Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 1973

Recorded during the month of September at Clearwell Castle, Gloucestershire, England, Black Sabbath releases their 5th studio album December 1, 1973. Ozzy called this period the "beginning of the end," of his time with Black Sabbath. When the supporting tour for "Volume 4" was finished the members of Black Sabbath are said to have been burned out, strung out on cocaine and out of ideas. The band members had taken their first extended break away from each other since they'd found fame. 

The album cover is classic Heavy Metal shock and horror. The entire album is canonical. Track list includes the classics "National Acrobat," "Sabbra Cadabra," and "Killing Yourself to Live," as well as the title track "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath."

  The creepy 17th Century castle had been used as a recording studio by other Heavy Metal pioneers Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, among others. Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi are said to have had a first hand encounter with a cloaked figure in a passageway which disappeared into thin air. The members of Black Sabbath added fuel to the fire, built upon the creepy tension of the drafty castle by relentlessly pranking each other throughout their stay. It worked. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," is considered a Heavy Metal masterpiece.