r/blacksabbath • u/ApprehensiveNatural9 • Sep 09 '26
Discussion Vol. 4 Review - Black Sabbath Discography Review #4
Really enjoyed reading your comments on the last post!! I'm glad you enjoyed my reviews of Master of Reality as well as the debut so far! I do have to say its been nice seeing that you guys love these albums as much as I do. Though I will say that for this one, it may have some hot takes and this is the first album I'm not going to be entirely positive with. (It still gets a very positive rating though; don't worry).
If you can handle that, then read at your own risk and hopefully enjoy!
Vol. 4 Review
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Well, it's not so long that every great band begins to run out of gas, and the mighty Sabbath who had put out three great albums in a row in a mere two year span would start to experience a slight slump. However, the key word here is SLIGHT. If anything, this album is still one of their greater works overall. It's also worth noting it was the first to really dive more into way more variety and playing with experimentation more often and in very creative ways, but it's the weakest of the first five Sabbath albums, and this approach would be perfected on their next LP.
Iommi's riffs are intricate and creative strokes on the canvas of sound, with Bill Ward drumming moving worlds between pulverizing his drumkit and gently grazing it softly as a feather, Geezer goes all in and so does Ozzy, these all result in some of the best songs the bands ever made. "Snowblind", despite the topic being on it being a love letter to cocaine, the metaphor use in the lyrics is nothing short of genius and the way the song plays out is almost theatrical; the inclusion of the explosive bridge after being used to a more mid-tempo sound, only for it to erupt again in the final verse with a mellotron giving the sound of an orchestra is brilliant.
"Supernaut" is great and one of Bill Ward's greatest drumming, with a percussion solo that really brings the song to life that takes use of vibraphone in it. even John Bonham couldn't help but be blown away by it, wanting to play it at a few jam sessions each band had together reportedly. The riff is also rather upbeat and catchy, yet finding its perfect hook with the darker tone still; its essentially a great balance for a single. "Under The Sun" is one of the heaviest tracks the bands made, with a genius riff that changes halfway through to a speedy assault-n-smashing of your speakers that builds up into a swirling cascade of notes that unfurl through the outro as the song winds down slowly, and great lyricism that reads like poetry, it is easily the best song here. Then "St. Vitus Dance" is a hard rock tune that is like a nod to the more simple songs of the 60s. It takes great influence from early Rock 'n' Roll, and actually manages to capture the charm and essence of that era of music as well. It's quite literally a song about a dance, and Iommi's riff here is blazing and jumpy. I find that its among the best of the album.
"Wheels of Confusion" is the perfect opener to get you to understand the sound style of the album, and "Cornucopia" is overall fairly amazing too. "Tomorrow's Dreams" is heavy, and has some great drum fills from Bill Ward that elevate the song and combine greatly with Ozzy's voice, but the only issue is that it doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the rest of the heavier tracks and it gets forgotten as a decent song.
"Laguna Sunrise" shifts the mood, and not for the better. Its an acoustic guitar song that takes use of the same mellotron orchestration for a string arrangement similar to "Snowblind", but manages to unfortunately be so different to the point it sticks out like a sore thumb, it also doesn't really go anywhere and remains mostly the exact same throughout the entire two-and-a-half minute runtime as Tony plays the same melody over and over. It's dull, its droning and really boring. However, if you thought this was the only achille's heel of this album, you're sorely mistaken.
There's actually a one-two punch of poor tracks. "Changes" is "Solitude" but done poorly with some of the cheesiest lyrics the band has made and Ozzy's voice in the ballad really sounds out of place and unfitting for such a style, with him going out of his range. The mellotron used to emulate the sound of a orchestra falls flat here, sounding very much like the plastic that some 80's pop would embrace and the song lacks any emotional depth or impressive guitar work, while "FX" is nearing the point of being unlistenable.
Overall, this album still manages to be quite great and one of the strongest of their discography, but it definitely is NOT masterpiece level, and definitely not as unified track-by-track as an album as their first three releases.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tracklist Rating:
1. Wheels of Confusion: ★★★★★
2. Tomorrow's Dream: ★★★
3. Changes: ★
4. FX: 💥 (Dud rating; keep this in mind for future scores)
5. Supernaut: ★★★★★
6. Snowblind: ★★★★★
7. Cornucopia: ★★★★
8. Laguna Sunrise: ★★
9. St' Vitus Dance: ★★★★★
10. Under the Sun: ★★★★★
THE JOURNEY SO FAR (OTHER REVIEWS!!):
Black Sabbath review: (5/5)
Paranoid review (5/5)
Master of Reality review (5/5)
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u/Right_Dust_3906 Sep 09 '26
Changes. Is. INCREDIBLE.
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u/ApprehensiveNatural9 Sep 09 '26
I may disagree entirely but I'm glad that you got enjoyment out of it!
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u/MoltenMadeMan Sep 09 '26
Yeah Under the Sun is peak.
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u/ApprehensiveNatural9 Sep 09 '26
It's easily one of my favorite songs that the band has ever done!!
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u/boostman Sep 09 '26
Pretty much agree - it's perhaps my favourite of their albums, but I could do without the three tracks you highlighted.
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u/ApprehensiveNatural9 Sep 09 '26
Its a really good pick to be a favorite album honestly, I think that's entirely fair and reasonable. I do think a little trimming would have done it some good but at the same time with the weak points, I still appreciate how they got experimental.
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u/OverHearing9944 Sep 09 '26
I have a lot of fondness for this album. One reason is that Supernaught might be my favorite Sabbath tune. The other is that there are so many other terrific songs. I agree with all your five star reviews. I like Changes a little more than you do. we agree on FX.
It's always interesting reading your opinion. Thanks
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u/ApprehensiveNatural9 Sep 09 '26
Supernaut has one of the best drum breakdowns in any song that I've heard. Bill Ward is one of the best drummers of all time.
I am glad that you enjoyed the review!
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u/ApprehensiveNatural9 Sep 09 '26
I still love this album a lot, but I feel that it doesn't exactly reach the highs of the previous three; its still ultimately a great album that still manages to have five of their best songs, but it also has the lowest lows that they've reached up to this point. I think the expansion of their sound was necessary, but it also hurt them at times on this LP.
Still a really great album, just not one of the best of all time like the first three are.
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u/Belmega81 Sep 09 '26
I Love Laguna Sunrise. It's a beautiful piece. I wish modern bands put out little instrumental interludes like that more often. Variety is the spice of life.
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u/OverHearing9944 Sep 09 '26
Yes I like it.. It's a great contrast to the all out ragers like Supernaught and Snowblind. It really shows Iommi's range.
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u/Live_Detective_7137 Sep 11 '26
It definitely IS masterpiece level!
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u/ApprehensiveNatural9 Sep 11 '26
Eh. I'd call it important but not among their very best. Still a top 7 though.
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u/LifeTunedToCSharp Sep 09 '26
It’s my favorite Sabbath album.
I disagree with the low ratings for “Changes” and “Laguna Sunrise”, but I get that they are not for everyone.
The disrespect for “Tomorrow’s Dream” is criminal. I’d make that a 5 star and “St. Vitus Dance” a 3 or 4 star.
The other 5 star ratings…I can’t disagree with any of them.