How to Write a Song like Black Sabbath

If you have any interest in the metal genre, then you’ve probably heard the name Black Sabbath before. Selling over 70 million records to date, they’re among the most successful metal bands to walk the earth. But more importantly, they’re practically the progenitors of heavy metal itself. 

Back in the ’70s, Sabbath was able to engineer a sound that would inspire the likes of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Korn, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Megadeth, Opeth…the list goes on. Their sonic exploration of blending blues-rock with aggressive styles is what allowed them to usher in an era of music.

A lot of this lends itself to how Black Sabbath approached their songwriting and playing. Listen to any metal song today, and you’re bound to find at least some Sabbath DNA embedded in it. It was more than just a stylistic change; it was the entire conceptualization of a song. 

It’s one thing to be inspired by that formula, but what if you wanted to recreate it from scratch? Well, you’ll need to deck your spice rack with some Sabbath flavored condiments. Luckily, it’s not a tall order once you figure what the contributing elements are.

How a Black Sabbath Song Gets Packaged

One of the most significant factors to Black Sabbath’s sound is how each member contributes to the soundscape. By subtracting even a single element from the mix, you lose a bit of that Black Sabbath meatiness. It’s essential to understand what kind of buildup each instrument adds to the band’s sound. 

Tony Iommi is one of the biggest innovators for the band. He’s at the forefront of the sound, and his guitar playing has influenced the way metal guitarists have played. 

Rhythm/Lead Guitar (Tony Iommi):

Owing to the accidental loss of his fingertips, Iommi developed a particular style of playing. For one, his experimentation into finding a comfortable tension for his guitar strings led him to pioneer drop tunings. It’s something that influenced his style by opening his tastes to heavier sounds.

In Sabbath, he uses these tendencies to play power chords with plenty of low-end frequencies and rich harmonic mixes. For lead sections, he usually doubles the vocal melody with a high gain sound. 

Bass Guitar (Geezer Butler): 

If Tony Iommi is the godfather of metal guitar, then Geezer Butler isn’t too far behind as the godfather of metal bass. He has equally led to inspiring bassists in bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica, among others.

Geezer has been known to play a very melodic style of bass playing. A classic Butler technique is using a wah pedal to down tune his bass to match Iommi’s tunings. It makes his bass sound stand out while still being tamed and full-bodied.

Drums (Brad Wilk/Tommy Clufetos):

After Bill Ward’s departure from Black Sabbath. The drumming duties for the band were handed off to Brad Wilk for in-studio recordings and Tommy Clufetos for live performances. 

Both of these players seek to emulate Ward’s dark tempo drum style. Musically, this means playing Jazz inspired comps and cymbal laden solos. 

Vocals (Ozzy Osbourne):

Like every other member of the band, Ozzy Osbourne is known for inspiring his own little pocket of singers. His excellent vocal coordination and impeccable singing range have added breath into Sabbath’s sound.

Ozzy is usually the forefront of a Black Sabbath track. He dominates the sound stage with his screeching wails, vocal trills, and rounded upward glissandos. It’s a characteristic sound that fits nicely on top of the heavy mix from the instruments. 

Writing a Black Sabbath Song

It’s no surprise that Black Sabbath broke the mold of what it meant to be a band in the ’70s. But it’s so easy to dissolve the pioneering characteristics of yesterday with the conventions of today. That’s why it helps to look at some of what Black Sabbath was doing in the context of its time. Not only will it help you understand the band’s success, but it will also provide clues into the writing process.

Live and Breathe in Tritones

When Black Sabbath showcased their eponymic song called Black Sabbath, it fundamentally changed the music scene. And a lot of that is owed to the demonic interval itself, the sinister tritone.

Black Sabbath’s inspiration for using the tritone came from the 1914 classical suite The Planets. Although they weren’t versed in music theory, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler instantly grew to like the sound of the tritone from the suite.

For an interval nicknamed the Devil’s Third, it was the perfect fit for Sabbath’s mystic themes. Iommi’s guitar playing embodies this b5 interval by using it jarring way to draw attention.

You can see the tritone in action in songs like Symptom of The Universe. The song’s intro continuously cycles between two palm-muted power chords: G5 and C#5. Both chords are spaced a tritone apart, which helps add a sinister tinge on top of the guitar’s heavy overdriven sound.

It’s not uncommon to find the tritone being used as a passing note in a blues lick, but it’s the approach that’s different here. The trick to using the tritone for a Sabbath inspired track is to let it ring at the end of a phrase or as an accenting point in a riff. 

Use Jazz Inspired Riffage

Amidst its tendency to sound big and heavy, Sabbath isn’t a stranger to its melodic roots. Every couple of songs, you can find their Jazz infused influences come through their music. 

In songs like Eastside, War Pigs, and Fairies Wear Boots; it’s conceptualized in the form of extended chords. For these songs, Tony Iommi subs out pure power chords in favor of a more melancholic sound from minor 7 chords. 

But instead of just playing them wholesale, there’s a more dynamic approach to it. The chords are palm-muted and played in arpeggios to outline the chords. This has the added effect of creating linear riffs that sound pleasant to the ear.

