First off- Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning was a big effing deal. This was a generational event, and a meaningful one. It was a celebration of the original lineup and most of the genres that it spawned. Bands and varied as Guns ‘n Roses, Tool, and Metallica paid homage to the Masters of Reality. It’s a wonderful thing.
It’s remarkable that a band over 50 years old has such influence and relevance. I’m not sure there’s been anything quite like it in the history of music, at least not in it’s scope and reach. Maybe the Beatles could have eclipsed this, but then you’d have the dreck of bands like Oasis and Coldplay clogging up the proceedings like a broken sceptic line. Oh the horror. The horror…
I admit, months ago, I was snarky as heck about the whole thing. I think Sharon Osborne’s involvement made it feel like a money-grab, exploiting Ozzy for every last dime. From what I can tell, that’s not the case. Good for them (she still makes me shudder, though.)
Today, my snark is gone. So many friends of mine have been ecstatically sad over the whole thing. There’s an air of finality to this one, and it’s been comforting to see all of the posts and comments. This stuff means something, man. It gives a glimmer of hope in the shitshow that is 2025 that people can unite in common bond and celebrate Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, and Bill and all that they’ve done for us. Black Sabbath actually changed the world, and I don’t think even Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin have the same cultural significance. Not a dig, just an observation.
This is NOT the first time Black Sabbath has retired, though. I managed to catch the original lineup in San Jose on the ‘Reunion’ tour. I think we all believed that was the end of the band. I think they’ve been in a state of retirement since 1978, but they kept coming back. It’s fine. The Last Supper really wasn’t, and I don’t think many people wanted it to be.
The Thing About Black Sabbath
What makes Black Sabbath unique is that every generation seems to have their own take on the band. For me, it’s the first 7 albums. For those just a bit younger than me, the Dio years are the ultimate Black Sabbath experience. I think for many, many people, it’s the endless tribute albums. Oh, and any band claiming to be inspired by Black Sabbath- that’s a big one. Sabbath virtue-signaling is real.
But what I’ve learned to accept is that Black Sabbath is intensely personal. It’s a lived experience, and that experience forms the definition of what Black Sabbath is. It’s very rare that two people agree on anything when it comes to them. Two of the most well-known experts on Black Sabbath are JJ Koczan and Martin Popoff. I love both of their perspectives, even though neither of them reflects mine.
Those different experiences go a long way to explaining how Tool, Slayer, Sleep Token, GnR, and Mastodon can unite for a common cause. It’s the ultimate Metal Diversity, Empowerment and Inclusion statement.
Except it’s really not…
The Black Sabbath Legacy
My experience with Black Sabbath took place in the mid-to-late 70’s. My first album bought with my own money was Vol. 4.
It’s the first element in my personal Heavy Metal mythology. And I gotta tell ya: very few of my peers were listening to or digging this stuff in 1975, the year I bought it. Anything outside of Paranoid was completely foreign to the majority of people jamming to K.C and the Sunshine Band or even the Sex Pistols. From what I can tell, Black Sabbath didn’t peak in popularity until the mid-90s, aided by endless covers and the resurgence of heavy rock.
Being a Black Sabbath fan was lonely shit. I could appreciate AC/DC, Foreigner, and the like. But back then, it was all about Kiss, Bob Seger, Cheap Trick, Boston, and Aerosmith. Fair enough, and it was a golden age of Rock. But…uh…missing every element that made Sabbath great and drew me to them. Then again, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were reshaping Heavy Metal in their image in the most un-Sabbath ways possible.
The 80s had the ascendence of Thrash, Death Metal, and the like. That’s also when the Heavy Underground was about to emerge thanks to bands like Venom, Cletic Frost and Bathory.
The 90s were an explosion of all things heavy, and things started to turn. Soundgarden made playing slow and heavy cool again. Kyuss and Sleep were taking it a few steps further, and we have the birth of the Heavy Underground, all worshipping the original feel and spirit of Black Sabbath. It was, and remains, awesome.
Stoner/Doom Was Not Invited to the Party
This is not a history of the heavy, so to avoid rabbit holes, let me get to my point. Black Sabbath RULED the heavy music scene in it’s original run. Zeppelin and Purple were FAR more commercially successful and acceptable. Zep might not have had ‘singles’, but they sure had airplay. Same with Purple. But at least where I come from, in the Midwest, Sabbath had none. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Well, they had Paranoid, but you couldn’t set your watch by like when the other guys were played.
I’ve always thought of Black Sabbath as the most successful underground band in the history of rock. Don’t let the current celebration fool you: before Ozzy and his MTV Show, relatively few people knew who the hell they were. Those first albums with the original lineup sold millions, without viable commercial support. It was word of mouth and a rabid fanbase that made them who they were (ditto with Iron Maiden, btw).
Aside from Mastodon, that’s not what I saw in the lineup for Back to the Beginning. I’m fucking thrilled for the Metallica and Slayer fans, don’t get me wrong. Sleep Token? Disturbed? Anthrax? I’m all for it, and I’m happy that millions and millions of fans and their bands had their day.
But, as Joe Turmes once wrote, I was not the target audience. Like any other self-respecting Neanderthal, I’m still in love with the underground spirit of Black Sabbath. Back to the Beginning was a celebration of the success of the genre and its ability to fill stadiums. It had absolutely nothing to do with the original form of Heavy Metal; there were no Doom bands playing. You know, the bands who continue to refine and hone their skills, represent the working class, and lug their own gear in and out of shows and hope the van lasts at least one more ‘tour’ from Michigan to Maryland.
So yeah, I didn’t watch it. Not out of bitterness but out of respect for what I feel is the legacy of Black Sabbath. This legacy can be found in clubs all across the world, in the music of Acid Mammoth, Black Pyramid, Monolord, Stone Nomads, Year of the Cobra, and Cleen. It’s impossible to write a whole list, but this site and our YouTube Channel are stuffed to the gills with content from hundreds of bands. And don’t get me started on the NWOBHM snub…
I know a lot of people are mourning the end of Black Sabbath, and I respect and honor that. For me, Black Sabbath ended in 1979 when Ozzy was kicked out. I love the Dio and Martin eras, but they all have an asterisk for me. My point is: I grieved that shit 46 years ago, and everything since then has been a glorified cover band.
This was The End for a new generation of Black Sabbath fans, not for me. I don’t mean to trivialize this in any way, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. I’m thrilled they got their day, and the same goes for everyone else. It’s just I already grieved this. Back when no one gave a shit…
I think there is something to be said about the fact that Sabbath is so pervasive in heavy music, that there is a decent chance that they don’t know anything (or at least very little) about the nearly religious Iommi worship of Doom, Stoner and Sludge. From their perspective on the throne up high, their vision is taken up by other industry giants that also have managers, record labels, and industry insiders speaking into Sharon’s ear.
Even in the Ozzfest days, the lineups were marked by bands who were up and coming into the mainstream, as opposed to pure Sabbath-worship type bands.
And that’s OK, we will gladly take the mantle of working class blues and continue to trudge on.