockers from start to finish. While I think Paranoid is more consistently enjoyable, I can see myself returning to the material on Master of Reality far more in the future.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Master of Reality.
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