Customer Reviews

Master of Reality

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These days it seems like "Remaster" means "Compress the life out of it until it's as loud as possible and sounds flat as heck", so I was very hesitant to give the new Sabbath remasters a chance. I have the Black Box and although the albums are all compressed, I thought they were tolerable and still sounded decent. Well I decided give this one a try and I don't regret my purchase one bit. The Black Box version is louder, flatter and has more treble. The decrease in treble on the new version might make it seem a bit muffled in comparison, but when you listen to it for a while and then switch to the Black Box disc that one will sound harsh. Plus there's that pesky hearing fatigue thingy that comes into play at louder volumes.

Is it worth getting these versions? Well it depends on whether you're looking for value or the best sound quality. The Black Box is cheaper than buying them all separately, and if you already have it then you'll have to decide whether you want to buy the same albums yet again. For crazy audiophiles like me I'd say it's definitely the way to go. To put it in a number value, Black Box Master Of Reality ReplayGain value -8.89, 2010 Sanctuary Master Of Reality ReplayGain value -4.01. I also looked at the waveforms of Children Of The Grave in Audacity just for fun and it almost looks like 2 completely different songs. There's also a Deluxe Edition with a second disc of outtakes so you might want to check that one out if alternate versions are your thing.

This is a favourite from my teenage years. I still like it. This and V4 (Rm) were their best.

Black Sabbath really began to grow on Master of Reality. Wheras their first wax and Paranoid were largely cut from the same cloth, Master exhibits some new flare. Acoustic guitar, flute, adventurous arrangements...this was the first step on a road that would later lead to the masterpiece Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

You already know the big songs: "Into the Void", "Sweet Leaf", "Children of the Grave". These songs all combine crushing riffs, stark vocals, and the quintessential Black Sabbath sound that only these four guys could produce. Something about Bill Ward's slightly off timekeeping and Geezer Butler's trademark slinky bass drives these songs on a hellbent path.

You can't go wrong with the rest of the album either, not a weak song in the bunch. "After Forever" combines a couple riffs together into a mutant beast of hard rock. "Lord of This World" is brutal. "Solitude" is hauntingly beautiful, a masterpiece that neither Sabbath nor Ozzy would equal later.

This deluxe edition combines the original album with a bonus disc containing demos and instrumentals. There are alternate lyrics as well. I like the instrumental versions because you get the hear the band stripped down and the interplay of the instruments. These guys truly were psychicly locked in. (Geezer and Tony have always said so.) Casual fans won't need this bonus disc, as there is a lot of repeat, but diehards like myself love having these previously unheard versions.

Last of all is a completely unreleased song, completely unknown to me previously, called "Weevil Woman". The great thing about this song is that it is not a throw-away. It is up to the Sabbath standard, and almost as good as anything on the album itself. Collectors rejoice, the inclusion of this one song makes this purchase compulsory. It's a no-brainer.

My only complaint? My old Castle remaster of this album had an embossed cover, replicating the original vinyl. It's a shame something similar wasn't done. Embossing the cover would have replicated the original vinyl artwork so much better, as the original album had the album title only embossed so you can barely see it, it was not coloured at all.

Liner notes and inner artwork are, of course, wonderful.

5 stars.

Great item, great service! This album truely is a classic! Black sabbath is one of a kind...I just love it!

With two albums under their belts, Black Sabbath evolved from a good local act to stunning band and was staring to get some recognition after Paranoid. Their third album Master of Reality was to be released in 1971, and to this day it's still one of my favourite albums and one of Sabbath's greatest. The first self-titled album was a strong bluesy, really dark and heavier than anything else out there, then they got known with Paranoid which is considered one of the best and most influential album of all-time. But in my opinion if there's one album that you can get tired of hearing of all that Sabbath has done, it has to be Paranoid. I like Master of Reality better, the songs are just better to me and it's something you don't always hear on classic rock radio like Paranoid or Iron Man. Besides I think the album represents the band at best, as lords of doom.

Master starts out with the epic opening of Sweet Leaf, with Tony Iommi choking on a joint(it's truly how it begins) and the songs just kicks in with the nice slow riff, it truly is one of Sabbath's best songs. I will also mention it was written about Ozzy's favourite leaf (I guess you know which one). After Forever is one of the best things the band did, if you read the lyrics more closely you'll see that its Sabbath saying they believe in god! It might sound weird with Sabbath's reputation at the time, but they wanted to get the satanic thing behind them at the time. "Would you like to see the pope on the end of the rope? Do you think he's a fool? Well I've seen the truth and I've changed my ways" just great lyrical stuff. Then Embryo follows which is a nice and different, 28 seconds acoustic song, it's a great introduction to another classic, Children of the Grave. Another favourite, Tony's chug-a-chug riff, Ozzy's vocals, Geezer's bass playing and Bill's drumming altogether make this song [pretty fast considering the time and make the song special.

Orchid is a more complete instrumental; it lasts longer than Embryo and sounds better with gentle acoustic guitar. Lord of this World is a slow rocker like Sweet Leaf, just another great song, and much like the rest of the album really dark. The ending is fantastic with the song getting faster with a great drum beat and another amazing solo. Solitude follows; it's a slower more emotional song. I feel the song is beautiful, it seems weird but I think it's truly a unique song and something very different and well done for Black Sabbath, plus the guitar work is amazing, not much of a riff, just melody. It's not a song they played live often (if they ever did), but I appreciate it and like to hear this from one of my favourite band. The name fits the song really well as it pretty much describes the whole song in one word. Into The Void is the epic here, at 6:11 it's the longest song on the album.It'another excellent song not much to say except it's highpoint.

