Editing Black Sabbath (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Black Sabbath bench, Birmingham 2024-07-19.jpg|thumb|Black Sabbath bench on Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street in the band's home city [[Birmingham]]]]
Black Sabbath has sold over 70 million records worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.black-sabbath.com/|title=Black Sabbath Is Back|publisher=black-sabbath.com|date=11 November 2011|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref> including a [[RIAA]]-certified 15 million in the U.S.<ref name="riaa">{{cite web|url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database|title=RIAA Searchable Database|website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |access-date=8 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830055854/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database|archive-date=30 August 2014}}</ref> They are one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time. The band helped to create the genre with ground-breaking releases such as ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]'' (1970), an album that ''Rolling Stone'' magazine said "changed music forever",<ref name="The Holy Sabbath">{{cite magazine|last=Diehl |first=Matt |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5939997/the_holy_sabbath |title=The Holy Sabbath |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=25 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617164618/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5939997/the_holy_sabbath |archive-date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and called the band "[[the Beatles]] of heavy metal".<ref name="The Greatest Artists">{{cite magazine|last=Navarro|first=Dave|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/black-sabbath-20110420|title=100 Greatest Artists of All Time: 85) Black Sabbath|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=8 February 2013|date=3 December 2010|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002947/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/black-sabbath-20110420|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Time'' magazine called ''Paranoid'' "the birthplace of heavy metal", placing it in their Top 100 Albums of All Time.<ref name="The 100 Albums">{{cite magazine|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2006/11/02/the-all-time-100-albums/|title=All Time 100|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=25 April 2008|date=2 November 2006}}</ref>

[[MTV]] placed Black Sabbath at number one on their Top Ten Heavy Metal Bands and [[VH1]] placed them at number two on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |title=Greatest Metal Artists of All Time |publisher=MTV |access-date=29 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319045933/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |archive-date=19 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1hardrock.htm|title=Rock the Net-VH1: 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists|access-date=9 April 2009}}</ref> VH1 ranked Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" the number one song on their 40 Greatest Metal Songs countdown.<ref name="Blabbermouth Iron Man">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51784 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413161551/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51784 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=BLACK SABBATH's 'Iron Man' Tops VH1 List As the Greatest Metal Song of All Time |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=3 May 2006 }}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked the band number 85 in their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".<ref name="The Greatest Artists"/> AllMusic's William Ruhlmann said:

{{blockquote|Black Sabbath has been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style. The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[Blue Cheer]], and [[Vanilla Fudge]] to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasising screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies. If their predecessors clearly came out of an electrified blues tradition, Black Sabbath took that tradition in a new direction, and in so doing helped give birth to a musical style that continued to attract millions of fans decades later.<ref name="AMG Biography"/>}}

According to ''Rolling Stone''{{'s}} Holly George-Warren, "Black Sabbath was the heavy metal king of the 1970s."<ref name="HGW">{{cite book|editor1-last=George-Warren|editor1-first=Holly|year=2001|title=The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll|edition= 2005|publisher=Fireside|isbn=978-0-7432-9201-6|pages=81–82}}</ref> Although initially "despised by rock critics and ignored by radio programmers", the group sold more than 8 million albums by the end of that decade.<ref name="HGW" /> "''The'' heavy metal band…" marvelled Ronnie James Dio. "A band that didn't apologise for coming to town; it just stepped on buildings when it came to town."<ref>Ronnie James Dio interview with [[Tommy Vance]] for [[BBC Radio 1]]'s ''[[Friday Rock Show]]''; broadcast 21 August 1987; transcribed by editor Peter Scott for Sabbath [[fanzine]] ''Southern Cross'' #11, October 1996, p27</ref>

