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The entertainment industry mourns the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, one of the key figures of heavy metal music. The lead singer of the acclaimed Black Sabbath group died on July 22, 2025, at 76.
The heavy metal boy group was formed in 1968 by four original members, including lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, and bassist Geezer Butler. The band has been regarded as one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands of all time. They have won two Grammy Awards and received one Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
While Osbourne was fired from the group due to his problems with drugs and alcohol, the Prince of Darkness collaborated with the band sporadically and joined in on the group’s farewell tour that concluded in Birmingham in 2017.
Ranked below from best to worst are Black Sabbath albums.
Disclaimer: This list was based on the writer’s opinion only.
Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality and other Black Sabbath albums ranked from best to worst
Black Sabbath has a total of nineteen studio albums.
1) Paranoid
Paranoid was released on 18 September 1970 and contained nine tracks, including two singles: Paranoid and Iron Man. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked it number one on its list of “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” The album is certified four times platinum by the RIAA and is widely regarded as Sabbath’s best musical project, ranking number one in most lists.
2) Black Sabbath
This was the group’s debut studio album. It was released on 13 February 1970 and contained seven tracks, including Black Sabbath, The Wizard, Behind the Wall of Sleep, and Sleeping Village. Black Sabbath peaked at number three, eight, and twenty-three on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart, UK Albums, and US Billboard 200, respectively. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA. The album not only spawned a significant new genre of metal, but it was also ranked highly by fans.
3) Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell was released on 18 April 1980. It was the ninth studio album of the heavy metal group and contained eight tracks, including Neon Knights, Children of the Sea, Lady Evil, and Heavy and Hell. It was the first album that didn't have Ozzy Osbourne as its lead vocalist. Heaven and Hell was also certified platinum by the RIAA. Heaven and Hell shocked listeners because so many people were not expecting it to be that great without Ozzy in it. It was filled with much cleaner and faster songs, something that showcased a new side of Sabbath.
4) Master of Reality
Master of Reality was released on 6 August 1971. It features eight tracks, including Sweet Leaf, After Forever, Embryo, and Children of the Grave. The album was the third studio album to be released by Black Sabbath. It peaked at number eight and five on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart, respectively. Master of Reality was certified two times platinum by the RIAA, making it one of the most commercially successful albums of Sabbath.
5) Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Also, one of their earliest albums, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, was the group’s fifth studio album and was released in November 1973. It featured eight tracks, including Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, A National Acrobat, Sabbra Cadabra, and Killing Yourself to Live. The album peaked at number two on the UK Rock & Metal Albums and number eleven on the US Billboard 200 chart. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was certified platinum by the RIAA. It has been referred to as the group’s most structured album.
6) Sabotage
Sabotage was released on 28 July 1975 as the British group's sixth studio album. It contains eight tracks, including Hole in the Sky, Don't Start (Too Late), Megalomania, and Thrill of It All. Sabotage peaked at number seven on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album showcased how much effort the group put into it, featuring experimentation and deviation from the norm.
7) Vol 4
Vol. 4 came out in September 1972. It was the group’s fourth studio album and contained ten tracks, including Wheels of Confusion, Tomorrow's Dream, FX, Snowblind, Cornucopia, and Under the Sun. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and ranked number 13 on the US Billboard 200 chart and number five on the UK Albums chart. Although Vol. 4 had a heavier tone and concept, it introduced listeners to Sabbath’s growth and progress.
8) Mob Rules
Mob Rules dropped in November 1981 as the band’s tenth studio album. It came with nine tracks, including Turn Up the Night, Voodoo, The Sign of the Southern Cross, The Mob Rules, Country Girl, and Slipping Away. It ranked number eight on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. Mob Rules has been referred to as the weakest album in the trilogy featuring Dio; however, it still has some of the best Sabbath tracks to date.
9) 13
When 13 was released on June 10, 2013, fans of the heavy metal band were excited to have Ozzy Osbourne back on an album with the group after he was fired. 13 is the final album from Black Sabbath and contains twelve tracks, including End of the Beginning, God Is Dead?, Loner, Live Forever, Damaged Soul, and Dear Father. It topped the following charts, including US Billboard 200, UK Albums, IK Rock & Metal Albums, US Top Hard Rock Albums, US Top Rock Albums, and US Top Tastemaker Albums.
