Author(s): Paul Elliott

Music

One of the most successful, influential and provocative bands of all time, Black Sabbath - dubbed "The Beatles of Heavy Metal" by Rolling Stone magazine - changed the landscape of popular music forever. Their current reunion has been one of the most talked-about twists in rock's recent narrative. Having sold over 70 million albums worldwide (including 15 million in the US) since their early 1970s breakthrough, their comeback album 13 raced to the top of the charts across the globe. A mammoth world tour is now underway. Fronted by irrepressible, idiosyncratic and frequently death-defying singer Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath began their bumpy road to fame with a sound that rocked harder, deeper and "uglier" than anybody else's. Albums like Black Sabbath and Paranoid warped the sensibilities of several generations and are regarded as two of the finest rock records ever made. The years since their ascent have seen fights and reconciliations, crazy excess and bouts of self-destruction, but their popularity has always proven as vast and durable as their mythological status. The reunion sees them back at the forefront of fame, now straddling both the mainstream and the counter-culture.
Written by a leading music journalist and illustrated throughout with rare and previously unpublished photographs, Black Sabbath: The Vault is the ultimate interactive celebration of the iconic rock group. Featuring 20 items of removable facsimile memorabilia, including posters, tickets, flyers and signed photographs, Black Sabbath: The Vault gives the reader a front-row seat (and backstage access as well) to the career of these true legends of rock.