Black Sabbath: Ranking Every Ozzy Osbourne Album From Worst To Best

1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

The middle entry in the Osbourne-era Sabbath canon may just be its best, despite the stiff competition it has - in part because it represents both a glorious maturation of the group's sound and their vocalist's stylings, creating the most expansively satisfying record in their arsenal.

Eschewing the dead-end drugginess of Los Angeles, the group rented Clearwell Castle in the Forest of Dean to rediscover their writing mojo - and it shows with something of a gothic grandeur and atmosphere that almost lends itself like a fifth member of the outfit to this record.

Heralded by the sublime prowl of its title track's twin riffs, it's a serious refinement of Vol. 4's boundary-pushing leanings, best exemplified in the strings of Spiral Architect and the Rick Wakeman piano cameo of Sabbra Cadabra, showcasing a band at the peak of their sonic powers.

Osbourne himself brought a Moog synthesizer into the fray, with which he composed Who Are You?, despite little experience with the instrument. The record holds up exceptionally well today - it's a creative milestone that Sabbath never quite scaled again, in any iteration.

Contributor

Something of a culture vulture, Mr Steel can historically be found in three places; the local cinema, the local stadium or the local chip shop. He is an avowed fan of franchise films, amateur cricket and power-chords.