10 Greatest Debut Albums Of The 1970s
3. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
When it comes to describing the beginnings of heavy metal, it's kind of difficult to think of a time before Black Sabbath. Sure, other bands like the Doors and the MC5 brought a more aggressive form of rock and roll to the table, but Sabbath's debut was what marked a turning point in the world of heavy music.
This first outing for the band was the mission statement for their entire career, with the title track hinting at the oncoming doom that was to follow. Complete with hypnotic guitar riffs and Ozzy Osbourne's pained shrieks, these songs became every parent's worst nightmare and every hard rock fan's dream. Instead of having to wait for a heavier track from a band like the Rolling Stones, here was a group that took all the dark material from the beginnings of rock and roll and fused it with some of the most disturbing tales the rock world had ever heard from the satanic "NIB" to the slow descent into Hell on the title track.
Before Sabbath, rock was still looked at as nothing more than just harmless fun. Once this record was released upon the public, the simple distorted party songs had turned into something much more sinister.