โTHE GODFATHERS OF HEAVYโ โ A LOVE LETTER IN 12 LOUD VOICES
Black Sabbath didnโt just start heavy metal โ they birthed the beast, raised it in Birmingham, and sent it howling into the night on a down-tuned devilโs tritone. ๐ค From doom to thrash to nu-metal and back again, every rock and metal band worth their weight in patch jackets owes something to The Sabs.
So what do the rest of the riff-slingers think about Sabbath? We found 12 bands who arenโt afraid to shout their Sabbath worship from the rooftops โ or the tour bus roof at least. ๐ธ
Buckle up, cโmon butt โ here comes a righteous ride through praise, power chords, and pure Brummie chaos.
โซ 1. METALLICA โ โWITHOUT SABBATH, THEREโS NO US.โ
๐ค Lars Ulrich: โWithout Black Sabbath, thereโs no Metallica. Period.โ
You know itโs serious when Lars puts the drumsticks down and gets heartfelt. Metallica have name-dropped Sabbath in basically every interview since 1981. Theyโve covered โSabbra Cadabra,โ โIron Man,โ and even โHole in the Sky.โ
James Hetfield once called Sabbath โthe blueprint for everything we are.โ
๐ฅ Sabbath were the darkness. Metallica just made it thrashier.
โฐ๏ธ 2. SLAYER โ โTHEY INVENTED HEAVY.โ
๐ธ Kerry King: โThey invented heavy. Before them, there was no heavy.โ
Slayer might be the sonic equivalent of being hit by a barbed wire truck, but even Kerry King bows to the Sabs. Black Sabbath laid down the slow, evil groundwork Slayer built their hellfire upon.
๐ฅ If Sabbath are the church, Slayer are the angry exorcists.
๐ 3. FOO FIGHTERS โ โTONY IOMMI IS WHY I PLAY GUITAR.โ
๐ค Dave Grohl: โTony Iommi is the reason I play guitar.โ
Yup, even Mr. Nicest-Guy-in-Rock Dave Grohl has a Sabbath side. Heโs gone full fanboy over Vol. 4, jammed with Iommi, and called Sabbathโs sound โthe pulse of the earth.โ
Thatโs coming from a guy whoโs played with literally everyone. Even your nan probably respects Grohl.
๐ธ Without Sabbath, Grohl mightโve ended up in Coldplay. Weโre glad the riff called him home.
๐ป 4. GHOST โ โWEโRE NOT COPYINGโฆ BUT YES WE ARE.โ
๐ Tobias Forge: โWeโre not copying Sabbathโฆ but yes, we absolutely are.โ
Letโs be honest โ Ghost is spooky Sabbath in pope hats. Forge has never hidden his love of the Sabs, saying they taught him how to write riffs that sound like demons smoking cigars in cathedrals.
Atmospheric? Yep. Doom-laden? Oh aye. Campy and brilliant? 100%.
๐ฏ๏ธ Papa Emeritus is basically Ozzy in eyeliner with better merch.
๐ง 5. SLIPKNOT โ โTHEY TAUGHT US HOW TO SCARE.โ
๐บ Corey Taylor: โSabbath taught me how to scare people with sound.โ
Slipknotโs masked mayhem owes a hefty debt to Sabbathโs sonic horror show. Corey Taylor has said Sabbath made music feel like a dark spell being cast, and their โevil grooveโ was what pulled him into metal in the first place.
๐ช Where Sabbath whispered โbe afraid,โ Slipknot screamed it through a megaphone. But the roots are the same.
๐ถ 6. PANTERA โ โIOMMI IS THE KING OF THE RIFF.โ
โก Dimebag Darrell (RIP): โTony Iommi is the king of the riff.โ
Thatโs from the king of groove metal himself. Pantera didnโt just respect Sabbath โ they built a southern-fried shrine to their legacy. From โPlanet Caravanโ covers to down-tuned devastation, the Sabbath influence bleeds through every Pantera record like whiskey on denim.
๐ฅ If riffs were currency, Sabbath and Pantera would be billionaires.
