Black Sabbath is coming to an official end soon, and fans who have been around since the heavy metal outfit’s golden era are probably a bit emotional at the moment. With that in mind, let’s celebrate the trailblazing rock band by exploring (and enjoying) a few deep cuts by Black Sabbath that only diehard fans likely know.
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1. “St. Vitus Dance”
It’s pretty obvious that “St. Vitus Dance” was intended to be a filler song on Vol. 4. However, Black Sabbath has been known to produce filler songs with no real expectations of greatness, only for those throwaways to become legendary. “Paranoid” is just one example. “St. Vitus Dance” is underrated, even with that awkward main riff. It’s quite catchy once you get into it.
2. “Zero The Hero”
Love a little bit of early-career Tony Iommi? “Zero The Hero” is an underrated gem on Black Sabbath’s somewhat controversial collab with Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan, Born Again. That bass is huge and sweeping, and those guitar interludes are a true delight. This is definitely one of the better songs on that album.
3. “Cross Of Thorns”
The 1994 Black Sabbath record Cross Purposes was an odd one. Tony Martin was the lead vocalist, Geezer Butler was on bass, and Ronnie James Dio was gone… again. All things considered, it wasn’t a bad album. “Cross Of Thorns”, in particular, is a standout track from that album, and I’d be bold enough to say it was the best song on the record. It’s slightly cheesy, but Iommi’s incredible guitar solo and driving riff really make this song one to revisit regularly. Parts of this song, namely the acoustic elements, might remind diehard fans of “Heaven And Hell”. It’s a solid yet underrated work.
4. “Snowblind”
This entry on our list of Black Sabbath deep cuts is all about c*caine. That’s not even that surprising, and this song is probably not the band’s only ode to rock star drugs. Either way, “Snowblind” is a great song from Vol. 4 with noteworthy middle sections that are particularly well-composed. Black Sabbath really could produce grinding, aggressive heavy metal songs and emotional melodies all at once.
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