English heavy metal band. Formed in 1968, it underwent many personnel changes but its classic line-up was Ozzy Osbourne (John Osbourne; b Birmingham, 3 Dec 1948; vocals), Tony Iommi (b Birmingham, 19 Feb 1948; guitar), Bill Ward (b Birmingham, 5 May 1948; drums) and Geezer Butler (Terry Butler; b Birmingham, 17 July 1949; bass). Although it was hated by rock critics and ignored by radio programmers, it nonetheless became arguably the single most influential heavy metal band. Evolving from the heavy blues-rock of Cream and other 1960s groups, the band echoed the fatalism and occultism of such blues forebears as Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf. Black Sabbath helped constitute heavy metal as something separate from rock by moving away from such topics as love, sex, partying, and masculine strutting to brooding lyrics that dealt with evil, war, pain, and drug addiction, delivered by Osbourne’s distinctive paranoid whine. Their music was often ponderously slow, based on straightforward melodic riffs, with a guitar sound that was as distorted and heavy as possible.
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