Black Sabbath - Vol.4

By the time Black Sabbath began work on what was to be their fourth album in '72, the conveniently titled 'Volume 4', they were very much in the ascendant. Their fan base was growing with each succeeding tour and album, and their style was firmly established. However, to the band members, the treadmill of the rock cycle - album / tour / album / tour in perpetuity - offered no challenge any more. they wanted to stretch themselves, to push the parameters of what they'd already created. So, for the new album, the band took a leap of faith into the unknown. Musically, the band weren't prepared to superglue themselves back into a comfort zone and just do what was expected of them. They wanted to go beyond the darkness and gloom which seemed to surround so much of their music until that point. Here was an opportunity to open Sabbath out to unexplored worlds, to be the band who led, rather than one of the many who merely followed. and they succeeded, as there's an elegance about 'Volume 4' which underscores the way in which the band had matured and developed, both as songwriters and musicians. Released in September '72, this was a three dimensional album, as if Sabbath were now determined to use the control they'd gained over its recording and to prove what was now possible.