10) Never Say Die!
Never Say Die was released on 29 September 1978. The album was the last one to include Black Sabbath’s original lineup. It contained nine tracks, including Never Say Die, Johnny Blade, Junior's Eyes, A Hard Road, Shock Wave, Air Dance, Over to You, and Swinging the Chain. Never Say Die peaked at number nine on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA. Although the album is regarded as lightweight by Sabbath’s standards, it is not a bad album at all.
11) Technical Ecstasy
Technical Ecstasy was released in October 1976 and was the seventh album by Black Sabbath. It featured eight tracks, including Back Street Kids, You Won't Change Me, It's Alright, Gypsy, She's Gone, and Dirty Women. The album ranked number nine on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1977. Fans of the band deeply felt Sabbath’s change from their normal heavy metal to a more straightforward kind of music.
12) Dehumanizer
Dehumanizer was released on 22 June 1992. It contained ten tracks, including Computer God, TV Crimes, Letter from Earth, Time Machine, Too Late, and Buried Alive. The album received a three and a half rating from AllMusic, a good rating for an album considered the worst of the Dio trilogy.
13) Headless Cross
Headless Cross is the group’s fourteenth studio album. It contains eight tracks, including Headless Cross, Devil & Daughter, Call of the Wild, and Black Moon. AllMusic gave the album four stars. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic wrote,
“Arguably the finest Black Sabbath album since Ozzy or Dio, Headless Cross also featured one of Black Sabbath's most formidable lineups... In short, for those wise enough to appreciate Black Sabbath's discography beyond the Osbourne and Dio essentials, there can be no better place to start than Headless Cross or its worthy predecessor, The Eternal Idol.”
14) Cross Purposes
Cross Purposes dropped on 31 January 1994 as the band’s seventeenth studio album. It featured ten tracks, including I Witness, Cross of Thorns, Psychophobia, Immaculate Deception, and Cardinal Sin. It ranked number 41 on the UK Albums Charts. AllMusic appreciated the album for trying to integrate all the eras of the band into the project; the publication gave the album three stars out of five.
15) The Eternal Idol
Black Sabbath’s The Eternal Idol scored 10 out of 10 by The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal. The album was released in November 1987 and featured nine tracks, including The Shining, Ancient Warrior, Hard Life to Love, and Glory Ride. It spent six weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, but it didn't peak beyond 168.
16) Seventh Star
Seventh Star was released on 28 January 1986 and featured nine tracks, including In for the Kill, No Stranger to Love, Turn to Stone, Seventh Star, and Danger Zone. Kerrang! magazine scored the album five out of five. Seventh Star was catchy and enjoyable; however, most fans didn't enjoy Glenn Hughes's vocals on it.
17) Tyr
Tyr was released on 20 August 1990 and was the band’s fifteenth studio album. It was ranked number 24 on the UK Albums Chart. Tyr featured nine tracks, including Anno Mundi, The Law Maker, Jerusalem, Feels Good to Me, and Odin’s Court. Tyr was an album with intriguing songs; however, some tracks sounded unnecessarily dramatic and very lightweight.
18) Born Again
Born Again is the only Black Sabbath album that was recorded with Ian Gillan as the lead vocalist. The album was released on September 9, 1983, as the group’s eleventh studio album. It contained nine tracks, including Disturbing the Priest, Trashed, The Dark, and Zero the Hero. Born Again peaked at number four on the UK Albums chart and was certified silver by the BPI. Despite ranking high on the BPI chart, Born Again was the first Sabbath album to not receive an RIAA certification. AllMusic rated it one star and described it as an album that has “gone down as one of heavy metal's all-time greatest disappointments.”
19) Forbidden
Forbidden was released on June 5, 1995, as the group’s eighteenth studio album. It included ten tracks, including The Illusion of Power, I Won't Cry for You, Guilty as Hell, Rusty Angels, etc. It was ranked number six on the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart. According to AllMusic, it had “boring songs, awful production, and uninspired performances. This is easily avoidable for all but the most enthusiastic fans.”
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