===Influence and innovation===
Black Sabbath have influenced many acts including [[Judas Priest]],<ref name="RnR Hall of Fame">{{cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/|title=Black Sabbath|publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]|access-date=8 March 2010|archive-date=28 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628090320/http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Iron Maiden]],<ref name="Blabbermouth Iron Maiden">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=27275 |title=IRON MAIDEN Bassist Talks About His Technique And Influences |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=24 September 2004 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616171058/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=27275 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 August 2012 |title=Am I Evil / Diamond Head |url=http://www.diamond-head.net/article1.JPG |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825015447/http://www.diamond-head.net/article1.JPG |archive-date=25 August 2012 |access-date=15 July 2021}}</ref> [[Slayer]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Metallica]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Korn]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogcritics.org/greg-ginn-interview/?amp |first1=Eric |last1=Olsen |title=Greg Ginn Interview |date=21 November 2003 |access-date=19 May 2021 |website=blogcritics.org |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043748/https://blogcritics.org/greg-ginn-interview/?amp |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Venom (band)|Venom]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Guns N' Roses]],<ref name="RnR Hall of Fame"/>  [[Body Count (band)|Body Count]],<ref name="All Music">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/body-count-mn0000078191|title=Body Count|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=13 April 2012}}</ref> [[Alice in Chains]],<ref>{{cite book|title=15 Most Influential Albums|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCou4cnn-ZkC&q=soundgarden+stoner+rock+%7C&pg=PA84|last1=Kolsterman |first1=Chuck |last2=Mlner |first2=Greg |last3=Pappademas |first3=Alex |magazine=Spin |date=April 2003 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]],<ref name="MTV">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |title=MTVNews.com: The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time |publisher=MTV |access-date=8 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315030804/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |archive-date=15 March 2010}}</ref> [[Disturbed (band)|Disturbed]],<ref name="Disturbed">{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=121271|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104175145/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=121271|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2013|title=DISTURBED Guitarist: Don't Call Us 'Nu Metal'|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=8 March 2010|date=3 June 2009}}</ref> [[Death (metal band)|Death]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Opeth]],<ref name="Blabbermouth Opeth">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=80477 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205022428/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=80477 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 December 2012 |title=OPETH Pays Tribute To Classic Heavy Metal Artists |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=10 September 2007 }}</ref> [[Pantera]],<ref name="Guitar World"/> [[Megadeth]],<ref name="Rolling Stone Renion Review">{{cite magazine|last=Turman |first=Katherine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5921802/black_sabbath |title=Black Sabbath – Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, December 31, 1998 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=25 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617172801/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5921802/black_sabbath |archive-date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Sepultura]],<ref>{{cite web |date=29 May 2022 |title=Sepultura's Andreas Kisser: 10 Albums That Changed My Life |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/andreas-kisser-sepultura-10-albums |access-date=31 May 2022 |publisher=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|loudersound.com]]}}</ref> [[the Smashing Pumpkins]],<ref>Di Perna, Alan. "Zero Worship", ''Guitar World''. December 1995.</ref> [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=77507 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629021051/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=77507 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2012 |title=BLACK SABBATH Bassist: 'It's Great When Bands Cite Us As Their Influence |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=25 July 2007 }}</ref> [[Foo Fighters]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=71459 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413162715/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=71459 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=HEAVEN AND HELL, MEGADETH Perform in Los Angeles; Photos Available |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=29 April 2007 }}</ref> [[Testament (band)|Testament]],<ref>{{cite web |date=8 April 2020 |title=Testament Family Tree — The Metal |url=https://www.givememetal.com/thrashmetaltrees/testament-family-tree |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=givememetal.com}}</ref> [[Fear Factory]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=73036 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413175145/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=73036 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=Ex-FEAR FACTORY Axeman DINO CAZARES Talks Guitars |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=22 May 2007 }}</ref> [[Candlemass (band)|Candlemass]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Lehtinen|first=Aurto|title=Heart of Steel: Interviews – CANDLEMASS – Messiah Marcolin|url=http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/candlemass.htm|publisher=metal-rules.com|access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> [[Godsmack]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=28660 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413181601/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=28660 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=GODSMACK'S Next Album Will Rock in a Bluesier Way |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=2 November 2004 }}</ref> [[Corrosion of Conformity]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2012 |title=Interview: Corrosion Of Conformity's Reed Mullin |url=https://chicagoist.com/2012/03/02/interview_corrosion_of_conformitys.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106000751/https://chicagoist.com/2012/03/02/interview_corrosion_of_conformitys.php |archive-date=6 November 2017 |access-date=16 November 2024 |website=Chicagoist |quote=At the time, we were listening to a lot of punk, but we also liked [[the Stooges]] and Sabbath. Sabbath was a major influence.}}</ref> and [[Van Halen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/van-halen-mn0000260206/related|title=Van Halen: Influences|website=AllMusic|access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref> Two Gold-selling [[tribute album]]s have been released, ''[[Nativity in Black]] Volume 1 & 2'', including covers by [[Sepultura]], [[White Zombie (band)|White Zombie]], [[Type O Negative]], [[Faith No More]], [[Machine Head (band)|Machine Head]], [[Primus (band)|Primus]], [[System of a Down]], and [[Monster Magnet]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/monster-magnet-mn0000495455/related|title=Monster Magnet – Influences|website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>

