Paranoid - BLACK SABBATH*****

War Pigs/Paranoid/Planet Caravan/Iron Man/Electric Funeral/Hand Of Doom/Rat Salad/Fairies Wear Boots

Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath cemented their growing reputation with their second album Paranoid. The frenzied title track reached No. 4 on the UK singles chart. (US:12 UK:1)

"While Paranoid is not my favourite Sabbath outing, it is a classic, and should have its place among metal’s legendary texts. The slightly tentative tone of their debut behind them, our heroes began to truly forge a sound all their own here. The riff is still king, as it was before, but these riffs are better by a good margin. Also better is the chemistry between the players, a fact that the opener War Pigs bears out."

"Paranoid is the second album from Black Sabbath and deals with topics as diverse as nuclear war, heroin addiction, Vietnam and skinheads. The music is equally diverse with drum solos, heavy riffs, slow and fast songs. My main concern is that the album opens with the two best tracks. War Pigs is an epic and should be an album closer; Paranoid is overplayed but still an excellent track. Black Sabbath can best be understood through the lens of Paranoid; an album that is so indispensable to the foundation of heavy metal with its juxtaposition of ragged, sour vocals against the ruthless propulsion of a synchronous rhythm section, and utterly profound use of the solid body electric."

"Black Sabbath's second album still heavily features the doom metal sound that they had already perfected on their debut - unleashed with devastating effect in War Pigs and Hand Of Doom. But this time around the song selection is more varied, proving that the group weren't just a one-trick pony. Never has a quickie throwaway single been as influential as the title track, which set a precedent for speed metal in proving that crunching heavy metal riffs could be played fast to good effect."

"One of the best, beloved and most influential albums from one of heavy metal's quintessential bands, Paranoid is almost totally flawless. Every song is simply marvellous, ranging from slow doom ballads like Iron Man and Electric Funeral to psychedelic trips like Planet Caravan and Fairies Wear Boots, and hard rockers like Paranoid. They're all great, due in no small part to the incredible musicians."

"A true classic of its genre, and an admirable follow-up to their stunning debut, this album literally defined heavy metal. It features wicked, overdubbed guitar, sludgy bass, reasonable drumming and Osborne's sinister vocals."