You can play with these ideas by cutting down chords into note clusters. Experiment with the order of notes until you’re happy with the tonality. You can then use it as a skeleton to incorporate other notes on top. It’s a useful trick to bridge together heavier passages or as song openers. 

Embellish the Pentatonic Scale for Groove

Groove is an integral part of how Black Sabbath carries its songs. Packaged with the raw energy of the band’s sound is a moving bass line or swing feel drum line to keep things interesting. But the bread and butter for this groove come from none other than the humble pentatonic scale. 

You don’t have to go any further than tracks like Paranoid to see it happen. It starts out with a chunky guitar chord overlaid with a high gain lead guitar playing the minor pentatonic. The song’s four characteristic notes ascend the scale hitting the 4th, 5th, b7, and 8th. The hammer on embellishments further adds to the groove of the song. 

For a more whimsical approach, Into the Void features the same concept appended with some dissonant intervals descending down the scale. It makes for a unique groove that ends up sounding sinister, cartoonish, and laid back at the same time. 

If you can learn anything from these examples, it’s the importance of movement in a Black Sabbath song. You can experiment with the rhythm of your track too. But the real groove in a Sabbath song will almost always get its substance from the tonal side of things. 

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Base Your Lyrics in the Occult

It’s no big secret what kind of band Black Sabbath is. They’ve based a lot of their image on inspirations of satanic and occult themes. When this inspiration is not being used to power sinister guitar riffs, it comes out in their song lyrics. 

Geezer Butler served as the architect of these themes by writing the band’s lyrics. Inspired by concepts like world annihilation, fantasy, religion, sci-fi, and horror, he poured his dark musings into Black Sabbath’s melting pot. The result? A collection of dark and devilish utterances to flesh out the band’s theme. Here’s a classic example from N.I.B:

“Look Into My Eyes, You Will See Who I Am, My Name Is Lucifer, Please Take My Hand”

Interestingly, these lyrics can be interpreted in two ways. You could look at them as nothing more than a piece of satanic narrative or as a turn of phrase to symbolize human nature. Songs like Into the Void take this a step further:

“Leave the earth to Satan and his slaves, Leave them to their future in their grave, Make a home where love is there to stay, Peace and happiness in everyday.”

Here, the underlying message is about fighting against anilinism. But that doesn’t stop Geezer from using religious allegories to paint a picture. 

When in doubt, it’s always easy to make a song sound like Black Sabbath by throwing in some ominous lyrics in the mix. Early adventure books and sci-fi stories from the ’70s or ’80 serve as a useful primer if you want some inspiration for these types of lyrics. 

Balance Dark and Light Sounds

Although Black Sabbath carries a characteristic dark tonality, it doesn’t shy away from letting its lighter side take the mantle. When the amped-up electric guitars become too weary, the band switches to acoustics and 12-string guitars to let their musicality shine.

In Sleeping Village, this takes shape in an Em add 9 chord played in a spread voicing. Iommi picks this chord in a melodic pattern filling the air with mysterious and earthy tones. This side of Black Sabbath was just as instrumental to the influence of bands like Opeth.

Other examples like Laguna Sunrise, Orchid, or Fluff aim for a pleasant sound devoid of any death and despair. It’s a stark contrast, but it’s one that has helped the band ground itself with its sound. Even in songs that aren’t reminiscent of soft ballads, there isn’t any aversion to having a melodic intro or interlude. 

It helps to keep both sides in mind when approaching Sabbath inspired songwriting. For every heavy guitar section, have a melodic passage to keep things exciting and musical.

Restrict Yourself to Single Note Solos

Creative restrictions can sometimes produce some of the best musical results. Tony Iommi is well aware of this fact, having accidentally created a sub-genre from adapting his playing. But there’s one more area where it comes into play, his solos.

As a result of his injured fingers, Iommi had to make some changes to his playing style. One of the most notable was avoiding bends or playing too many notes because it was too painful.

Instead, Tony Iommi prefers to play to his strengths with his single-note solos. Sacrificing speed for tone and phrasing, he manages to craft banjo-like guitar solos that hit right at the ear.

To get in the habit of Iommi’s soloing approach, you’ll have to slow down your playing speed. Try to think about tying your licks in the progression by using embellishments and phrasing. Even something as simple as varying your pick attack or vibrato width can have a really desirable effect.

Create an Atmosphere with Sonic Themes

Aside from its lyrics and imagery, a major component of how Black Sabbath sets the stage is using sound as a canvassing element. It’s what has made a lot of their songs fun and memorable. 

Black Sabbath does this well in the song Iron Man to paint a picture of a metallic man turned monster. The intro starts with punchy kick drum hits that sound like large approaching footsteps. 

Soon after, Iommi’s guitar enters with high pitched wail to symbolize the Iron Man’s scream. And finally, Ozzy sings his vocals behind a fan to induce the metallic choppiness of a robotic voice. 

This theatrical approach helps nail down the narrative aspect of the song before it even hits the chorus. It makes for a novel songwriting approach that you can use for yourself. 

Final Thoughts

Blending innovation and influence is no walk in the park. But Black Sabbath managed to do it all the same. Although it might be past its prime today, it will always be synonymous with heavy metal. And while it can be baffling to think how they managed to do it, the tips above will help you get a step closer.