[[Metallica]]'s [[Lars Ulrich]], who, along with bandmate [[James Hetfield]] inducted Black Sabbath into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2006, said "Black Sabbath is and always will be synonymous with heavy metal",<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=49540 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413190408/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=49540 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=METALLICA Induct BLACK SABBATH into ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: Photos Available |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=14 March 2006 }}</ref> while Hetfield said "Sabbath got me started on all that evil-sounding shit, and it's stuck with me. Tony Iommi is the king of the heavy riff."<ref name="Influence">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=41860 |title=Metal/Hard Rock Musicians Pay Tribute To BLACK SABBATH's 'Paranoid' |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=18 September 2005 |archive-date=30 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030212918/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metal-hard-rock-musicians-pay-tribute-to-black-sabbath-s-paranoid/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Guns N' Roses]] guitarist [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] said of the ''Paranoid'' album: "There's just something about that whole record that, when you're a kid and you're turned onto it, it's like a whole different world. It just opens up your mind to another dimension...''Paranoid'' is the whole Sabbath experience; very indicative of what Sabbath meant at the time. Tony's playing style—doesn't matter whether it's off ''Paranoid'' or if it's off ''Heaven and Hell''—it's very distinctive."<ref name="Influence"/> [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]] guitarist [[Scott Ian]] said "I always get the question in every interview I do, 'What are your top five metal albums?' I make it easy for myself and always say the first five Sabbath albums."<ref name="Influence"/>

[[Lamb of God (band)|Lamb of God]]'s [[Chris Adler]] said: "If anybody who plays heavy metal says that they weren't influenced by Black Sabbath's music, then I think that they're lying to you. I think all heavy metal music was, in some way, influenced by what Black Sabbath did."<ref name="LOG Influence">{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=Anthony |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88379 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413180515/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88379 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=LAMB OF GOD To Switch Record Labels For Non-U.S. Territories |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=14 January 2008 }}</ref> Judas Priest vocalist [[Rob Halford]] commented: "They were and still are a groundbreaking band...you can put on the first Black Sabbath album and it still sounds as fresh today as it did 30-odd years ago. And that's because great music has a timeless ability: To me, Sabbath are in the same league as the Beatles or Mozart. They're on the leading edge of something extraordinary."<ref name="MTVGreatest">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |title=The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time |publisher=MTV |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306130342/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |archive-date=6 March 2013}}</ref> On Black Sabbath's standing, [[Rage Against the Machine]] guitarist [[Tom Morello]] states: "The heaviest, scariest, coolest riffs and the apocalyptic Ozzy wail are without peer. You can hear the despair and menace of the working-class Birmingham streets they came from in every kick-ass, evil groove. Their arrival ground hippy, flower-power psychedelia to a pulp and set the standard for all heavy bands to come."<ref name="MTVGreatest"/> [[Phil Anselmo]] of [[Pantera]] and [[Down (band)|Down]] stated that "Only a fool would leave out what Black Sabbath brought to the heavy metal genre".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/phil-anselmo-only-a-fool-would-leave-out-black-sabbath/ |title=Phil Anselmo: Only A Fool Would Leave Out Black Sabbath |publisher=metalhammer.co.uk |access-date=13 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725031555/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/phil-anselmo-only-a-fool-would-leave-out-black-sabbath/ |archive-date=25 July 2013}}</ref>

According to [[Tracii Guns]] of [[L.A. Guns]] and former member of [[Guns N' Roses]], the main riff of "[[Paradise City]]" by [[Guns N' Roses]], from ''[[Appetite for Destruction]]'' (1987), was influenced by the song "Zero the Hero" from the ''[[Born Again (Black Sabbath album)|Born Again]]'' album.<ref>Martin Popoff, ''The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time'', Ecw Press, 2002, p.135</ref> [[King Diamond (band)|King Diamond]] guitarist [[Andy LaRocque]] affirmed that the clean guitar part of "Sleepless Nights" from ''[[Conspiracy (King Diamond album)|Conspiracy]]'' (1989) is inspired by Tony Iommi's playing on ''[[Never Say Die!]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kkdowning.net/Interviews/larocque.htm |title=Andy LaRocque interview |publisher=kkdowning.net |date=May 2008 |access-date=27 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202701/http://www.kkdowning.net/Interviews/larocque.htm |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>

