[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxgtk_3qwXw[/youtube]

Metal Insider contributor Anthony Maisano is listening to a different metal album that was released on that day every day.

This is another legendary album. Again. What can I say about this one? After Sabbath came out with their revolutionary debut, they followed it with one of the most famous albums of all time. Period. “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” and “War Pigs” are three of the most famous tracks in music HISTORY. The later has one of the best solos in Sabbath history, too. This album, in general cemented Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler as some of the best of their respective instruments, and Ozzy as one of the most unique vocalists there is. For me, the most overlooked track on the entire album is “Electric Funeral.” I always felt like “Rat Salad” is the band’s answer to Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick,” too. Bill Ward has some excellent drum work on the track. There’s not much I can continue to say about this album that someone else hasn’t said already. It’s legendary for a reason.

Once again, I do have to say this is another album that I feel is heavily supported by the singles, and most well known tracks. I know that lots of Sabbath diehards love “Fairies Wear Boots,” but it’s a track that never stuck with me personally. At this point, I also feel “Planet Caravan” is a little dated with its ultra spacey atmosphere. After “War Pigs” and “Paranoid,” I feel like it only slows the album down.

Favorite Tracks: “War Pigs,” “Electric Funeral,” “Iron Man,” “Paranoid.”

Once again, what can I say about this album that hasn’t been said already? If you haven’t picked up this album and listened to it yet, I don’t know what you’ve been doing. The album did so much for both the history of metal, and the history of music in general. Pick this one up if you haven’t, and play some of your favorites tracks to celebrate the history behind it.