On September 18th, 1970, the world received the second full-length record from heavy metal and rock pioneers, Black Sabbath. Paranoid is a masterpiece, and it’s challenging to comprehend that it came out over 50 years ago. To this day, the record is a magnificent listen that shaped how we know and appreciate music.

From today’s perspective, you can make the assertion that many of the heavier artists we know and love today might’ve never existed or sound the particular when they’re perceived nowadays. Sabbath is one of those bands that shaped music history in more ways than most people might realize.

The butterfly effect is a serious matter when it comes to artists of the stature like Sabbath. There’s only a handful of artists who have had as extreme of an impact, which is mind-boggling in and of itself. Thus, why it’s vital to show appreciation for such a fantastic record and band.

The opening-track War Pigs is one of the best tracks from the band’s discography, with fantastic drumming, heavy syncopation, and incredibly lyricism detailing the disgusting nature of war. The fast-fowarded ending of the track comes to a nice meet with the iconic riff of Paranoid right after.  

From there, the album keeps you back in a calmer state of mind, otherwise known as the 420 blaze it effect, with Planet Caravan, a track that shows the versatility of the group while staying true to the Sabbath sound. Similar to Paranoid, the mass populous is met with the familiarity of Iron Man and the iconic riffage to start the track. 

Electric Funeral’s interesting wah-infused driving sound with Ozzy’s following vocal melody is as good as it gets. Hand of Doom begins with an incredibly catchy bass hook that develops into the pure Sabbath tone we’ve grown accustomed to at this point. Rat Salad is an excellent representation of Sabbath’s musicianship as drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and guitarist Tony Iommi demonstrate their chops throughout the track. 

Lastly, the record ends with Jack the Stripper / Fairies Wear Beats, a catchy track with the essence of jam and heaviness tied into one. The two songs in one are at full force here as we hear the melodic drive of the song take a turn a few minutes in, highlighting the true power of Sabbath.

It’s amazing what an eight-track record can mean to the music community and world as it’s memory is still just as strong as it was 50 years ago today. There’s not a year that doesn’t go by where I spend an entire several week period listening to my favorite Sabbath tracks and records.