Black Sabbath
Vol. 4
Vol. 4: the 1972 pan that got heavy metal wrong
Released in the UK on 22 September 1972. A contemporary hostile review, alongside chart results with their dates.
The verdict at the time
Max Bell reviewed Vol. 4 for Let It Rock in December 1972. His verdict: 'a monumental bore' — despite the time and money spent on the record, Sabbath, he wrote, lacked 'sufficient talent or musical direction'. A dismissive contemporary verdict for an album now seen as a classic.
Chart peaks
European positions are listed by country. Later chart entries are labelled separately.
Sources & context
Max Bell's Let It Rock pan of December 1972, reported in Mick Wall's Classic Rock/Louder retrospective on the album's making. The album now appears on Rolling Stone's 2017 list of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums and is regarded as a cornerstone of heavy metal and stoner rock.
