Geezer Butler’s Lyrics: The Human Fear Behind Black Sabbath’s Darkness

Read the lyrics of early Black Sabbath apart from the album covers, the crosses, and the old rumors around the band, and something becomes clear quickly: the darkness is rarely empty. Geezer Butler was not only giving Black Sabbath frightening words to match Tony Iommi’s riffs. He was giving [...]

How Tony Iommi’s Guitar Riffs Changed the Language of Rock

Put aside the idea of guitar greatness as speed for a moment. Tony Iommi’s importance does not come from playing the most notes, building the flashiest solos, or turning every song into a display of technique. His influence comes from something more structural: he changed what the guitar riff [...]