Black Sabbath

:This article is about the British heavy metal band. For the 1946 British arrests of Jewish paramilitaries, see Operation Agatha. For the 1963 film see Black Sabbath (movie)

Related Topics:
Operation Agatha - Black Sabbath (movie)

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Black Sabbath is a British heavy metal band, originally comprised of John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Terence "Geezer" Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums). They are cited by many as the very first heavy metal band.

Related Topics:
Heavy metal - John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne - Tony Iommi - Terence "Geezer" Butler - Bill Ward

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Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England in 1966 under the name Polka Tulk Blues Band (soon shortened to "Polka Tulk"), and later Earth. Initially a blues-rock band, Earth moved in a darker direction when Geezer Butler, a fan of the black magic novels of Dennis Wheatley, wrote an occult-themed song titled "Black Sabbath" (the song name was apparently inspired by a 1963 Boris Karloff film). When the band found themselves being confused with another local band called Earth, they adopted the song title as their new name.

Related Topics:
Birmingham - England - 1966 - Blues-rock - Dennis Wheatley - 1963 - Boris Karloff - Film

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Originally, they started as a blues-influenced hard rock group, but as they progressed they added more European folk elements and gothic flourishes to their sound, a sound that was not like any other group during their time. Their lyrics dealt with darker issues than most conventional rock as well.

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The newly-named Black Sabbath adopted darker lyrical themes, and a slower, ominous style - a significant element in the genre that would later be known as heavy metal, often ranked above Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Judas Priest in importance and influence in the genre.

Related Topics:
Heavy metal - Led Zeppelin - Deep Purple - Judas Priest

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Even though Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and Deep Purple may have had a profound influence on the emergence of hard rock and heavy metal music, Black Sabbath is considered to be the first true heavy metal band.

Related Topics:
Blue Cheer - Led Zeppelin - Cream - Deep Purple

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The group found its signature sound almost by accident. After seeing a horror movie, Geezer Buttler (and not Ozzy, as many believe) reportedly said to the rest of the band, "If people pay to see scary movies, why wouldn't they pay to listen to scary music?" The band began to purposely write dark, ominous riffs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror movies.

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However, much of the group's material featured an acoustic guitar, piano, symphony orchestras, keyboards, and even horns. After the band's first three albums, the group became increasingly experimental and progressive, leaving much of their dark metal roots behind.

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They were ranked number 2 in VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

Related Topics:
VH1 - 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock

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