BLACK SABBATH: Albums Ranked (From Worst to Best) - Rank 'Em All

[@vaggelis6349]

My favorite black sabbath album is master of reality. Not only do i believie that m.o.r. is their best studio release but also, one of the best albums in heavy metal music history.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah it's an amazing album. I'm starting to regret where I placed it now. haha 👍

[@vaggelis6349]

@@RuthlessMetalYT if you can, make a rank em all video on sodom or kreator. They are great brutal thrash bands. Keep making great videos. Cheers

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

@@vaggelis6349 Kreator, Sodom and Destruction is coming up soon....

[@Kolovrat55514]

true.

[@billwalker5623]

Into the void has the best metal riff ever too, my favorite sabbath album too

[@mikem3543]

I snorted my coffee through my nose when I saw headless cross ranked above master of reality.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

good, let that one sink in. ;) Cheers!

[@alex_capone]

There's much more to say about Sabotage! The epic Megalomania! The haunting 'The Writ' and the creepily anthemic Am I Going Insane?! What an awesome record, my favorite for sure, though there's some tough competition!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

hehe, but I think those songs are so powerful that you really don't have to say anything else, those two songs proves my point. :D

[@alex_capone]

@@RuthlessMetalYT Yeah you're not wrong, Hole in the Sky just rips my mind to shreds every time, and Symptom of the Universe is just pure dictionary heavy metal!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

@@alex_capone Yes, brilliant stuff!

[@shannobmayberry107]

I guess i am an ozzy baby.

[@gregward1016]

I think "Thrill Of It All" sounds like it could have been a big hit for Sabbath, catchy chorus and riffs. But the band was in a weird place because they were acting prog-like most likely to keep their former managers from scamming $$$ from them. That was why Ozzy was so angry on "The Writ". But also he was disappointed that Tony Iommi was getting too experimental in the band's music, which was one reason why he left a few years later. It didn't keep Ozzr from doing the same thing as a solo artist.

[@GChris-ny8fp]

Happy to see the Tony Martin era finally getting recognition. Headless Cross and Tyr are fantastic records.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yes!

[@husq48]

Eternal Idol is great!

[@jessebrennan7130]

If you haven't already, check out Martin's latest album Thorns

[@symbolic9558]

The title track of Heaven and Hell is one of the most beautiful Metal song, like EVER...

[@franciscoaguilera6012]

Mötorhead Rank Em’ All 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

👍

[@daroblackheart383]

Great idea!

[@michagabo8819]

The Book of Truth When things were at their very worst: 2 Suns, Cross in the sky, 2 comets will collide = don`t be afraid - repent, accept Lord`s Hand of Mercy. Scientists will say it was a global illusion. Beaware - Jesus will never walk in flesh again. After WW3 - rise of the “ man of peace“ from the East = Antichrist - the most powerful, popular, charismatic and influential leader of all time. Many miracles will be attributed to him. He will imitate Jesus in every conceivable way. Don`t trust „pope“ Francis = the False Prophet - will seem to rise from the dead - will unite all Christian Churches and all Religions as one. One World Religion = the seat of the Antichrist. Benedict XVI is the last true pope - will be accused of a crime of which he is totally innocent. "The time for the schism in the Church is almost here and you must get prepared now" Tuesday, 20 March 2012

[@Taztiger7272]

That's really hard

[@MortanAMrk]

orgasmatron???? nah thats not even in top 10 it goes 1. Sacrifice 2. Overkill 3. Bomber dont wanna say the rest

[@matthewrobinson8214]

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath #1 forever!

[@underrated5006]

Agree!

[@pechondelgado]

Ah, I've found my people.

[@evanobrien7316]

I can’t be the only one that loves never say die

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

nah, there are others out there. ;)

[@keithakid]

@@RuthlessMetalYT or not :)

[@theoagos0318]

I fucking adore never say die. It's one of my favorite albums of all time.

[@Tdrums8]

i love that Album still has a lot of cool songs .Not as bad as everyone thinks

[@ghostfacegrillla6272]

Love it 👊😎

[@JoeyCheex0583]

i noticed that Black Sabbath never had a set logo to illustrate the band name like Anthrax or Maiden, each album its written different

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah, I think that was more the spirit of the seventies, in the 80s branding became more important. Cheers!

[@j.j.hector735]

It really weird to think that people collectively agree that the Master of Reality logo is THE Black Sabbath logo

[@mozsab]

I love the respect you give the Tony Martin era. Cross purposes is one of my favorite albums, full stop.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yes, Tony Martin is great!

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

I'm an old Sabbath fan, from the Ozzy period. I bought Heaven And Hell the month it came out, a little worried about a new singer. I stopped worrying after the first lines of Neon Knights. Loved the whole thing. Dio brought them to new heights. I felt Mob Rules was even better. The band had died after Sabotage and tried to do something, anything, without making it all that interesting. I like Seventh Star much more than Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die, even though I don't see these three albums as fitting the Black Sabbath style. But I loved the Dio period and his return for Dehumaniser. This remains the best Sabbath incarnation to me. Glad to see well deserved praise for Tony Martin, who perfectly fits the style. I think Forbidden should be re-evaluated and yes, I loved Tyr. Saw them on that tour too. Loved Born Again as well.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah, I think that period was just magical. Everyone loves the Ozzy years and for good reason but what Dio did with the band will go down in history as the greatest achievements in rock and metal.

[@mikekeeler6362]

I like the last two with. It was change from the norm

[@kathydukakis1663]

Agreed. Dio saved Black Sabbath and took them to the next level....

