10 Most Influential British Acts On American Rock

Ask any self-respecting metal enthusiast and they'll cite, either Black Sabbath's self-titled debut, or Paranoid, as the greatest metal album of all time. Even for the younger generations, Sabbath still holds an intrinsic appeal. How could they not? Thrash, sludge, doom metal, it all derives from four working class lads from Birmingham.

We're talking Sabbath pre the Ronnie James Dio years, of course. That's not to take anything away from Dio, he's a great frontman in his own right, but nothing came close to the shambolic chaos of Ozzy. Although Ozzy had little to do with writing the lyrics on early Sabbath albums, his charisma and eerie vocals, evoked the themes of the occult. The combination of Tony Iommi's down-tuned, sludgy riffs, Geezer Butler's, rumbling bass and evocative lyrics, and the relentless drums of Bill Ward, all but birthed the metal beast.

But Sabbath weren't just an influence for straight metal acts alone. Kurt Cobain famously strove to combine the song writing approach of the Beatles with the heavy, sinister tone of Sabbath. Hardcore group, Black Flag famously helped spawn sludge rock when they incorporated Sabbath style riffs with punk. And, Tom Morello's early riff work, was inspired by his admiration for Tony Iommi.