Wheels Of Confusion/Tomorrow's Dream/Changes/FX/Supernaut/Snowblind/Cornucopia/Laguna Sunrise/St. Vitus Dance/Under The Sun
Black Sabbath Vol. 4 marked a modest change in direction for the band. Although still retaining a heavy sound some more progressive elements now appear that provide a lighter tone overall. (US:13 UK:8)
“Vol.4 represents a turning point in Black Sabbath's career: before the release of this record, the band was getting heavier and heavier so they had to search for other directions and styles. The result is a still a very heavy album, but featuring clear and innovative progressive elements, since the songs are all very varied, following distinct structures.”
“After their first three hard and heavy albums, Black Sabbath went in a different direction on Vol 4 which is more laidback, with songs like Changes, which is one of their best. Sabbath make the transition very well and the doomy element still shines through. This album is Sabbath making a different road for themselves.”
“Not as strong as the previous albums, though still a groovy kind of stoner/doom with Iommi trademarked riffing. Yet this album feels quite much lighter and a bit more poppier than the previous ones, lacking a lot of the darker elements.”
“Their fourth album borrows from previous albums and foreshadows the more experimental and technical route of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but fails to reach the better moments of these albums for inspiration. Vol. 4 is a tenuous middle ground of sludge/stoner metal, straightforward hard rock, and some stripped down tracks that while short of excellence, are still an essential component of their discography.”
“This unfortunately suffers a bit due to its inconsistency. It sees the band trying out new stuff like piano ballads and some acoustic instrumental interludes. Changes is a piano ballad and it sounds pretty sappy and forced. However, great moments heavily outweigh the poorer ones. The album starts with the great Wheels Of Confusion which sees the band trying to inject some prog into their songs, which works well thanks to some amazing guitar work.”
“Another classic by Sabbath featuring some experimentation by having some soft easy listening and instrumentals. They are different from the usual Black Sabbath's sound, but nonetheless interesting.”
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