Black Sabbath is on the Mount Olympus rock bands along with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who and the Rolling Stones. Bringing the Birmingham band's original line-up, which consists of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, into a new era of recorded music, Sabbath is releasing a limited edition box set called “The Ten Year War.”
Influencing countless bands, including Metallica, Van Halen and Black Label Society, Black Sabbath released its debut album “Black Sabbath” back in 1970. This album includes songs like “The Wizard” and N.I.B,” and the title track “Black Sabbath.”
“Black Sabbath; they invented heavy metal,” says Sir Christopher Lee, the famous British actor. “And we should all thank them for doing it. In metal, it all began with them, and no-one has ever done it better.”
Henry Rollins, the former Black Flag vocalist and current actor and poet, adds that Black Sabbath provided a voice for his angst as a youth.
“I was a very alienated young person, and when I heard Black Sabbath I realized my life had a soundtrack. On all levels, they are unique and visionary,” notes Rollins.
The band would go on to record a string a great rock albums that were highlighted by its second release “Paranoid,” which contains “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “Hand of Doom” and “Fairies Wear Boots.”
Subsequent releases such as “Masters of Reality” “Vol. 4” and “Sabotage” would feature classic songs such as “Sweet Leaf,” “Children of the Grave,” “Snowblind,” “Hole in the Sky” and “Symptom of the Universe.”
The “Ten Year War” box set includes 180-gram versions of the band's most popular records, as well as a crucifix USB stick that includes the same recordings in the high-resolution MQA audio format.
Other components of the box set include two rare 7-inch singles in their original sleeves, the Japanese version of “Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)/Black Sabbath,” a Chilean version of “Paranoid/”The Wizard,” a “Ten Year War” brochure, a hard cover book, a 10th-anniversary tour program from Sabbath's 1978 tour and a reprinted poster from the group's 1972 tour.
Each box set is individually numbered, and the box sets can be preordered from the “Ten Year War” website and here.
The newly announced eight record box set includes classic LPs:
- “Black Sabbath”
- “Paranoid”
- “Masters of Reality”
- “Vol. 4”
- “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”
- “Sabotage”
- “Technical Ecstasy”
- “Never Say Die”
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