I am quite a music junkie, and music in any form is something that keeps me going, day in and day out. Hard rock for me though, has always been more equal than other kinds of music and it is something that I really cannot live without. Over the years, the dark metal of Black Sabbath has had a firm grip on my mind- there was a phase in between where I didn't listen to them, but I came back soon enough.
Before I move on- Black Sabbath is a band formed in the late sixties and these guys are the Creators and Gods of dark metal- if not for Sabbath, metal would not have been what it is today. They wrote the story of heavy metal- and inspired today's greatest bands.
What is it about their music that captivates their fans? Darkness is the defining feature of their music and lyrics- sin, death, and hopelessness are the main themes. I suppose to some of us, sub-consciously at least, this darkness is alluring. There is something that draws us towards these things, even though logically we shouldn't be- and keeps us there. Black Sabbath was born at the height of the hippie movement. They rode against the wave of coolness and happiness that defined the sixties and seventies. That made them appeal to those who rejected conventional coolness and hippie culture.
And then of course, there is the music itself. It is heavy, at times weird, and most importantly, deliciously addictive. I haven't heard better bass than "Geezer" Butler's in any band to date. Ozzy is a phenomenon- his voice reverberating with sounds of psycho-ness. It was a voice that was never meant to make music, but ended up leading a revolution. They created music that reached into the darkest corners of our minds, appealed to the mad human being inside, and made something beautiful out of all the psycho-ness.
I still have the first Sabbath cassettes that kept me company for months and months at age fifteen, when I innocently picked them up at a sale. I am sure Black Sabbath and it's music will remain a dark treasure for many like me in the years to come.
