10 Classic Rock Albums That Changed Music Forever
2. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were the complete antithesis of what was expected from rock bands at the time. Bands may have flirted with heavy material from time to time, but these guys sounded like they had come from the deepest depths of Hell. Once their debut hit the masses, rock began to move in a much heavier direction.
Getting one thing right off the bat, is this the most technically proficient album of all time? Probably not. However, anyone familiar with rock and roll knows it's not always about how good you are at your instrument. Tony Iommi's guitar tone on this record marked a turning point in rock and roll, with riffs that sounded like the pained cries of demons. The use of the devil's tritone on the title track also gave the band an added level of menace.
On top of the massive foundation below, Ozzy Osbourne was the band's freak of nature, whose tortured voice sounded like you were hearing a man who has just crawled out of a mental institution. There are very few albums that you could argue started an entire genre, but if you to trace back the origins of all heavy metal music, Black Sabbath's debut is the undisputed starting point.