18/09/2025
55 years ago today, Black Sabbath released their second studio album, Paranoid.
Released just seven months after their debut, Sabbath’s second album is their masterpiece. Three of the eight tracks are deathless heavy metal classics: War Pigs, a cataclysmic protest song that resonated powerfully in the Vietnam era; Iron Man, a sci-fi fantasy driven by an earthshaking Iommi riff; and of course Paranoid itself, which was thrown together in 25 minutes and went on to become Sabbath’s most famous song, hitting the UK Top 5 and helping send the album to number one. From the definitive metal band, this is the definitive metal album.
Words: Paul Elliott / Classic Rock