There have been a confluence of events that made me want to circle back and put a bow on my 1975 Deep Dive; particularly in regards to Black Sabbath. Of course, the band have been in the news because of their final show with Ozzy. I also belong to a Discord group that is currently doing a 1975 deep dive and the discussion of Sabotage has been very positive. Many have it as a 5 star album. I have it at 3 Stars, and after today I can't imagine I will ever listen to it again. Where's the disconnect? Coincidentally, a YouTuber I follow recently posted a video questioning whether he still liked Heavy Metal. Naturally, this got me thinking about my collection and personal history with the genre. Before I address that, I should share my feelings about the actual album.
I did a little research into the history of Sabotage to see if there were any potential reasons why this would have been a "difficult" recording. Turns out, they were in the process of suing their former manager, and the recording process was marked by anger and constant legal interruptions. In fact, the final track is an eight minute epic entitled, "The Writ". Sabotage is certainly an angry album. For me, the bottom line is that apart from Ozzy's vocals, this doesn't sound like Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi and Bill Ward are two of my favorite musicians, but on this record they are completely generic. This was their sixth album, so maybe it was a natural progression of their sound. Whatever the case may be, I don't like the direction. The reason I say it "may" be a natural progression is I realized I've never listened to their albums directly before, or after, Sabotage. The only records I own are Paranoid, Master of Reality, and the two Dio albums. I guess that doesn't make me as much of a fan of Sabbath, or Heavy Metal, as I thought.
Looking back at my teenage self, I fancied myself a metal head. I had long, Robert Plant hair. I listened to a radio station that played thrash metal, like King Diamond and Metal Church. I was into all the Hair Metal bands. I even liked early Metallica. I was really into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but currently, I only own two Iron Maiden albums and one by Judas Priest. Around this time, I was buying mostly cassettes, which I don't have anymore. So, that leaves a big hole in my collection that I haven't felt compelled to fill. That's because around the late 80's my taste in music began to change. I didn't like the "newer" Metallica. I hated Guns 'N' Roses. Hair Metal was becoming a joke. I found myself revisiting bands like R.E.M. I got into groups like The Smithereens and The Pursuit of Happiness. Then, in 1991, Nirvana came along and killed the Hair bands. I've mostly been a fan of alternative and indie rock ever since.
I still love those early Sabbath albums, but I'm not really a metal head after all. I certainly have no interest in the current state of Heavy Metal. When I was a young musician, I was impressed by flashy guitarists who did nothing but shred, and drummers who played machine gun double bass kicks, but those days are long gone. And don't get me started on metal vocalists. They all sound angry and constipated. I wasted a lot of time gatekeeping, in my mind, what was metal and what was just hard rock. In the end, it's all just music and we like what we like. Some people like Sabotage, but I am not one of them. Peace.
R.I.P. OZZY
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