11. Black Sabbath- Paranoid(1970)- Rock/Metal Album Track Ranking Series

Black Sabbath, the true inventors of heavy metal, are the first band to have a second album ranked in my series. It's also their sophomore album, also released in 1970, am extremely prolific ear for a band eager to make its uniquely heavy music for that time known to the world, so did it manage to get a higher score than 8.62, the overall rating of their self-titled debut? Here comes the answer:

8. Rat Salad- 8(solid)

7. Planet Caravan- 8

6. Iron Man- 8.5(very good)

5. Paranoid- 9(great)

4. Han of Doom- 9.5(fantastic)

3. Fairies Wear Boots- 9.5

2. Electric Funeral- 9.5

1. War Pigs- 10(stellar)

Overall Rating: 9.00

Out of the three hits still heavily played on the radios, there is one I still can't grow tired of: War Pigs, the perfect anti-war song, with its heavily slow pace, crushing riffs and outstanding lyrics that will remain relevant for as long as there are wars on Earth and crazy rulers starting them, gets a well-deserved 10 and the undisputed winning slot.

The other two hits, Paranoid and Iron Man, although highly enjoyable as well for their iconic riffs and catchy melodies, didn't reach my top 3 because they were outtaken by the sheer complexitate and musical prowess of tracks ranked 2 to 4. Electric Funeral, Fairies Wear Boots and Hand of Doom are all remarkable, doomy tracks that seem to be way ahead of them. Ranking them was quite hard because I find them almost equally great, so their positions are interchangeable.

Paranoid definitely represents an impro event from Black Sabbath's strong debut and also a hugely influential record, especially for the genre of doom metal. Many people see it as their best record, but it definitely has some contenders for that honourable title in other 70s Ozzy-era works as well în the 80s shorter Dio period, but one thing is undeniable: it's a timeless record that will live in the hearts of rock music fans for centuries to come!

Ranking Rock/Metal Albums: #1. Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath(1970)

I'm starting a new exciting and hopefully long blogging adventure today, one dedicated to rock and metal albums I listen to, since this has been the music I love for a long time. I'm not going to write long reviews since I'm not a music specialist, I'll just rank and rate from 1 to 10 songs from rock and metal albums and  I will  also calculate the overall rating of the albums based on my preferences at that moment. It's all for fun, eventually.

To start this fascinating journey into the world and metal I picked up the album which basically started the heavy metal genre back in February 1970, "Black Sabbath" from the legendary Birmingham outfit by the same name, so here is my ranking and rating of the songs from the least favourite(not the worst, since there isn't a bad song here) to the one I love the most:

8. Wicked World- 7.5(good)

7. Sleeping Village- 8(solid)

6. Behind the Wall of Sleep- 8

5. Evil Woman- 8.5(very good)

4. Warning- 8.5

3. The Wizard- 9(great)

2. N.I.B.- 9.5(fantastic)

1. Black Sabbath- 10(stellar)

OVERALL RATING: 8.62

I have to mention that, in the case of songs with the same rating I ranked them solely on what I feel at the time of writing this post, so the positions are interchangeable based on my mood.

The title track, with its chilling intro and riff and Ozzy's haunting voice, a perfect horror tale, always sends shivers down my spine when I hear it, and N.l.B. almost has the same effect on me. They are easily the most memorable tracks for me, but this doesn't mean that the rest of the album isn't great as well. It's full of hooks and memorable moments that obviously left a profound mark on people and its huge influence on the development of heavy  metal turns it into

 an essential listening for any fan of heavy metal. It is also the start of a great string of albums from Black Sabbath's classic line-up(Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward) and I'm going to rate and rank those albums too in time. Long live heavy metal!

 BONUS: The album cover, with that creepy-looking house and mysterious lady in black, also deserves a 10!