[@user-lv2df3lk1p]

@@RuthlessMetalYT I don't like Ozzy years. I hate, that he sing along the riffs, copying music tune by his voice. I like grim and depressive music, but in this case it's too boring for me. Dio and TM years music was depressive but still more vivid. I like Dehumaniser, Forbidden and Cross Purposes, and after it Mob Rules. And best Ozzy years album for me is Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I don't try to say, that Ozzy years are really bad, in that period BS had some good and even some great songs, but if I had to choose, I prefer DIO or Martin period. PS. Sorry for mistakes, I'm from Russia, and don't know english well.

[@Wanderer_1877]

@@kathydukakis1663 Actually Iommi saved Sabbath, recruiting great singers who kept coming and going :), but anyway, the Dio fronted Sabbath is a pinnacle in metal. Although it would have been more valid to not call it Black Sabbath, it's so different. Marketing wise of course it was logical.

[@diegorodguitar]

This is the first time ever that I see TYR ranked so high, I don't enjoy it that much but I find your opinion very interesting. I really like the fact that your list is very different, I kinda get bored of watching Paranoid in first place over and over again haha. Subscribed!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

and I almost felt I ranked it low even if I got a lot of angry messages for liking that one and headless cross so much, but they are better than the Ozzy albums in my opinoin.

[@outis439-A]

@@RuthlessMetalYT Tyr is a masterpiece. Marks for ozzy-while obviously is great is blinded by their lust for ozzy. Lawmaker for an example of a great track.

[@jackluminous4573]

Technical Ecstasy is severely underrated. Back Street Kids, Its Alright (with Bill Ward singing) All moving Parts.. a really great album

[@Danimal77]

Never Say Die is even more severely underrated.

[@husq48]

No, it just is what it is.

[@IHATEDRIVING2]

In my opinión is one of the weakest albums, but have some gems there. I like that one and Gypsy as 2 of my favorites songs of the band.

[@andrejz8954]

Gypsy and Dirty women are my faves.

[@andrejz8954]

@@Danimal77 Agreed! Johnny Blade, Junior's eyes, Shock wave (especially) and Air dance are all magnificent!

[@TheMoribund666]

Tyr is one of the most underrated albums ever. My favorite by them - so glad you're giving it credit!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

its the best. cheers

[@MarkWitchhammer]

My Top 10 black sabbath albums: 1. Master of reality 2. Black sabbath 3. Paranoid 4. Heaven and hell 5. Vol. 4 6. Sabotage 7. Sabbath bloody sabbath 8. Mob rules 9. 13/Dehumanizer 10. Eternal idol

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

🤘

[@nickrooney6206]

Lol Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is way too far down

[@dgajsek]

Much better ranking than the authors

[@benoitterneyre5064]

Tony Martin is unfortunately with Tim Ripper Owens and Blaze Bailey one of those really talented an underappreciated singers that were forgotten because they had to bear the mantle of their legendary predecessors as the band's frontman

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yeah, replacing legends are never easy but I think all three of those did a great job. 🤘🏼

[@japanesehercules]

Never Say Die always gets a bad rap. "Johnny Blade" has an awesome, loud mid-tempo riff.

[@DavidMartin-ms6fc]

Yeah I’ve always thought it was a good record, iommis soloing really matured by then and he had a newer sound..it’s a good album

[@metalmat3651]

IMO "Never say Die" starts of strong but fades pretty quick up till the end. The title track is a decent rocker though nothing really special, the next two songs "Johnny Blade" and "Junior's Eyes" are great, I LOVE "Junior's Eyes" and is probably in my top 10 Sabbath songs. After that.... it's 5 songs that do nothing for me leading up to the closer (which I really like) "Swinging the Chain" which has a good heavy blues groove and I think Ward actually sounds pretty damn good.

[@Danimal77]

And Shockwave has the heaviest breakdown of any of their songs.

[@AskDrannik]

From what I understand, Forbidden was produced by one of the members of Body Count, Ice T's punk/metal side gig. It explains a lot about the shortcomings of that album.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah he was part of that album. Cheers!

[@andrewsharpe7630]

My understanding of why Forbidden is so bad is because Tony Iommi was already lining up a reunion with Ozzy and only did the album for contractual reasons. Last time I listened to Forbidden I came away with the impression that there were some good song ideas there, but Tony couldn't be bothered putting in the effort to execute them properly.

[@andrewsharpe7630]

My understanding of why Forbidden is so bad is because Tony Iommi was already lining up a reunion with Ozzy and only did the album for contractual reasons. Last time I listened to Forbidden I came away with the impression that there were some good song ideas there, but Tony couldn't be bothered putting in the effort to execute them properly.

[@017aqpqgqika9]

1. Master of Reality 2. Paranoid 3. Black Sabbath 4. Heaven and Hell 5. Sabotage 6. Vol. 4 7. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath One of my top 5 bands of all time dio is my favorite vocalist of all time with Ozzy being one of my favorite vocalist Tony Iommi is the God of Riffs and Geezer Butler is a great songwriter

[@OldboySamurai]

Hell yeah! As much as I love the first six with Ozzy, Heaven & Hell has a special place in my heart and is one of my favorite albums of all time. Also glad to see a relative high place for Born Again. It has always been an underrated album in my opinion. The titletrack is the spookiest song in the Sabbath catalogue after the Black Sabbath song. Lastly, I need to listen to Headless Cross again. Been a while, like 30 years.

[@andreabradley5837]

Ian Gillans got lungs!

[@marioalbertopinedagalindo638]

It's nice to see recognition for Martin era.

[@lightningstrikes7314]

Great overview mate. The Mob may prefer Ozzy but Dio rules. The band was Born Again with RJD and fulfilled its potential/destiny. It also freed Ozzy to make 2 great albums with the incredible Randy Rhoads. Win-Win. Headless Cross at 6, bold move, the Tony Martin albums deserve more recognition, Tyr is my favourite of his too.

[@reneacosta9402]

my favorite part about about their discography is how Iommi's guitar playing evolves throughout the years

[@lasjok3r97]

This easily had to have been one of the hardest discographies to rank, but I think you've done a fine job as always. I've only recently discovered your videos and I've been binging them nonstop since haha. Props for always putting your personal taste first and not being too influenced by popular culture and opinions. That's what makes these videos interesting to me, you do have a very fine taste after all. P.S. as a Ronnie Dio mega fan, I think you do him a great service 😎 every album he did, with every band he was with, is fucking legendary to me.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

hehe, nice to hear. Yeah Dio is on another level. Cheers!

[@docvader82]

Oh, you're absolutely right, Annu Mundi is an amazing tune. It's like it puts you in a trance.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

hell yeah!

[@docvader82]

@@RuthlessMetalYT It's too bad so many people know so little about the Martin era. A guy a know, a reasonably certified metalhead, didn't know about the Martin records that weren't available for streaming(I think Forbidden, Crosspurposes, TYR and maybe Headless cross). When he saw some pics of my collection, he thought they were bootlegs. A couple people thought that. I take into account that all of that was pre-internet, but it shocks the shit outta me that any metal fan doesn't at least know that stuff exists.

[@themechanix8804]

Finally the Tony Martin stuff got some respect. My fav Sabbath album believe or not its The Eternal Idol, I think its a great Hard Rock album and for me have all the Sabbath characteristics in there. I absolutely love Glory Ride and The Shining.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Good stuff!

[@user-ns7tv2li1u]

Have you ever listen " The Eternal Idol " with Ray Gillen ???!!! By far better... Tony was a little raw...

[@themechanix8804]

@@user-ns7tv2li1u Yeah!

[@nealboutin105]

Likely because of my age, but I too rank the Martin and Dio albums high on my list! Like you, I believe the late 70s and the mid 90s were the weakest years for this great band.

[@sassaniandynasty3796]

I was generally a Beatles/classical kid. Black Sabbath made me a man. RIP DIO. 🤘🤘

[@afistfulofpimples1745]

I'm hoping my testicles get larger, they're quite small.

[@doomprogger6345]

@@afistfulofpimples1745 Gotta listen to more Manowar for sure!

[@lordtrigon1733]

Not all but my top ten: 1. Paranoid 2. The Devil You Know 3. Mob Rules 4. Sabotage 5. Headless Cross 6. Heaven and Hell 7. Master Of Reality 8. Vol. 4 9. Black Sabbath 10. The Eternal Idol

[@josemorenorahn]

Incredible, I love that you actually did a list to include them all, and didn't hate on Tony Martin era records, just because Dio or Ozzy didn't sang on them, great list! Long live Headless Cross!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes, I love Tony Martin, he is such a great singer.

[@enriquevp77]

1. Eternal Idol 2. Sabotage 3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 4. Technical Ecstasy

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

👍 👍

[@ashrichardson8804]

At last,somebody else who loves Technical Ecstasy 👍

[@williamfernetducharme]

​@@ashrichardson8804 I do too 🙂

[@hellsunicorn]

This is one of those rare occasions where we’ve only got one album on our list in common, which is Heaven And Hell. I remember getting that album as a teenager in a Sabbath tribute band, thinking it was an Ozzy album and just being blown away by it. We never covered any songs from it because it was the mid-90s and in America only Ozzy was acceptable at that time, but it became my favorite album almost immediately. Overall I think I have a slightly lower view of the earlier albums with Ozzy than you and a higher one of the middle albums (Sabotage and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath), and I also ranked the Martin albums higher (Headless Cross is my #2). I also mostly like Forbidden, even if the songwriting is a bit unusual. But I think the only album of their’s that I consider truly weak is 13, haven’t listened to it once in about 7 years.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yeah Ozzy is the only acceptable singer in most countries I think. I think that has a lot to do with the busines side of things and not the actual content of the albums.

[@hellsunicorn]

@@srh361 I’m talking about how things were in and around the Philly area where I grew up. Nobody in my area knew who he was and were overtly hostile to his lyrics and vocal style. Furthermore, I said mid-90s, i.e. the Angry Machines era. It was a different era than 1992 when Dehumanizer dropped. I recall Dio struggling to fill venues bigger than clubs from 1994 until 1999, let alone the arenas he was filling back in 1985.

[@hellsunicorn]

@@srh361 I was talking about both of them. Dio’s past and present work was not well regarded in the mid-90s in my age group. Your experience is tied to a different time and a different generation. From 1994 until around 1999-2000 Ronnie was tied in with hair metal (somehow Ozzy was not). I was there, I know what I saw, end of story.

[@kathydukakis1663]

I was "there" too and I remember everyone at my high school loving some Ronnie James Dio and his 2 classic albums with Sabbath. Of course they all loved Ozzy too....

[@ZoahLord]

Very ballsy choices, but I respect how much love you're giving to the Dio/Tony Martin eras. Those were the vocalists that got me into the band. Also, you're damn right about 'Country Girl' - one hell of a riff. I remember Iommi making a guest appearance on Gene Simmons' "Rock School" TV show. When Iommi appeared he was riffing on 'Country Girl" so clearly it's a riff that sticks in mind years later \m/

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yes, good stuff. :)

[@customgod]

I also love Dio Sabbath! I saw Sabbath in 1981 for the Mob Rules tour.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

damn, I would have given a hand to see that tour. Glad I saw Dio solo at least.

[@jeremiahbullfrog2667]

How about ranking King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, and Nevermore? You rule Ruthless

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Thanks, King Diamond and Mercyful Fate is definitely coming, maybe not next but in a month or so. ;)

[@JuanPedales]

@@RuthlessMetalYT brutal

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

@@JuanPedales 🤘

[@llongone2]

Fuck yeah!

[@c0uchsl0uch]

I was thinking this just yesterday

[@Skycladatdusk78]

Great ranking, one of my favorite bands, here's how I rank them : 1 - Mob Rules 2 - Heaven And Hell 3 - Sabotage 4 - Volume 4 5 - Master Of Reality 6 - Dehumanizer 7 - Black Sabbath 8 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 9 - The Headless Cross 10 - Paranoid 11 - Born Again 12 - Tyr 13 - The Devil You Know 14 - Cross Purposes 15 - Technical Ecstasy 16 - Never Say Die 17 - The Eternal Idol 18 - 13 19 - Seventh Star 20 - Forbidden

[@TheNoSuchThingPodcast]

Born again is way underrated

[@tunnelbohrer3282]

I really think, that NEVER SAY DIE is a little bit underrated, because it is so experimental. Tracks like HARD ROAD, JUNIOR EYES & AIR DANCE are different, but great. In my opinion BORN AGAIN is the baddest BS-Album, because Gillan and Sabbath didn`t fit together and the Sound is very bad. My Faves of the Ozzy-Era: Paranoid, Master of Reality, Bloody Sabbath & Sabotage. My Faves of the Non-Ozzy-Era: Mob rules, Heaven and Hell, Headless Cross & Tyr.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah, it's almost like a rock album. weird one. :) Cheers!

[@user-ns7tv2li1u]

At least in Never Say Die Ozzy's voice is far better than the " Technical Tragedy " by far the worst Black Sabbath album...

[@ronaldclayton8347]

Master of reality will always be my favorite,ever song is perfection.Even the bands old set lists consisted of songs mainly from this album.

[@rgellona]

Great Ranking I love Black Sabbath and like your Ranking….I’ve always put in my top Mob Rules and Heaven and Hell and I think TYR is one of the most underrated records of Black Sabbath

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

thanks, I agree. ;)

[@foxedrey622]

Ruthless, I just picked up "Mob Rules" to go with "Heaven and Hell". Hands down, R.J. Dio was the "metal" voice for Black Sabbath. That wave was coming, and they needed to fit in with the crowd of metal bands. Great ranking you provided!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Thank you Sir. Awesome. :)

[@zevongrie1402]

Man what a tough list to make! Sabotage is my number one but otherwise hard to place about the next 9 because I love them all. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Mob Rules, Heaven and Hell, 13, Master of Reality, Volume 4, Paranoid, Black Sabbath, and Born Again. Any of those could be my number 2. And totally with you on Born Again. Such killer songs and such awful production. If ever an album needed to be remastered and cleaned up that is it. Great list as always, sir! Cheers!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah, it's hard to rank all of these. I might change my mind tomorrow. hehe cheers!

[@doncarlossr.]

Awesome as always my man.! 🤘🏼🔥. I will like to see your ranks for Sepultura and Death Angel one day. 🤘🏼

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

maybe some day. a lot of people have requested me to do those two bands but I'm not that big of a fan of most of their catalogues. :)

[@doncarlossr.]

@@RuthlessMetalYT ahh…! Ok. Understood.

[@realenglishman580]

I must say this is a very good ranking. I am glad that you ranked some of the Tony Martin albums very close to the top. I like the Tony Martin era the most especially Headless Cross and Tyr. They are fantastic albums. It's cool that on your ranking you appreciate albums from all the eras. Most people usually just put their 70's albums at the top and they don't care for the rest. When are you going to the ranking of the Iron Maiden albums? They are my favorite band of all time. And I absolutely love the new albums just as much as their 80's albums and even more than some of them.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

🤘 Yeah I agree, heavily underrated the Tony Martin era of the band. I'll probably try to rank Iron Maiden when their new album drops. 🤘

[@steverogers6340]

I love the Dio era as it reminds me of hanging around with my mates back in the early 80's playing D&D, we always had Heaven & Hell or Mob Rules on in the background (also Rush or Led Zep), not sure if I would put them as first but they are definitely top tier albums. I would put Vol 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath with Mob Rules and H&H as my top 4.

[@masbucket3083]

So basically all sabbath albums have something of offer, like never say die is a window into what ozzy did after sabbath

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

I agree, even those towards the bottom is worth listening to. but I wouldnt recommend anyone to start with Forbidden or Never Say Die. :) 👍

[@masbucket3083]

@@RuthlessMetalYT yeah those two are probably the worst to recommend to a new fan

[@shidiwen9329]

I wouldn’t have changed anything other than moving Born Again into the top 5. Ian Gillan famously hated the album and tossed his copy out his car window. But as much as I love Ian, I can’t help but love the oddness of the album. The weird production makes it a one of a kind album. Speaking of Deep Purple. I’m a huge fan and I would love to see a DP Rank Em All, but is it all but a forgone conclusion that the Mach 2 lineup albums would populate the top 5 and then who cares about the other 16 albums?

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

awesome. :) Cheers!

[@mrdethbuzzard4885]

I agree with every single thing you said!

[@bonescheffel7795]

@@RuthlessMetalYT The story I remember hearing about "Born Again" was that the master tapes (or maybe the mixdown tapes) were left in the back window of a car and baked by the sun, affecting the audio quality. It was too late to do anything about it and they just released what they had.

[@andresgottardi]

@@bonescheffel7795 In a recent interview Toni Iommi said that the master tapes were found and they will remix it.

[@mikekeeler6362]

Good album but not too 10

[@krishnansutewari470]

Absolutely love your ranking of Sabbath and your commentary on the songs. Nearly every ranking I've seen puts the Ozzy albums first and I just don't agree. My own ranking is very close to your own. I also believe Tony Iommi also considers H&H and MR the best Sabbath albums but he will never say so publicly. Have a look: 1. Heaven & Hell 2. Mob Rules 3. Headless Cross 4. Tyr 5. Born Again 6. Seventh Star 7. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 8. Black Sabbath 9. Sabotage 10. Eternal Idol 11. Dehumanizer 12. Volume 4 13. Paranoid 14. Master of Reality 15. The Devil You Know 16. Cross Purposes 17. Technical Ecstacy 18. Thirteen 19. Never Say Die 20. Forbidden

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes, I think a lot of those ranks are kinda superficial. If you really listen to the Tony Martin era you cant say that its anything but great. Cheers!

[@KittchenSink]

Ok time to be completely honest here For the last 46 years I have and always will be a complete AC/DC nut . To me Whole Lotta Rosie live is the best song in the world. Nothing will ever come remotely close to it, not ever. However, the best line I have ever heard written and sung... ever, is this "They say that life's a carousel Spinning fast you better ride it well The world is full of kings and queens Who'll blind your eyes then steal your dreams It's heaven and hell... oh yeah!" Words fail me to publicly express how utterly brilliant lyrically that is, especially when listened to. And Dio was just the guy to deliver it.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Excellent lyrics

[@ok-bb7xu]

I'm a 50 year old metal head from way back. Spot on. Love this channel.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Thank you

[@fettz5426]

1) Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 2) Vol 4 3) Technical Ecstasy 4) Sabotage 5) Master Of Reality 6) Paranoid 7) Heaven and Hell 8) Mob Rules 9) Headless Cross 10) Black Sabbath 11) Dehumanizer 12) Never Say Die 13) Cross Purposes 14) TYR 15) 13 16) The Devil You Know 17) Seventh Star 18) Eternal Idol 19) Born Again 20) Forbidden

[@lukemcaree5770]

Wait, technical ecstasy? Idk about that one

[@williamfernetducharme]

Technical Ecstasy is criminally underrated. Happy to see someone else who enjoys this album as much as I do. Truly a great album.

[@thefourthhorsemen0729]

It's great to see you put Tyr really high on the list, it's personally my favorite Black Sabbath as crazy as it sounds, Tyr is probably one of the most if not the most underrated album in metal imo.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes, Tyr is amazing.

[@SirJaguar]

Paranoid it's my favourite album of all time. It introduced me to the heavy metal genre, but I can not ignore the other phases of the band, that were also great.

[@JackEGee-il9mz]

Really liked your list as always! My ranking would be: 19. Forbidden 18. Never Say Die! 17. Born Again 16. Technical Ecstasy 15. Cross Purposes 14. Seventh Star 13. Mob Rules 12. The Eternal Idol 11. Dehumanizer 10. Vol. 4 9. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 8. Headless Cross 7. 13 6. Master of Reality 5. Sabotage 4. Tyr 3. Heaven and Hell 2. Black Sabbath 1. Paranoid

[@derrickkowalewski9239]

In a lot of ways Ozzy getting booted from Sabbath was best for both parties. The last couple albums with Ozzy sucked and when Dio joined it reenergized the band. The same could be said with Ozzy and his solo albums with Randy Rhodes and Jake E Lee were also fantastic heavy metal records

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah I think it was the best thing that could have happened, the last 2 sabbath albums with ozzy wasn't as good as those early records + we got dio with sabbath, which is the best thing that ever happened. Ozzy solo ain't that bad either. :)

[@derrickkowalewski9239]

@@RuthlessMetalYT It definitely worked out best for both parties. If Black Sabbath continued with Ozzy, I think the band would have completely self destructed. Plus if Ozzy never met Sharon, he would not have the confidence or motivation to have a solo career.

[@wallofrock6725]

Sometimes in a band situation, change is the best thing that can happen even if it is initially painful.

[@danielsan3681]

Yes! I'm excited about this!! I've been a huge BS fan since the mid 70's! Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is probably my favorite. I'm watching now. 😃

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

:) great, cheers!

[@danielsan3681]

@@RuthlessMetalYT I'm glad you picked Heaven and Hell as your number 1. It happens to be my number 2. You have a exellent list my friend. Later Gator! 🙂

[@niklaseriksson7569]

Great ranking! I love the Tony Martin albums (except Forbidden). Headless cross and Tyr are masterpieces, and I think they are right behind the first two Dio albums. I saw them in Umeå back in -95, and they were great! 🤘

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Nice, I wonder what the heck I was doing in 95 since I was 14 years old and I wasn't there. :S

[@ricobonifacio1095]

I like how you give love to the albums lesser known like headless cross. Those albums are great and need to be heard.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes, some people have completely missed out on them. Cheers!

[@ronaldblair477]

My favorite Black Sabbath album will always be Dehumanizer. I still like most of their albums though. I would love to see one of these on ICED EARTH.

[@wallofrock6725]

I’m with you on Dehumanizer. The album is so heavy and just crushes.

[@Downhuman74]

Putting Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules at the top of the list? Bold move! And you're not alone in the assessment, BTW. Although, I'm more partial to Mob Rules myself as I think it improves on its predecessor very slightly. But both of those albums are masterpieces.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

They might not be the 2 most important albums in their disco, but they are the two best. :) Cheers!

[@Ulgarth]

This has to be the most honest ranking of Black Sabbath. That's what happens when you don't have to lick Sharon's boot heel. Only thing I would change is drop 13 to the bottom and Born Again down two notches. I love that you have Tyr in third place. The rest of the listing would be picking flyshit out of pepper to rearrange. Thank you for this ranking.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Ah, cool that you liked it, I've recieved some snarky comments from the Ozzy fanboys already. haha

[@jensnilsson1507]

I agree. I have my personal favorites and would switch a few, but it's in the margins. Always been amazed that so many rank 'Tyr' so low. Great to see you guys appreciate it as much as I do. Fantastic album!

[@Ulgarth]

That's nice.

[@joshuabennett3059]

Love your series. Black Sabbath is the only heavy metal band there ever was. 1 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 2 Black Sabbath 3 Sabotage 4 Born Again 5 Mob Rules 6 Heaven and Hell 7 Mater of Reality 8 Headless Cross 9 Paranoid 10 Vol. 4 11 Tyr 12 Dehumanizer 13 The Eternal Idol 14 13 15 Cross Purposes 16 Seventh Star 17 Never Say Die 18 Technical Ecstasy 19 Forbidden I would like to see Motorhead. Sabbath has been my favorite band since 1988 , though I have been listening to them since 1979.

[@morganfarlie]

As soon as I saw this I said two things, OOOhh! and oh shit, this is going to be interesting. I've only listened to the Ozzy and Dio era material so cannot make a proper listing, but the top of your list is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT correct. Well done sir! Another great list and I very much appreciate you for doing it. Have a great day and see you on the next one! :D

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Check out Tyr and Headless Cross, two amazing records!

[@morganfarlie]

@@RuthlessMetalYT With your recommendation, I'll get on it right now :D Thanks!

[@steemonkey2000]

I honestly have never seen anyone rank the Sabbath albums in anything approaching this order mate, so props for that.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yeah, most just put the Ozzy albums on top but I think they ditched some of the blues in the 80s and beyond and Tony Martin and Dio are better singers in my opinion. But Headless Cross is of course not as an important album as Paranoid, but I think it's better. :)

[@davidgoss2707]

I kind of liked never say die, I personally would put it a little higher

[@sidthejovian5105]

Well, I gotta say, I'm guilty for not listening to them because I don't know where to start so this video helps me find out what to start off with.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Start with Dio. ;)

[@mightykelu]

Very interresting ranking! It's a nice change from the usual predictable ones where the top 3 are Paranoid, self titled and Master of Reality. My ranking would actually be very similar to yours, but I would rank 13 much lower, The Devil You know much higher and Headless Cross would make the top 5.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

:) Cheers!

[@JCStorm76]

13 is so boring and phoned in. I’d actually rank it last. Either that or Cross Purposes. Having TYR at 3 is bizarre to me

[@mightykelu]

@@JCStorm76 you summed up 13 really well, it's a boring. A typical modern Rick Rubin album, trying to "recapture the golden era" but sounding totally fake. That is also why IMHO Death Magnetic is Metallicas worst album by far.

[@JCStorm76]

@@mightykelu I actually really like Death Magnetic. St Anger is Metallica’s worst album

[@mightykelu]

@@JCStorm76 most people would agree with you on that 😅. StAnger is a difficult album to listen to, but it was Metallica trying to push the boundaries as they have been famous for in the past, so I give them a pass. DM as I said before is not " a step in the right direction".They tried to follow the template of their 80s albums but it sounds forced IMHO and I won't even get into the clipping 😉

[@eddhunter8585]

Cheers from México! My rank: 1) paranoid 2) heaven and hell 3) Black Sabbath

[@selfdiscardedkingofruin7291]

Loving these Rank 'em All videos! 🤘🍷

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

hehe, cheers!

[@ViniciusSGodoy]

Man, I really love Tyr too!! And I agree completely about the first place... Heaven and Hell shaked my brain since the first time I heard it!

[@TheTenCentStory]

I ordered Mob Rules as a kid and was devastated. Putting the CD into my radio was the moment I found out that Black Sabbath had other singers besides Ozzy because all I knew at the time was Paranoid.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

poor kid.;)

[@dimifisher7942]

Dio is the best though

[@kenbadman4603]

Well done as always RM. Volume 4 is my top spot because of Under the Sun. To me that is the perfect Sabbath song with its crushingly brutal opening riff all the way through to the best outtro in metal. Still waiting on the Venom rank em all, but Motorhead will do nicely as well. May we thrash till a ripe old age!!!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Cheers!

[@avelinosilvadias]

Part of "under the sun" is a rip off of "flight of the rat" deep purple 😎

[@peachmelba1000]

I always put either MOR or SBS at the top of the Ozzy era. The top pick on your list, H&H, is in truth the best of the Dio era, and by a hair, the best overall. Really glad you placed Born Again in a respectable position. It's a dramatic, scary album in its own right.

[@louiezioulas791]

Great job on a pretty-well impossible task of ranking all Black Sabbath albums. Most people are pretty closed-minded (which is OK) and would favour only one singer over the others. Your ranking is fair to all eras of the band. This balanced approach is the strength of your list. It's funny how the Ozzy albums and the Dio albums ended up in almost exact chronological order when isolated by singer.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yeah, I dig all three eras for different reasons. ah I didnt think of that but you're right. hehe Cheers!

