Artist: BLACK SABBATH
Album: MASTER OF REALITY REMASTERED (CD)

Release date: 1971/ 2025
EAN/UPS: 4099964137699
Media type: CD

Master of Reality is the third album by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1971. The album's "darker" or "sludgier" sound was a significant influence on the heavy metal genre known as doom metal, and on heavy metal in general. To date, Master of Reality has sold two million copies and reached 2x platinum.

For the recording of this album, guitarist Tony Iommi, who had injured his fingers in a factory accident years earlier, decided to de-tune his guitar down three semi-tones (or one and a half steps to C-sharp). This reduced string tension, thus making the guitar easier for him to play. Geezer Butler also de-tuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. The result was a noticeably "darker" or "sludgier" sound.

Master of Reality was recorded at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California between February and April 1971. This was the first time the band had recorded an album outside their home country of England. The album was produced by Rodger Bain, who had also produced their previous two albums. However, this would be his final collaboration with the band.

Thirty years after the album's release, Q magazine (7/01, p.86) included it in their 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time and described it as "malevolent...casting Black Sabbath as a Titanic-style house band on the eve of Armageddon, cranking it as the bomb drops." Another edition of Q magazine that year (1/01, p.122) gave it 5 out of 5 stars, describing it as "the most cohesive record of their first three albums."

All songs by Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne, except where noted.

TRACKLIST:

"Sweet Leaf" – 5:05
"After Forever" (Iommi) – 5:27
"Embryo" (Iommi) – 0:28
"Children of the Grave" – 5:17

" Orchid" (Iommi) – 1:30
" Lord Of This World" – 5:26
"Solitude" – 5:02
"Into the Void" – 6:13

LINE-UP:

Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals
Tony Iommi – guitar, flute, piano
Geezer Butler – bass guitar
Bill Ward – drums, backing vocals