SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH
READ THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE BAND’S ALBUMS
THE END IS NIGH… AND AS BLACK SABBATH PREPARE for their final hurrah, MOJO is proud to present the fourth instalment in our Heavy Nuggets compilation series. The first three of these collections celebrated cult heroes from the late ’60s and early ’70s that aspired to global superstar status in a Sabs-styled manner. Volume 4 (every pun intended!) is different in that it concentrates on the very thing that the Birmingham four-piece will leave behind: the music itself and their ongoing influence. As a result we have gathered together 13 acts who have openly acknowledged a debt to the songwriting and the sound created by Messrs Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward. Of course, more mainstream acts have both covered Black Sabbath tunes or simply drawn on their sound, but the acts featured here showcase the scope of the quartet’s impact. As such we invite you to open your ears and your mind for over 74 minutes of mind-melting music…
5 Rival Sons Thundering Voices
For the best part of the last two years Rival Sons have been on the road supporting Sabbath on their final farewell. For the Californian fourpiece, the challenge has been the same every night: win over one of the most partisan audiences in rock. And Rival Sons have done just that. This loose-limbed tune – recently nominated by Steve Van Zandt as one of the coolest songs in the world – showcases their understanding of soul, rock and psych. Available on: Hollow Bones (EARACHE)
6 Elephant9 Dodovoodoo
The convergence between the jazz and prog rock scenes was arguably more evident when Sabbath emerged than it is today. Yet that spirit lives on in Norway, home to the remarkable Rune Grammofon label to whom Elephant9 are signed (as are fellow adventurers Motorpsycho, see track 12). Formed a decade ago in Oslo, here the three-piece delivers a pernicious organ-blaster redolent of Purple’s free-form moments. We challenge you not to get down! Available on: Dodovoodoo (RUNEGRAMMOFON)
7 The Obsessed Be The Night (Demo)
Along with Pentagram, The Obsessed were one of the first US outfits to use Sabbath’s sound as the blueprint for their own. Formed in Maryland in 1976 by Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich, their influence on underground music has continued down the years and through several break-ups. Their return to active service was announced in March 2016, and spawned this heads-down, heavyduty demo tune – a precursor to their highly-anticipated new LP, Sacred. Available on: Sacred (RELAPSE)
8 Sleep Dragonaut
Fifteen years after The Obsessed formed, San José’s Sleep’s debut, Volume 1, underlined Sabbath’s ongoing influence on the contemporary hard rock scene. Their second fulllength album, Sleep’s Holy Mountain, emerged a year later on Earache and, as Dragonaut proves, is a heavy music touchstone. The band’s ill-fated major label dalliance and stop-start career has seen their cult status grow; the recent Clarity 12-inch via Southern Lord suggests a new LP next year. Available on: Sleep’s Holy Mountain (EARACHE)
13 Earthless Violence Of The Red Sea
Back in the summer of ’69 Sabbath played their first residency at Hamburg’s Star-Club where the need to play several sets a night saw them stretch out and jam. San Diego instrumental trio Earthless echo that early free-wheeling approach, drawing on Sabs and Zep as influences alongside the work of German outfit Amon Düül II and Japan’s Flower Travellin’ Band. Violence Of The Red Sea is proof of that, providing us with a mindblowing finale to this collection. Available on: From The Ages (TEEPEE)