With a big, looming rock sound and vocals that shriek through the night like a bat out of hell, the British-born rockers Black Sabbath helped create the genre known as heavy metal. The group, which formed in 1968, was first comprised of members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler. Together, they defined heft.
And along the way, their sound helped influence the sound of many other bands—sometimes to a startlingly similar degree. Here below, we wanted to explore that influence. Indeed, these are three songs from bands that sound like Black Sabbath but actually aren’t.
“Freya” by The Sword from Age of Winters (2007)
A song that jolts you awake but one that also has that deep low-end weight, this track seemingly tells a story through its electric guitar riffs. You almost don’t need lyrics. But then those jump in, too. Droning and dire. Just before a lead guitar comes in like a lightning bolt. It’s clear this Austin, Texas-born rock band took notes while listening to albums like Paranoid and Master of Reality. And on “Freya,” lead vocalist John D. Cronise belts mythological-like lyrics,
A sword of fire and an axe of coal
Vision of the sibyl has foretold
Armies gather on the battle-plain
All will fall and Earth will die in flames
Here on the Battle-Plain
We will die in flames
In Falcon’s feathers soaring overhead
Choosing warriors among the dead
Twilight written in the runes of crones
Freya weeps upon her golden throne
“Working Man” by Rush from Rush (1974)
This song sounds like it’s walking down a dark hallway and then a storm comes in. While Rush’s lead vocalist Geddy Lee doesn’t sound as ominous as Osbourne, he has a similar sharp falsetto crash to his delivery. While the Canadian-born band Rush is known for sweeping, often uplifting rock songs, this song has you stuck to the ground a bit more. It’s dirtier than much of their work. Perhaps they wrote it at night, while owls hooted and cold winds blew in the dark. On the tune, Lee sings,
Well, I get up at seven, yeah
And I go to work at nine
I got no time for livin’
Yes, I’m workin’ all the time
It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am
I guess that’s why they call me
They call me the workin’ man
“Gonna Leave You” by Queens of the Stone Age from Songs for the Deaf (2002)
The similarity here can be found in the vocals. Queens of the Stone Age lead singer Josh Homme delivers his lyrics as if he’s sedated. We can imagine dark circles under his eyes. We can imagine a vile of drugs just to the side on a table. Of course, neither could actually be true. It’s just the vibe the song gives off. And it’s a vibe practically created by Osbourne. Musically, the song is a bit too upbeat to be a Black Sabbath tune. But the vocals, they could be transposed from this onto one from Sabbath’s catalog. And on the tune, he sings,
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