BLACK SABBATH, TECHNICAL ECSTASY
This is a no-brainer. The penultimate release by the original Sabs is also one of their most overlooked, but the whole album, from the slammin’ (to use a favorite phrase of Zakk Wylde) “Back Street Kids” all the way to the conclusion, “Dirty Women” (still a staple of the band’s reunion sets today, and one of my favorite Tony Iommi performances), is pretty kick-ass. The album also saw the band stretching out to taste new flavors: “It’s Alright,” the quiet, piano-driven ballad with vocals by drummer Bill Ward might the most surprising song in their entire ouevre- and one of the best. The Dio years were just around the corner, but in ’76, Ozzy and the pack still showed no signs of slowing down.

-AR

Buy Technical Ecstasy from MetalSucks.net