Top 5 SEVERELY Underrated Black Sabbath songs.

Don't let the above picture fool you, we're going for a deep dive between multiple eras of the band that forged the early fires that brought us Heavy Metal. From Ozzy, to Tony Martin, these are the top 5 most UNDERRATED Black Sabbath songs.

5. "What's The Use?"

If you're completely unfamiliar with this song I don't blame you at all. That's because this song is a Japanese bonus track on the Tony Martin fronted album Cross Purposes. Right off the bat with it being a Tony Martin era album it's in the minority of people who even listen to Black Sabbath's radar, but if you give it a listen you'll see that this rockin' track gives the songs on the main album a run for their money! The band starts the track off on all cylinders and Martin is at his peak lyrically as well as his performance. This track should've been on the main album where it would've for sure made a decent album even better!

4. "Time Machine" (Wayne's World Version)

Ah Dehumanizer. The lost child of the awkward return of Dio-for-one-album stage of Sabbath. An underrated album in and of itself. However, with this pick we're diving into another deep cut, but this time it's a different version of a song that IS on the album. Not saying that the version on the main album is bad, but the performance from Dio on the Wayne's World version of "Time Machine" feels much more inspired. With Dio's signature singing cutting across the melody louder and with more feeling this time! Also, the slight lyrical difference in this version seems to flow a bit better in this one.

3. "Gypsy"

Finally an Ozzy fronted underrated song! Yes, this time it's an Ozzy era song from the latter days of their first incarnation. Technical Ecstasy isn't too loved by many Sabbath fans and I never understood that. Maybe because it wasn't as in your face as Master, or politically charged as Paranoid, but in any case Technical Ecstasy is another overlooked piece of history by many of Black Sabbath's fanbase. Gypsy being one of the more underrated deep cuts from it. Underrated in my eyes for the story that is woven into a song that mirrors the intense excitement and then let down and frustration perfectly. Songwriting that showed the original 4 Sabs still had creative juices even after all the bullshit their label and managers put them through in the past few years leading up to this album.

2. "Nightwing"

Listen, I'd be lying if I didn't say Tony Martin himself isn't CRAZY underrated himself. The man gives Dio a run for his money! His vocal skills and range are on full display in what is probably the most 80's sounding Black Sabbath song ever. With beautiful performances from Tony Iommi with a classical guitar between power ballad guitars and soaring solos this is a showcase of how his guitar playing has evolved up to this point. While Headless Cross does have some bigger Tony Martin era hits, "Nightwing" to my knowledge is overlooked by wayyy too many!

1. "Under The Sun/Every Day Comes And Goes"

The Vol. 4 closer is closing out this list of underrated Sabbath songs! This song was a mainstay for me when I was a teenager with the rebellious lyrics Ozzy shouts and exclaims "I just believe in myself cos no one else is true!". This song helped define my teenage years, and while it was such a highlight for me, it often seemed to go unnoticed by many other fans of the band I would speak to. "Under The Sun..." Has that CLASSIC Sabbath energy that was formed on "Black Sabbath" of starting heavy as SHIT while gaining speed, then take it back to the beginning with that riff worship Sabbath invented. Vol. 4 is a beautifully dark album sitting perfectly as the ultimate follow up to Master Of Reality and "Under The Sun..." wraps it up perfectly.

Honorable Mention(s)!!!

I wanted to include one last song that definitely wouldn't have counted in the main list!"War Pigs" may be the song you think of when you think "underrated songs" in general, however, the live version on the album "Live At Last" or the album I came accross "Past Lives" (Same thing apparently) was recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England, on March 16, 1973. A MONSTER of a live version, you can feel the energy they exude from their playing! More than likely fueled by cocaine at the time, it's a true time capsule of a band at one of the many peak performances in their career. While we're on this album I also just want to throw in "Wicked World"... They go on an 18 MINUTE jam break in the middle of the song taking you on a musical journey through masterful improvisation as well as jamming out pieces of other Sabbath songs. Masterfully executed in such a way that only a band that's played countless bar circuit shows together jamming for years at a time can!