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EDIT INFOBlack Sabbath - Vol 4
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Album Details
- Artist: Black Sabbath
- Album: Vol 4
- Label: Warner
- Year of Release: 1972
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: gwhill on 2013-04-11
RecommendI must have a thing for falling in love with over looked albums. Some of my favorite discs in artists' catalogs are the ones that seem to have fallen by the wayside. Such is the case of Black Sabbath's Volume IV. This album never had the attention that was given to Paranoid or Master of Reality, but yet I find it to be at least as interesting an album as those. In fact, with the exception of one track, I would say ever song here is a total winner. Granted some of them don't seem all that strong in this context, that is actually a function of how strong the material here is. This album was the first disc that showed the band stretching beyond their beginnings, and it really paid off. There is some brilliant material here, and it still holds up.
“Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener” jumps right in as if we came in at the midst of this bluesy grind. The band run through this for a time, and then jump into a new progression that forms the basis for the verse, a slow riff. After the verse they jump into a few quick paced riff sections and changes, then jump back down to the verse segment to carry on. More fast paced jamming takes it after the verse, and then a short transitionary segment gives way to a new fast paced riff driven jam. This goes through a few changes as it moves forward, wandering into an unusual guitar solo sequence the eventually give way t a new thundering riff. As Ozzy's vocals begin to belt out the next verse, Iommi lays down layers of screaming guitar over top. They segue the cut back to its origins after this mid section to carry forward. After a while longer in this format, they drop it down before coming out into a fast paced new super crunchy and incredibly potent jam with Iommi laying down some very meaty soloing over top. This instrumental section goes through several reworkings, becoming the closing segment of this awesome song.
“Tomorrow's Dream” is a fairly straight forward Sabbath track through much of it, but it shifts gears a bit later to a mellow segment, and a fast paced riff happy jam comes out of that. They return it to the previous segment to continue. This is a solid song. It just pales in comparison to the previous one. Piano on a Sabbath song? Not only that, but piano is the central instrument on “Changes.” Piano, vocals and synthesized strings make up this melancholy ballad. As strange as it may seem for Sabbath, it works exceptionally well, and is truly a winner. This cut has not guitar, bass or drums, but still works - wow! It goes to show the versatility and willingness to experiment that the group brought into the project.
Not nearly as effective an experiment, the echoey guitar excursion entitled “FX” is weird and kind of a throwaway cut. Maybe, though, if you did enough chemical alteration of your brain it might be palatable. A horse of a completely different color, a killer riff opens “Supernaut” up, and the band launched into one of their most effective fast paces stomper. This one really rocks. Bill ward manages a pretty interesting percussion solo on this one. It doesn't wander far from its beginnings, but when you start this strong, why bother?
As “Snowblind” starts an opening riff/jam runs through, then a bouncing chord progression forms the verse section. The opening returns as a verse end break. After the second verse they drop the cut to an incredibly dramatic, almost hypnotic progression. Ozzy takes a chorus, and then Iommi plays one of the tastiest solos of his career. Then the track just shifts straight back to the verse segment. After another verse a fast paced new Sabbath stomp takes it for another vocal section. Then, the familiar verse structure returns. This time keyboards come over top to punctuate Ozzy's lines. Iommi lays down another smoking solo at the end of this segment while keyboards lay horn like icing overtop. This track (which tells a story of the hazards of cocaine) remains of my all time favorite Sabbath songs.
A very heavy plodding segment serves as the intro to “Cornucopia.” It gives way to a more open arrangement for the first verse. At the end of this a different metal break takes it. Then another verse segment follows. This time a heavy bridge gives way to a new hard progression that moves out to a more open sparse arrangement. For a time this releases control to a fast paced rock and roll stomp, but the hard sound keeps it all metal. Ozzy takes a turn over this, then a series of changes move it back to the earlier verse section. After the heavy bridge a plodding segment ends it thunderously.
The acoustic guitar solo called “Laguna Sunrise” is pretty and a nice change of pace. Strings over top work pretty well here. A straightforward metal cut, “St. Vitus Dance,” is good, but fairly generic Sabbath fare. It just kind of pales in comparison to some of the other tracks. An ultra heavy segment starts “Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes,” and the band play with that for a short time, then shift gears to a faster riff driven section that serves as the back drop for the first verse. This runs through in an almost galloping fashion. After the verse, Iommi takes a short solo before they move back into the second verse. Another solo at the end of that verse gives way to a frantic new section. A verse is done in that mode, then a short drum solo takes it, and they do that verse all over, but jumped up in pitch. Another drum break gives way to anther pitch change to serves as the backing for a guitar solo. They drop it back down to the original vest segment to continue. Iommi takes another short solo later, then a gong sounds, and there is a pause. Then Iommi launches the band into an incredibly tasty new section with solos ver top. This is one of the coolest riff segments the band have ever done, and seeming to realize that, they take their time reworking it, eventually making there way to the outro. What an awesome way this is to end a stellar, but not flawless album.
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on 2011-02-22 CharlesMartel Said:
The danger with Black Sabbath was always going to be that they would get themselves stuck in a rut. The industrial noise which inspired their sound, drawn from very place where they all grew up, had distinct limitations as a basis for building musical forms upon. The use of guitar and bass in tandem means that the bass must play a pivotal role if the music is not to sound hollow. Tommy Iommi's guitar playing proved to be rather limited when it came to innovation and branching off into new directions. And, of course, the dreadful production which had bedevilled their first three albums provided a real stumbling block to their capacity to develop their sound beyond a simple thudding.
If the danger was ever-present, it is arguable that it was finally brought into reality with this, their fourth album. They had adopted a musical style which suited them and which they seemed comfortable in. Like old clothes, why change them if they still fit? The trouble is that old clothes go out of style and if they don't go out of style they start to smell and turn into rags. This was Black Sabbath's old clothes' album. It stuck with a familiar style and it advanced them nothing from their earlier stuff, providing them with nothing new in the way of direction. There are still some good tracks on this but Sabbath had to grow or they would die after this album.
Most of the tracks are largely forgettable and some are pretty much dirges which deserve never to be remembered. " Changes" was one of the few which seemed to offer some difference at the time, but I doubt anyone can listen to that now without thinking of the dreadful duet between a drug-ravaged wreck of an Ozzy Osbourne and his talentless, overweight, prima donna of a daughter a few years back. Now it just sounds slow and laboured. Interestingly the title was to be rather prophetic, musically, for changes were exactly what the band was in dire need of.
The production had changed slightly, giving more prominence to the bass in a development which would foreshadow the evolution of the thick, bass-dominated metal sound of later generations. But it was not enough to mark the album out as having any significant difference from any of its predecessors. To make matters worse for the Sabs, other bands were emerging, such as Uriah Heep, who had started off in Black Sabbath's footsteps but were now overtaking them. Drugs, alcohol, constant touring and tension within the band were all starting to take their toll.
Yes, Sabbath had ground to a halt with this. It was almost as if they knew it themselves insofar as they could not be bothered to come up with a proper title for the album. Many bands go through this phase - it is almost as if this album was issued to meet some strange contractual obligation, so lacklustre and lacking in energy did it seem to possess.
Would they survive or would the band that had created heavy metal die? We might know the answer now, looking back, but at the time this question must have seemed like one of those dreadful clich?d episode endings on a soap opera or something. It would truly be for their next album to decide the fate of the band, and possibly even of heavy metal as a true genre in its own right.
Rating: 6/10
