An age-old myth which still subsists through creative avenues of the 1970s, particularly, is the idea that stress, drugs, and deadlines create a pressure vacuum which gives us diamonds. Hunter S. Thompson is so closely tied with the mania of rampant substance abuse, but it was, to some extent anyway, a character. His prose is sobering; the man was not. Much the same can be said for the pressure Grateful Dead were under when it came time to record Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, two albums which solved the financial hardships of the band and would’ve sunk the group had they not. That’s not pressure creating quality, but a rise to the occasion. The same can be said for Sabotage, an album created by Black Sabbath amid the tensions of legal issues which threatened the very sustainability of the band. It’s not the issue itself or the pressure, but the need to push on. Sabotage is great despite these stresses, not because of it.
Black Sabbath don’t sound all that keen to reflect on the trouble they’re experiencing, aside from a fantastic album cover that has their reflections facing off at whatever lay ahead. For Sabotage, it’s all about further cementing the heavy rock tone which had won audiences over on their first five albums. Nothing more than that. Ozzy Osbourne still has a strong voice, Tony Iommi is still possessed by having something to say to listeners. Those are crucial developments which aid the album tremendously, as they had done in the past. It’s far from a usual run from the band, but they’re certainly keeping up appearances. Opener Hole in the Sky is magnificent, it could go on forever and the band knows it, hence the abrupt stop and segue into Don’t Start (Too Late). That transition is one of the smartest, subtlest moments you’ll find on a Black Sabbath album. Sabotage will get an extra leg up because of this perspective of stress creating an outlet for the band, but isn’t that the case for every album?
Incredible drumming on Symptom of the Universe is a fact of the band, something they would feature constantly throughout their studio career, rather than an occasion for Sabotage alone. The B-side is filled with some solid heavy rock stock, like The Thrill of it All, though it lacks the killer instinct of their strong work preceding it. Sabotage takes a wild turn on its B-side, but it shouldn’t be unexpected. Black Sabbath would often throw off their heavy rock skills to cater to an acoustic flourish or operatic tone. Supertzar is just that, a surprisingly light and twinkling break which gives the impressive guitar work from Iommi room to breathe. That continues on Am I Going Insane?, a soft sci-fi-like sound comes through as those tensions and paranoia-stricken lyrics are matched with a tone more suited to a darker version of Electric Light Orchestra.
Still, that doesn’t capsize the eight-minute epic album closer, The Writ. It’s those preceding B-side tracks which build up The Writ so well. That’s the difference maker Black Sabbath has on their hands with Sabotage. They’re not just popping up with a different sound for a song or two, but are now using it as a complete identity shift. It suits them, crucially. With the band pushing in such a hugely different direction it feels like the A-side is more to hook unconvinced fans in. But they’d trialled this bait and switch before, just not to this extent. It doesn’t quite work, but the pay-off with The Writ is well worth experiencing. Black Sabbath continue their impressive run of form despite most bands with this longevity experiencing a little bit of turbulence so many albums in. Not the Osbourne-fronted group, though, they still had plenty of strength despite the stress.
