Released in 1972, Vol.4 is easily one of the best metal and even rock albums of all time. An early metal masterpiece. Let's take a look at what makes Vol.4 so special.
The album begins with "Wheels of Confusion". Tony Iommi creates a very drug-induced, hazy riff. Very sharp in its attack, it hits like a ton of bricks, very in your face. Geezer sounds amazing, loads of bass fills back up the very staccato riff. A great start to a fantastic album. I particularly enjoy the end of the song. Labelled "The Straightener"on some albums, it's an instrumental track.Very psychedelic, the influence of drugs really starts to permeate the band at this point. I love Iommi's lead on The Straightener, some of his best. Bill Ward's drumming is phenomenal as well, at the top of his game on this song and this album in general. "Tomorrow's Dream" kicks the shit out of your eardrums next, at least metaphorically speaking. A great Iommi riff, it is my second favorite song on the album, and one of my favorite by the band. I love the "ascending" quality of the song, like a rocket-ship blasting towards the heavens, very uplifting amid the sometimes very-down album.
"Changes" is a controversial song among Sabbath fans. Some people call it "pansy". I like the Beatles-influenced song, very introspective, but a tad depressing. I especially like the sad "Mellotron" strings, and Ozzy's fragile vocals. Avoid the Kelly Osbourne/Ozzy duet, but the original is quite good, and a nice change from the pounding riffs of the first two songs. "FX" is a fairly pointless exercise in sound effect experimentation. Not really a song at all, it's just a couple minutes of Iommi noodling with guitars, ZZzz. "Supernaut" is a massive song, many people's favorite not only on this album, but by the band in general. I do not share the same penchant for the song, but it's quite stellar nonetheless. The riff is amazing, a similar feel to "Tomorrow's Dream", very forward-moving and energetic, rather than a lot of Tony's plodding metallic creations. But the drumming is the absolute highlight of the song, very jazzy and technical, Bill Ward is a monster behind the kit, easily one of the best rock drummers of all time. A great song, but not my favorite.
"Snowblind" is my favorite track on the album, and a concert staple for the band today. An "ode" of sorts to cocaine, it was originally going to be the title of this sort of "concept album". The riff is classic, very percussive-like. I love the balance between the very aggressive verses and fragile-sounding "chorus", a musical reflection of the ups and downs caused by the "white stuff". Finally, the solo just smokes, Iommi is on fire. The album takes a downward turn with "Cornucopia". The song is insanely heavy, especially given the time that it was written, very "down-tuned". I like the song, but find it a bit too much of a racket. While of course I love loud music, Ward's drumming is solid, but a tad over the top, he sounds like "Animal" from the Muppet's show here, bashing the hell out of the kit. It's almost as if Iommi and Ozzy are trying to match his volume as well, a very loud and somewhat distorted song, not great sounding. "Laguna Sunrise" is a "360" from the last track. A very soft and sweet instrumental, it's loading with gentle acoustics and strings. A tad slow for me, it sounds like something off a move soundtrack, and at least proves that Iommi could have been a soundtrack composer. Not bad, just somewhat useless.
"St. Vitus Dance" is a strange song, an odd combination of a very doomy, sludgy riff, and a almost "honky tonk" second riff. Also, the song basically is just two verses put together, there is not really a true chorus in the song, at least traditionally speaking for Sabbath. Not a bad song, but not a Sabbath classic for me, one of my least favorite songs by the band. "Under The Sun" is crushing, so heavy it will shake your houses and break your windows, at least if you play it at high volumes. A rejection of organized religion (Christian, Satanic, all of them), it's a very nihilistic song, rejecting belief systems and basically telling people just to be good and believe in themselves and humanity. A great song, I love the bold riff and lyrics, very controversial at the time. Also, I love the outro, a great NIB-like riff.
"Vol. 4" is fantastic, a certified classic. Easily one of Sabbath's best albums, I could listen to listen album every day of my life and still find something to like. Great playing, singing, and fantastic lyrics, it has everything a metal fan could want. Get it now!
Rating-10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment