With five decades of existence, Black Sabbath can be fearlessly named the most influential heavy metal band. Since their debut album , when they terrified the world with dark narratives, the British band dictated the course of a new musical genre and opened portals for the arrival of many others in heavy music.
In 50 years, the band formed by Tony Iommi , Ozzy Osbourne , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward released 19 studio albums. The classic lineup has not remained intact throughout this journey, with different eras of vocalists and in all positions, with Iommi being the only founding member present in all Sabbath formations .
Wikimetal editorial, project, and design team evaluated the artwork of each album, using criteria exclusively based on the visual aspect of each album, without judging the sonic content of the records.
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Interestingly, the cover of the album Sabotage (1975), one of the most criticized covers by Tony Iommi – who considers it simply "abominable" – missed the Top 10 by only one position, being considered better than Born Again (1983) and Technical Ecstasy (1976) in the final vote. In the first two positions, there was a balance between the legacy of Ozzy and Ronnie James Dio in the band, memorable periods also for their aesthetics.
Other metal giants also had their album covers analyzed; see the rankings for Iron Maiden , Metallica , Helloween , Judas Priest , and Megadeth .
See all the Black Sabbath album covers, from worst to best, below.
19. Tyr (1990)
18. Seventh Star (1986)
17. Forbidden (1995)
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16. The Eternal Idol (1987)
15. Never Say Die! (1978)
14. Technical Ecstasy (1976)
13. Born Again (1983)
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12. Headless Cross (1989)
11. Sabotage (1975)
10. Paranoid (1970)
9. Dehumanizer (1992)
8. Cross Purposes (1994)
7. Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 (1972)
6. Mob Rules (1981)
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5. Master of Reality (1971)
4. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
3. 13 (2013)
2. Heaven and Hell (1980)
1. Black Sabbath (1969)
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