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SWEAT_0203 Officially Licensed Black Sabbath Merchandise
Black Sabbath Master Of Reality Hoodie
Although Black Sabbath have gone through many lineups and stylistic changes, their original sound focused on ominous lyrics and doomy music, often making use of the musical tritone, also called the "devil's interval".
Standing as a stark contrast to popular music of the early 1970s, Black Sabbath's dark sound was dismissed by rock critics of the era, and the band received virtually no airplay on rock radio.
As the band's primary songwriter, Tony Iommi wrote the majority of Black Sabbath's music, while Osbourne would write vocal melodies, and bassist Geezer Butler would write lyrics.
The process was sometimes frustrating for Iommi, who often felt pressured to come up with new material. "If I didn't come up with anything, nobody would do anything."
On Iommi's influence, Osbourne later said:
"Black Sabbath never used to write a structured song. There'd be a long intro that would go into a jazz piece, then go all folky... and it worked. Tony Iommi - and I have said this a zillion times - should be up there with the greats. He can pick up a guitar, play a riff, and you say, 'He's gotta be out now, he can't top that.' Then you come back and I bet you a billion dollars, he'd come up with a riff that'd knock your fucking socks off."
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