Black Sabbath: 56 χρόνια από το «Paranoid» | Metal Territory
19/09/2026
On September 18, 1970 Black Sabbath released “Paranoid”. Not even seven months had passed since their debut, yet their second album came out quickly, was tighter and was destined to define how heavy metal sounds to this day.
The album’s original title was “War Pigs”, after the title track that comments on the Vietnam War. The label changed the name to “Paranoid”, fearing the reaction of war supporters.
Within those few months the band managed to improve noticeably. The blues influences diminished, the heavy metal elements came to the fore and the doom style of the first album became tighter, without losing its weight. The album has eight tracks:
War Pigs
Paranoid
Planet Caravan
Iron Man
Electric Funeral
Hand of Doom
Rat Salad
Fairies Wear Boots
Tony Iommi built the whole material on successive riffs that became classics, Geezer Butler gave the bass a weight that draws attention and Bill Ward played drums that keep the intensity high. Ozzy Osbourne sang more cleanly than on the first album, with a style that became the album’s trademark. The lyrics pass through war, madness, hallucinations, the supernatural and death.
“Paranoid” reached the top of the British charts and 12th place in the US, reached 4 million copies almost without radio promotion, and is considered one of the most influential albums in the history of the genre. Fifty-six years later, “Iron Man” and the title track remain among the most recognizable songs in music, not just in metal.
See also: Tony Iommi: Why he rejected the idea of a new Black Sabbath album | Dio – Holy Diver
