Self-styled harbingers of demonic hard rock, Black Sabbath originated from the
amalgamation of two Birmingham bands, Rare Breed (featuring Ozzy Osbourne and
Geezer Butler) and Mythology (Bill Ward and Tony Iommi). Dabbling with occult
references, they caught the heavy metal wave through the 1970s and, driven by
frontman Osbourne's "prince of darkness" persona, they epitomised rock'n'roll
excess. The albums Paranoid (1970) and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) came to be
regarded as classics of the genre, inspiring an ardent fan base with a template
copied by many heavy metal bands. T...