Master is one of my favourite Sabbath albums because it's just everything the band is; it's dark, heavy, and it's edgy. It's really a masterpiece and a classic album. The fact that it's got so many classic and that all the songs are great and unique combined with the musical abilities of the individuals who perform it just make that good, that timeless. Black Sabbath left their mark in music and this is one of their best albums, a must have for any rock n'roll(heavy metal or whatever you call it) fan or Sabbath fan.5 stars all the way.

Although Black Sabbath would later diversify their sound by experimentation, their first three albums were doomy, gloomy sludge metal of the early 70s. The latter of the three, Master of Reality, would set the standard for later metal through potency in riffs, lyrical content and sheer power. Some of their most memorable riffs like "Sweet Leaf" and "Children of the Grave" served up a couple of the hardest riffs of the 70s. This is truly Black Sabbath at their heaviest point musically but even more importantly, it secured their place in rock history. Perhaps even some of the first speed metal is heard in the closing song, "Into the Void." Also, the song writing ability matures here greatly. "After Forever" assures you your not the religously alone person you might have thought you were and "Sweet Leaf" is about the pleasures of pot. Everyone shines on this album with their power. Geezer's bass becomes more in tune with Tony's distorted guitar while Bill drums with jazz influences. In the end, this is some of Sabbath's best and darkest work along with Paranoid, Vol. 4, and Sabotage. Check it out for sure.

Master Of Reality was Black Sabbath's third album and their followup to one of the best heavy metal albums of all time, Paranoid. Although this album is nearly as strong as Paranoid, it has become somewhat of a closet classic, only getting its just recognition from their die-hard fans. While the songs here aren't as well known as the classics "Iron Man" and "War Pigs", most of the tracks are top notch and the band have recognized this by bringing some songs from this album into their set on the annual Ozzfest tours.

Like most of their catalog, Masters Of Reality is at its best on the heavier material carried by their simple yet memorable riffs. The opening track "Sweet Leaf", where Ozzy Osbourne sings of his love of marijuana, is one of their best tracks. "Children Of The Grave", the best known song here and a staple of both Ozzy's solo band and Black Sabbath's live shows, is one of their great epics featuring a killer solo from Tony Iommi near the track's end. Also featured here are the excellent "Lord Of This World" and "Into The Void", the former featuring excellent counter bass lines from Geezer Butler while the latter is literally a riff tour-de-force. The band also show hints of their changing musical direction which would come to fruition on their Volume 4 album on the acoustic instrumental "Orchid" and on the track "Solitude", a solemn piece featuring a soft vocal from Osbourne, laid back musicianship and a flute! By far, the most underrated track here is "After Forever." Listening to the pro-Christianity lyrics, it's hard to believe that this was the same band that gave us the gloom and doom of their debut album. Simply put, next to Paranoid this is their best work and a must have for all heavy metal fans.

MASTER OF REALITY is Black Sabbath's third album, & simply put, one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. This is one moment that everything came together for the band. Ozzy, while not a great technical singer, sounds amazing in this album. His vocals range from menacing (Lord of this World, After Forever, & Into the Void), to melancholy (Solitude). Tony Iommi's guitar playing is superb as always. Geezer Butler & Bill Ward's groundbreaking foundations in this album is amazing.

Black Sabbath's musical output to the heavy metal genre is outstanding & with this album, it cemented their position as one of the icons of the genre.

This is one of the sludgiest, heaviest albums known to man. 30 years after this album was released, it is still heavier than a lot of stuff out there. It has this doomy, sludgy, impossibly heavy sound to it that cannot be duplicated. Ozzy's voice sounds just perfect on this. So does Tony Iommi's guitar playing. Bill Ward's drums, too. The drums sound especially thumping, with that underwater sound in them. This album contains many of the bands best songs such as Children Of the Grave, Into The Void, Sweet Leaf, and the odd, flute-heavy ballad Solitude. No true metalhead should be without this masterpiece.

Master of Reality kicks off with the amazing Sweet Leaf, a song about cannabinoid use with one of the greatest geetar riffs of all time. After Forever is somthing of a curiosity, a Christian song on a Black Sabbath album! I suppose the message here is that they are not a "Satanic" band a la Deicide et al, but merely sing about God, the Devil and such in a descriptive way. Black Sabbath to me are the musical equivalent of a Hammer Horror film, except they have aged better! Embryo is a nice 20 second piece (at least Black Sabbath kept their instrumental meanderings short and to the point!), and it's on to the colossal, thundering, "Children of the Grave" and a warning that is still as relevant to day as it was three decades ago (it's hard to believe this album is over 30 years old!) Orchid is another short & sweet insrumental at 1 and a half minutes, followed by the brilliant "Lord of this World", the haunting, "Planet Caravan"-like "Solitude" and "Into the Void", a great track, but not the best one on the album. Many cite this as Black Sabbath's best album, and I can't prove them wrong - most of their releases are of such good quality it's just so hard to pick one single best album. Master of Reality is certainly a contender.