BLACK SABBATH

Black Sabbath

(1970)

Heavy metal’s big bang. Often imitated, never bettered

“Black SABBATH is one of those albums we’ve all heard so much, it’s easy to grow deaf to it. And maybe even take it for granted.

It’s an exceptional album. Recorded in a single session, it captures something very elusive. It’s one thing to get a great performance, but to capture atmosphere, that’s a rare feat.

And Black Sabbath has both. One could argue that Black Sabbath is, in certain regards, a live album, especially when it’s compared to the way music is recorded these days.

“I have a very vivid recollection of the first time I heard Black Sabbath. I was raised in a fairly observant Catholic family, and when I heard Black Sabbath it scared the daylights out of me. I felt like I was hearing something I wasn’t supposed to hear, and God help me if my parents found out.

“I wouldn’t say there was an immediate impact on me other than fearing a deeper circle of Hell at the time, but later on, it had a huge impact. JP [Gaster] learned to play drums by listening to Bill Ward. Needless to say, Ward’s playing, by way of JP, has had an immeasurable influence on what I do in Clutch.

“I don’t particularly care for music, any kind of music, that’s played overly straight. I like swing. Most of the bands that get lumped into what’s unfortunately known as ‘stoner rock’ are bands that play with a heavy swing. That, for me, is what differentiates them from other metal bands. And that heavy swing goes straight back to Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath, and why I still listen to it regularly, despite any threat of fiery damnation.”