1. Sweet Leaf- 9.5(fantastic)- an outstanding opener; Tony Iommi coughing at the beginning of the song perfectly illustrates the source of inspiration for this remarkable track.
2. After Forever- 9(great)- a fast-paced song dealing with religion, it makes you think about some serious topics.
3. Embryo- not rated- Just a short instrumental which could be seen as an intro to the next tune.
4. Children of the Grave- 10(stellar)- one of the greatest anti-war heavy metal songs and a strong contender for my favourite Black Sabbath songs thanks to its powerful riff and chilling lyrics dealing with the ever present threat of a nuclear disaster. Simly brilliant!
5. Orchid- 8(solid)- the second instrumental of the album positioned between two great tracks gives the listener a short break before returning to heaviness.
6. Lord of This World- 9.5 - more fabulous riffs and exceptional lyrics expressed by Ozzy's unique voice. An amazing tune as well.
7. Solitude- 8(solid)- time for some melancholy with a beautiful ballad dealing with the unpleasant feelings of being alone after breaking up.
8. Into the Void- 10- what a banger to close the album with! An outstanding doomy track with menacing riffs and once again excellent lyrics full of dread when referring to the end of the world, but also of hope, represented by the "freedom fighters" who manage to leave the Earth and head "into the void", where they will find a new planet to land on and start a new civilization. It's a scenario that is very likely to become reality one day!
Album Rating: 9.14
My Top 3 Tracks:
1. Children of the Grave
2. Into the Void
3. Sweet Leaf
Master of Reality, the 3rd album from the pioneers of heavy metal, could only get a high rating from me as it shows a young band at the peak of its creativity, a trend that would last for a few more years and bring us more great albums in the 70s!
