The First Heavy Metal Band

During the late 60s and early 70s there was a constant evolution in music. One specific sound had caught the attention of people and created a cult following, eventually becoming the sound that would rule the world. With piercing, nasty, and almost evil-sounding guitar riffs, the first heavy metal band took the world by storm. The first (credited) heavy metal band was Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath had created a name for themselves using down-tuned guitars and haunting lyrics. The band consisted of Ozzy Osbourne (vocalist), Tony Iommi (guitarist), Geezer Butler (bassist), as well as Bill Ward (drummer).

During Tony Iommi's teenage years, he was in an accident with a sheet-metal machine while he was at work; the result of the accident left him with his fingertips cut off.  This had left him only able to play a tuned-down guitar and limited him to power chords. This had made his style dark and heavy-sounding. Not letting his injury stop him, he continued his guitar-playing career where he would eventually co-create a band named “Earth.” Earth was unfortunately often mixed up with another blues-rock group, so they ended up changing their name to Black Sabbath in August of 1969, with the focus of creating music that was the equivalent to horror movies.

Eventually, they signed to a small record label where they were given two days of studio time. One day had to be solely focused on mixing, so the band went in and played four songs live, and a majority of the songs they had to record in one sitting. The four songs they had recorded were “Black Sabbath,” “N.I.B.,” “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” and finally, “Sleeping Village.” They were broadcast, giving them their first exposure to the U.K. audience.

Their first album, named Black Sabbath, was released on Friday the 13th, February 1970. It had reached #8 on the U.K. charts. At first, it received a ton of criticism; people didn't like the unique sound. But eventually it had found its footing, and today it's a Certified Platinum Album in both the U.S. and the U.K. It is also now credited as being the first ever Heavy Metal Album.