[@Morbidous]

Master of Reality and Vol.4 are the ones I love the most, the holy grail of stoner-doom.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

🤘🤘

[@LairoftheAlchemist]

Nice to see you rank the Martin era albums so high, I think they are criminally overlooked. I prefer "TYR" over "Headless Cross". I would have ranked TE and NSD higher but I think that has to do with my age as the Ozzy ear was what I heard first. A hard list to make as Sabbath has sooo many good albums.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

I fully agree. It's hard to rank their discography with so many different eras and singers. I think that has to do with whatever age you are. Most people hear Ozzy first, even I who was born in 81. I didn't even like Dio at first. I thought he was a try-hard and that fantasy inspired stuff I didn't like at first. But I was wrong. :) One of the best discographies in metal that's for sure. Cheers!

[@andrehb]

Nice to see those Dio albums on top -- let's have a shout-out to Martin Birch (RIP) on the boards

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes, Martin Birch is such a a legend! RIP

[@neugey]

my top 3 for today - Vol 4, Eternal Idol, Mob Rules

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

🤘😈🤘

[@esehn6972]

I'm with you, Dio is the man. Ozzy is great and so distinct, but Dio was the "whole package " ....."Look out!"🤘😈🤘

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Look out! 🤘😈🤘

[@axemanguitarcovers]

Greatl list. Love your channel.. My top 5 Sabbath albums.. 1) Born Again 2)The Eternal Idol 3)Paranoid 4)The Mob Rules 5)Volume 4

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

thanks boss! Cheers!

[@WholeLottaCarti17]

My fave album is Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. 2nd M.O.R and 3rd Mob Rules

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

👍

[@XsomeoneXelseX]

Nice ranking. I've always had a lot of love for Cross Purposes because it was the first Black Sabbath album I listened to when I was like 10 years old. I specifically discovered "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" through an anime music video I downloaded from some sketchy fansite like we did back in the 00's. I've been aware for a long time that it's nowhere near their best album (in fact, I had no idea it was even a Black Sabbath album until like 10 years later) and I adore their better albums too, but there's something about Cross Purposes that just perfectly matches the preteen/teen angst and edginess I was going thru back then, so I can't stop loving it. Wish it were on Spotify...

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Cheers!

[@UncleRJ]

I'm a little saddened that "The Devil You Know" is placed so low. I think it's a killer album. Follow The Tears is probably the heaviest Dio era song ever, and Fear is such an amazing song too. Bible Black is definitely the best song of the album and one I think is placed very closely with the song Heaven and Hell. It's the most underrated Dio era album, really. I barely hear anyone talk about it but I love it to bits. Dio era Black Sabbath is also my favorite era as well.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

It's cool, but Black Sabbath had so many great albums. 🤘

[@UncleRJ]

@@RuthlessMetalYT you right.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

@@UncleRJ 🤘🤘

[@matthewrobinson8214]

The Devil You Know is horrendous. Uninspired somgwriting and every song has that same plodding pace. The songs are so similar it's hard to tell them apart. I'd say Bible Black is the only winner. Compared to their previous 3 with Dio, it's sad that they ended on such a low, uninspired, and boring note. And that's coming from a fan (me) who ranks Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer in the top 10 metal albums ever recorded.

[@UncleRJ]

@@matthewrobinson8214 I love the album anyway.

[@Oneshotgear]

Where would we be without early Black Sabbath

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

no idea. :)

[@thedanielstraight]

Great list... awesome seeing Tyr so high. I always felt like Lawmaker was Tony Martin's answer to Rainbow/Dio's Man on the Silver Mountain. I would've place Dehumanizer much higher... but still, great list!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah excellent stuff!

[@dilloncrowe1018]

Any person that puts "Headless Cross" in or near their Top 5, is someone I can respect! Mine are... - 1. Headless Cross 2. Mob Rules 3. Master Of Reality 4. TYR 5. Heaven And Hell + 6. Seventh Star

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Nice yeah Headless Cross is a masterpiece. Cheers

[@hanserikask]

I agree most of your list, but for me, both Eternal Idol and Headless Cross deserves a place among the top 5, and my favorite album with Ozzy is Master of Reality. Otherwise cudos for sticking to your guns and put the magnificent TYR album on 3rd place! \m/ Cheers

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

good stuff!

[@jeffreywebb7932]

I own all their albums.This had to be one of your most difficult list to compile.Gun to my head---Id probably say Heaven&Hell.Its a perfect album.Also,Headless Cross is an underrated classic.Doomy and heavy as shit.Really enjoying your channel and content👍🤘

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

thank you. :) yeah it wasn't easy to do this and people disagree in all kinds of ways, I guess that proves that Black Sabbath has a strong discography when more or less all of their albums are ranked as their number one in this comment section. :)

[@jeffreywebb7932]

@@RuthlessMetalYT Keep doing what you do.🤘

[@miti314]

It would be interesting to rank Venom albums. 🤘🏻

[@kenniojebrant6490]

I'm amazed you choose the same top 3 albums as I do, no one ever agreed with me on that somewhat controversial opinion. Most Sabbath-fans i've discussed it with weren't even aware that Tyr existed, a real shame. Love your ranking videos, i'd love to hear your opinion on Bathorys discography! Cheers!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes, lots of Sabbath fans have only heard the Ozzy albums and I don't really count them as real Black Sabbath fans. :)

[@Anderson_Araujo666]

1 - Mob Rules 2 - Heaven and Hell 3 - Vol. 4 4 - Master of Reality 5 - Paranoid 6 - Sabotage 7 - Black Sabbath 8 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 9 - Born Again 10 - Seventh Star

[@essedragonzote]

1- Paranoid 2- black sabbath 3- master of reallity 4- vol 4 5- sabbath blody sabbath 6- heaven and hell 7- mob rules 8- headless cross 9- tyr 10- dehumanizer 11- savotage 12- technical ectasy 13- never say die 14- born again 15- the eternal idol 16- cross purposes This is my ranking, great video. Thanx and greetings from Chili 🇨🇱

[@jeffreyjeffrey1935]

Very great upload Timing!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

of course. ;)

[@robertraymond6643]

Excellent rankings! Refreshing to see someone who is not afraid to move off the first 6 albums from the top of the list. For my top 10, I'd go 1. Heaven and Hell 2. Mob Rules 3. Headless Cross 4. Tyr 5. Dehumanizer 6. Vol. IV 7. Master of Reality 8. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 9. Paranoid 10. 13

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah, i should probably have moved a few of the early ones down a bit if I did the rank today. I just love the dio and tony martin eras so much.

[@riccardotalassi1625]

@Ruthless Metal I must say the list was quite surprising... Even tho at the end of the day Tony carries the name Black Sabbath, you can't deny the musicianship of the first formation. Geezer , Bill and Tony achieved together a result way bigger than the sum of eachothers parts. After the Ozzy era I failed to listen to a drummer that amused me as much as Ward ( in haven and hell his playing wasn't quite special as before). His style of playing was less mechanic and would highlight the jazzy side of Iommi, all of that without losing heaviness. I can understand people that like apice drumming ( even tho he lacks the swing of bill), but at the end of the day it was bill who gave us : war pigs , snowbling , fearies ware boots and symptom of the universe drum lines (and more of course). Cheers to him. If Bill had competition, in the case of Geezer, he was way above any other. I consider him one of the greatest bass players in rock and metal history and I fail to remember someone talking about how remarking were the bass lines in any other Sabbath formation without him, and there is a reason for it. His style of playing fitted very well the riff based sound of iommi and sometimes his line would be the highlight of certain parts. He always knows when to step back for the purpose of serving the song and when to give all his got and killing it!!! His contribution to the lyrics cannot be forgotten also, they shaped the character of Sabbath at the end of the day. So, as a unity Sabbath was in an outstanding balance and harmony with Bill, Geezer and Tony at the Ozzy era. Each of them had a characteristic sound and their highlights during the songs, something that started fade a way in heaven and hell and was well established in the later formations ( maybe besides born again). Those line ups they felt more like a solo album than a band. The instruments where there to support Tony riffs and that's all. So if you want to listen to some heavy riffs, Sabbath goes beyond the Ozzy era. But if you want to listen to a creative and Interlinked band Ozzy era is where to look for. The rapport they established during that period was the uniqueness of the band. I understand people that don't hold Osbourne as high as some others Ozzy era fanatics, even tho he being my favourite singer of Sabbath. If you consider singing technique only, Ozzy is for sure the last in the Sabbath vocalist rankings ( or maybe bill ward😉). His singing performance live is a step way down from what you hear in the records, something that with the more "professional singers" like Dio and Tony Martin wouldn't happen. But what he lacks in technique (here comes my "Ozzy fanatic" side, we will struggle through it together) he compensates with unique melodies, creativity, character and was the best one to deliver Geezer's lyrics to the audience. At the end of the day I'm happy to debate Sabbath, and different opinions are a must for an instresting one. Sabbath for sure left their footprint in music history, what a band!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

remarkable band with so many great eras. Cheers!

[@riccardotalassi1625]

@@RuthlessMetalYT are you excited with the possible remastering of the born again record ? Its an album that I like a lot but the sound quality may cause health issues. And one more thing, in a brazilian KZbin chanel Glenn Hughes stated during an interview that he and Tony have been talking to do something together ... Maybe a project might come out of it Here is that section of the interview kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpuYhp2EZbCbfM0

[@jlvazquezvides]

I salute you for putting TYR where nobody dared before🤘🏼

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yeah, I almost put it low. Tyr and Headless Cross are just remarkable albums. :) 🤘🏼

[@32slugger32]

I definitely agree with the top two. Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules are the best!

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Yes!

[@giovanitejeira2308]

Black Sabbath is my favorite band . What they did was pioneering and amazing, i'm so glad you like it too.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Cheers!

[@DarkVegetaman]

Eternal Idol has really grown on me over the years but very solid list. Seventh Star is okay but the two other iommi solo albums with hughes just absolutely crush.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

🤘

[@user-ns7tv2li1u]

The other Iommi / Hughes albums are the remains of the Seventh Star sessions.... The first one according to Glenn and the second is the next album who they never had achieved to do...

[@williamwalker146]

Interestingly, your rankings are all over the place (highly commendable IMO). A lot of people would block rank these from best to worst: Ozzy albums, Dio albums, Born Again, etc. (approximately). It's cool that you dig a big from all the eras.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

yeah. I ranked 'em a bit on when they came out too, I mean had Paranoid been released a decade later people would have found it quite basic. Tyr, Headless Cross, Mob Rules and Heaven and hell are the ones I really go back to the most.

[@mikaeljohansson5981]

Oh my. What van be morse difficult? But still, some albums are played a couple of times too many.Dio and Tony M är the ones I listen to these days. Headless Cross is a juggernaut of an album, but nothing beats Heaven & Hell, so kudos to you!,

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Cheers

[@andywhittaker8229]

Another great ranking you shared. Master of Reality would be in my top 3. Difficult to rank as they've had some terrific vocalists over their amazing career.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

Cheers! 🤘