10 Greatest Hard Rock Basslines

Black Sabbath have created some of the best riffs that the metal world has ever known. Thanks to guitarist Tony Iommi, hard rock's destiny was shaped into something much more demented with this band's immortal hymns of doom. Iommi may be known as the King of the Guitar Riff, but the power Geezer Butler possesses is just as essential to the sound as Ozzy Osbourne's voice.

While many people are aware of the song "NIB," most don't seem to pay attention to the fantastic bass solo that is attached to the tune. Entitled "Bassically," the intro is just a solid minute of Butler thundering away on his bass, with most of his lines being blues riffs that are played with a jazzy sense of intricacy. Once the bass does finally settle down, all bets are off once Butler starts the main riff, which has one of the most throaty sounds that the 70's would ever produce.

It seemed that everybody in the band thought it was a good riff too, with Iommi doubling the line and even Ozzy's vocal melody following the bass figure. With Geezer leading the charge, "NIB" is one of the greatest showcases for this heavy metal band's low end and will surely get you entranced in the evil stylings of Sabbath.