Heavy metal began in the industrial streets of Birmingham, forged by four working-class men who wanted to scare people. Before they became global icons of darkness, they played blues music under confused names like Polka Tulk. Their sound evolved from a literal physical injury that forced the guitarist to reinvent how he played his instrument. Furthermore, despite their terrifying reputation, the members often wore crosses to protect themselves from the very spirits they sang about. Prepare to enter the void with the godfathers of metal.
Black Sabbath
Tony Iommi lost the tips of his fingers in a sheet metal factory. On his last day of work, a machine sliced off the ends of his middle and ring fingers. Consequently, he had to invent homemade plastic fingertips and tune his guitar down to make the strings easier to press, creating the heavy sound of metal.
The band originally called themselves the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They later changed it to Earth, but found another band had that name. Eventually, they saw a long line of people waiting to see the horror movie Black Sabbath and decided to adopt the moniker.
Their signature song Paranoid was written in just twenty minutes. The band needed one more song to fill the album and created the riff on the spot. Ironically, this last-minute addition became their biggest hit and defined their career.
Geezer Butler wrote the lyrics because Ozzy Osbourne struggled with dyslexia. While Ozzy provided the melodies, the bassist channeled his interest in the occult and horror into the words. Thus, the dark themes of the band came largely from the quietest member.
They spent more money on cocaine than on recording the album Vol. 4. The band famously had the drugs delivered in large soap powder boxes. This excessive use made the recording process chaotic and nearly destroyed the group.
Ozzy Osbourne actually bit the head off a real bat on stage. He thought a fan had thrown a rubber toy onto the stage in Des Moines. After he bit it, he realized it was real and had to get painful rabies shots immediately.
The song Black Sabbath uses the “Devil’s Interval.” This musical tritone, known as Diabolus in Musica, was banned in medieval times for sounding too evil. Iommi used it to create a sense of unease and horror in the listener.
Bill Ward was once set on fire as a prank during recording. Tony Iommi covered the drummer in rubbing alcohol and lit a match. Unfortunately, the fire burned through his clothes and caused third-degree burns on his legs.
They wore large crosses for protection, not as a fashion statement. Occultists and Satanists frequently approached the band, which terrified the members. Therefore, Ozzy’s father made them metal crosses to wear at all times to ward off curses.
Iron Man has absolutely nothing to do with the Marvel superhero. The song is actually about a time traveler who sees the apocalypse and turns to steel. However, the connection became so popular that the song eventually appeared in the Iron Man movies.
A ghostly figure inspired the first song. Geezer Butler claimed he saw a black figure standing at the end of his bed after reading an occult book. This terrifying experience inspired the lyrics to the song Black Sabbath.
Ian Gillan from Deep Purple briefly joined the band as the singer. After Ozzy left, the band went through several vocalists, including the legendary voice of Smoke on the Water. This era produced the album Born Again, which fans have mixed feelings about.
The band refused to play early morning slots at festivals. They insisted on playing at night to maintain their spooky atmosphere. Playing in broad daylight ruined the mood they worked so hard to create.
Tony Iommi is the only member to appear on every single album. While singers and drummers changed constantly over the decades, the guitarist remained the constant driving force. He kept the Black Sabbath name alive through every lineup change.
Finally, they recorded their first album in a single day. They treated the studio session like a live gig and played their setlist straight through. This raw energy captured the lightning in a bottle that launched a new genre of music.
