Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Vol 4

The fact that BS is a powertrio with additional singer is well-masked on this their 4th and most developed album so far. Small, but cunning overdubs enrich the sound and make the music more differentiated than on previous efforts. ''Wheels of confusion'' opens the record with verve, even with a rhythm change and a totally different ending. ''Changes'' may even be called a ballad and ''Fx'' experiments with sounds unheard of. Overall, the level of organisation is higher and the best BS track up till now must be ''Snowblind'' that flows and urges like a real composition. The sledgehammer heavy stuff like ''St.Vitus dance'' also sounds more mature than comparable tracks on previous albums. Even when heavy-fans may balk at the romantic and string-soaked ''Laguna sunrise'', the effect of an oasis in the middle of the violence is welcome enough. Best Sabbath album on Vertigo.