In addition to being pioneers of heavy metal, they also have been credited for laying the foundations for heavy metal subgenres [[stoner rock]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ratliff |first=Ben |date=22 June 2000 |title=Rated R review |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/233746/review/5943680 |access-date=19 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203020527/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/233746/review/5943680 |archive-date=3 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[sludge metal]],<ref name="AMG-Eyehategod">{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eyehategod-mn0000127103|title=Eyehategod – Biography|website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> [[thrash metal]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Torreano|first=Bradley|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/symptom-of-the-universe-mt0012259115|title=Symptom of the Universe – Song Review|website=AllMusic|access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> [[black metal]] and [[doom metal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/grunge-ma0000002626|title=Grunge|website=AllMusic|access-date=15 September 2012}}</ref> Sabbath has had a significant impact on alternative music, being cited as an influence by  [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]],<ref>Azerrad, Michael. "Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana". p. 103. Doubleday, 1994</ref> [[Soundgarden]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=24 February 2015 |title=Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti' at 40: Soundgarden's Kim Thayil Looks Back |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/led-zeppelins-physical-graffiti-at-40-soundgardens-kim-thayil-looks-back-191933/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607155640/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/led-zeppelins-physical-graffiti-at-40-soundgardens-kim-thayil-looks-back-191933/2/ |archive-date=7 June 2023 |access-date=16 November 2024 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |quote=Ultimately, we started to re-embrace the [[Led Zeppelin|Zeppelin]], [[The Beatles|Beatles]], Sabbath and [[Pink Floyd]]. I think they were always there. At some point, we had to look back and say, 'This has a lot to do with our upbringing.' It's a weird story, but it may explain why, for a few years, we denied the Zeppelin-Sabbath influence}}</ref> and [[Dinosaur Jr.]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Jason |date=January 1997 |title=SEBADOH - Lou Barlow interview by Jason Gross (January 1997) |url=https://www.furious.com/perfect/sebadoh.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205091343/https://www.furious.com/perfect/sebadoh.html |archive-date=5 December 2023 |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=Perfect Sound Forever |quote=Dinosaur was really influenced by [[Neil Young]] and Black Sabbath and also a lot of... not exactly [[indie rock]], since that wasn't around then. There was stuff like [[The Birthday Party (band)|the Birthday Party]], [[Scratch Acid]] and [[Sonic Youth]].}}</ref> Rock critic [[Simon Reynolds]] writes that when late 1980s bands such as [[Tad (band)|Tad]] and [[the Butthole Surfers]] "revived Black Sabbath's ponderous riffs, it felt like a daring challenge to the approved canon of [[underground rock]]", and that "Sabbath-style heaviness" became the norm after the commercial emergence of grunge.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Pop View: The Perils of Loving Old Records Too Much |journal=The New York Times |date=5 December 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/arts/pop-view-the-perils-of-loving-old-records-too-much.html |access-date=21 January 2025}}</ref>

Tony Iommi has been credited as the pioneer of lighter gauge guitar strings. The tips of his fingers were severed in a steel factory,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Graff|first=Gary|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/465276/black-sabbath-reunion-coming-were-talking-says-tony-iommi|title=Black Sabbath Reunion Coming? 'We're Talking,' Says Tony Iommi|magazine=Billboard|date=7 November 2011|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref> and while using thimbles (artificial finger tips) he found that standard guitar strings were too difficult to bend and play. He found that there was only one size of strings available, so after years with Sabbath he had strings custom made.<ref>Rosen, Steven. "Black Sabbath – Uncensored on the Record". p.1928. Coda Books Ltd. Retrieved 19 June 2012</ref>

Culturally, Black Sabbath have exerted a huge influence in both television and literature and have in many cases become synonymous with heavy metal. In the film ''[[Almost Famous]]'', [[Lester Bangs]] gives the protagonist an assignment to cover the band with the immortal line: 'Give me 500 words on Black Sabbath'. Contemporary music and arts publication ''Trebuchet Magazine'' has put this to practice by asking all new writers to write a short piece (500 words) on Black Sabbath as a means of proving their creativity and voice on a well documented subject.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trebuchet-magazine.com/honest-and-unmerciful-writers-on-black-sabbath/|title=Honest and Unmerciful – Writers on Black Sabbath|publisher=Trebuchet Magazine|date=9 August 2012|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref>