Black Sabbath — ergo, metal itself — was rapidly evolving by the time its third album, Master of Reality, came out in 1971. While Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were volume hounds in their own right and Blue Cheer was easily the loudest band on the West Coast, it’s undisputed that metal was created in Sabbath’s image.
Its third LP, Master of Reality, is when Sabbath really became Sabbath: when metal really began to harden not just in intensity, but as a mold for other bands to worship, emulate and break apart. It’s impressive enough that a band made three classic albums in less than two years — it’s even more impressive how Sabbath completely reinvented itself in such a short time span.
