Master of Reality by Black Sabbath

It seems that starting with this album, Iommi changed the tuning of his guitar, lowering it a whole half, and that Butler did the same with his bass, so he could better strike the strings with his right hand, which had been damaged by a work accident, lending a darker feel to the album's sound. This tuning, called downtuning, would later be copied by many heavy metal bands.

Iommi also makes great use of acoustic guitars on "Orchid" and "Embryo," and his flute and piano parts are beautiful.

Along with the heavier songs, there are beautiful ballads with a medieval sound written by Tony Iommi, two short instrumentals, and a longer track, "Solitude," featuring a splendid rendition by the great Ozzy Osbourne, who delivers an atypical performance compared to his singing style. The rumor that the singer on the song was Bill Ward's, not Ozzy's, is false: Ward didn't sing any Black Sabbath songs until the band's seventh album, Technical Ecstasy, where he sings on "It's Alright."

A monumental album in Sabbath's career and one of their best.

My favorite tracks are "After Forever," "Orchid," and the splendid "Into the Void."

A historic album, both for the history of heavy metal and for music in general. A masterpiece.

The Tracks

1. Sweet Leaf (5:02)

2. After Forever (5:25)

3. Embryo (0:20)

4. Children of the Grave (5:23)

5. Orchid (1:30)

6. Lord of This World (5:24)

7. Solitude (5:02)

8. Into the Void (6:12)

Running Time: 34:18

The Lineup

- Ozzy Osbourne - vocals

- Tony Iommi - electric and acoustic guitar (5), synthesizer (2), piano and flute (7)

- Geezer Butler - bass

- Bill Ward - drums and percussion (4)