No. 1: Black Sabbath, ‘Black Sabbath’ – Best Debut Metal Albums

…And metal was born. Black Sabbath's self-titled debut harnessed the heavy undertones of acts such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Blue Cheer and brought it to the forefront to create metal's most important debut of all-time.

Along with the immortal hits 'N.I.B.,' 'Evil Woman' and 'The Wizard,' Sabbath's debut contains the eponymous masterpiece, 'Black Sabbath.' No music since the classical and romantic eras had been able to capture the essence of pure evil like 'Black Sabbath,' led by guitarist Tony Iommi and his use of the demonic diminished fifth chord. Ozzy Osbourne's haunting vocals radiate the feeling of panic and terror throughout the title track, setting the benchmark for all heavy music since.

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