Black Sabbath
Master Of Reality

The year 1970 was an incredible one for Black Sabbath. The lavish tour following the release of “Paranoid” allowed the Sabs to successfully debut on both coasts of the Atlantic, granting them visibility that was as well-deserved as it was dangerous.

The Four were on the brink of a third release with the need to confirm the indisputable talents expressed until then. An additional complication was the discontent generated among the numerous heavy rock fans of the time by the release of Led Zeppelin's new work (III). Thus, Tony Iommi himself took it upon himself to reassure the public, declaring that the imminent Sabbath release would bring to the forefront a further reinforced sound and compositional model. The promise was kept. No single was released, as was the trend at the time, except for a 7” demo for promotional purposes, on whose grooves a certain “Children Of The Grave” found space...

“Master Of Reality” opens with a gem of the Black Sabbath repertoire, “Sweet Leaf”. More than the lyrics, which clearly reference the emotional state generated by heroin use, it is the musical structure of the composition that strikes, which evidently recalls numerous stylistic elements characteristic of the future Grunge scene. The subsequent “After Forever”, attributed solely to Iommi, stands in stark contrast to the numerous accusations of Satanism that showered down upon the band's shoulders, offering a sharp yet coherent critique of the prevailing bigotry and reductionism in the religious and ethical field. The instrumental “Embryo”, also born from the magical hand of the Sabs guitarist, is entrusted with introducing the aforementioned “Children Of The Grave”. Suffice it to say that this masterpiece is one of the very few tracks that would be revisited by all future formations of the English combo. A manifesto of a new era, of a new youth that was literally devouring and sweeping away the Hippie culture in favor of a deeper and more conscious awareness of the decay and corruption of contemporary reality. Orchid, the second instrumental and third composition credited to the usual Tony, fully demonstrates the versatility of Black Sabbath: whispering and dreamlike. We return to more canonical and perhaps less exciting tracks with “Lord Of This World” before being led to the brink of despair and human desolation by the splendid “Solitude”, a rather unusual track that retraces and develops the characteristic mood of “Planet Caravan”. A true abyss of melancholy that cannot even be dissolved by the imposing riffs of the conclusive "Into The Void".

Undoubtedly, “Master Of Reality” exalts the deeper and heavier side of Ozzy Osbourne's band while at the same time proposing a great ability to weave more delicate and intimate plots both at the textual level and in the compositional field.
An absolute masterpiece.