๐ 7. IRON MAIDEN โ โSABBATH WAS THE BLUEPRINT.โ
๐งฟ Steve Harris: โSabbath were the blueprint. But we ran with it.โ
Maidenโs galloping epics might seem a million BPM away from Sabbathโs doom, but even Harris admits Sabbath walked so Maiden could sprint in leather trousers.
Their twin guitars mightโve sharpened the edge, but the foundation was pure Birmingham gloom.
โ๏ธ The difference? Sabbath are your nightmares. Maiden are your battle cry.
๐ 8. SOUNDGARDEN โ โTHE BEATLES OF HEAVY.โ
๐ค Chris Cornell (RIP): โThey were the Beatles of heavy.โ
Cornell nailed it. Sabbath werenโt just pioneers โ they were melodic, innovative, and world-changing. Soundgardenโs sludgy riffs and Cornellโs haunting vocals owe a mountain to Sabbathโs blueprint.
Bonus points: Chris and Iommi even collaborated on “Black Oblivion” โ a doom-prog masterpiece that sounds like a haunted cathedral sinking into the sea.
๐ Seattle wouldnโt have sounded the same without Sabbathโs smoke curling across the Atlantic.
๐ต 9. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE โ โSLOW CAN BE SAVAGE.โ
๐ Josh Homme: โSabbath taught me that slow and heavy can be just as badass as fast and flashy.โ
Queens of the Stone Age might cruise in the desert stoner lane, but that low-slung Sabbath rumble is always in their rearview. Homme loves how Sabbath could turn a single riff into a hypnotic weapon โ no solos, no fluff, just doom.
๐ต Sabbath were stoner rock before weed knew what a bong was.
๐งฎ 10. OPETH โ โTHEYโRE SACRED.โ
๐ Mikael ร kerfeldt: โSabbath are sacred. We donโt even try to touch what they did.โ
When the most cerebral metal band on earth says โnah, weโre not worthy,โ you know Sabbath are untouchable. Opethโs doomier, early work is a masterclass in Sabbath reverence, with extra Swedish existential dread.
๐ฉธ Imagine Sabbath with a PhD and a pipe organ, and youโve got Opeth.
๐ช๏ธ 11. DOWN โ โWE ARE SABBATH WORSHIP.โ
๐ Phil Anselmo: โWe ARE Sabbath worship.โ
Down isnโt even subtle about it. Itโs straight-up riff-fuelled homage to Sabbath, filtered through Louisiana humidity and slow-burning anger. If Ozzyโs voice is the sound of apocalypse, Anselmoโs is the hangover after.
๐ฆด Down is Sabbath with a shotgun and moonshine.
๐งจ 12. SYSTEM OF A DOWN โ โTHEY MADE WEIRD OKAY.โ
๐ง Serj Tankian: โSabbath made it okay to be weird and heavy.โ
System of a Down are the definition of โwhat the hell did I just hear?โ โ but beneath the madness lies the same fearless darkness and rebellion Sabbath unleashed in the โ70s. Serj credits them for proving that metal didnโt have to follow rules.
๐ If Sabbath were dark wizards, SOAD are chaotic goblins with riffs and a political manifesto.
๐ค FINAL THOUGHTS FROM THE PIT
So, what do other bands really think about Black Sabbath?
They think they owe them everything.
Whether it’s the riff, the darkness, the doom, or just the sheer vibe of it all โ Sabbath changed music forever. They took rock โnโ roll, dipped it in tar, and handed it to the world with a mad grin and a church bell. ๐๏ธ
Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, and Bill didnโt just make music โ they made a new religion, and nearly every band since is a proud disciple.
So next time you hear a crushing riff, a groaning vocal, or a lyric about war, death, or devils โ give a little nod to the boys from Birmingham.
LEGENDS. NEVER. DIE. ๐คโก
Want more epic breakdowns like this? Stick with The Riff Report, where every post is louder than the last and we always worship at the altar of the almighty riff.
Diolch and rock on, mun! ๐ธ๐ฅ
