The album "Black Sabbath" got attention for the band, but "Paranoid" was truly the disc that put them over the top. According to the film Black Sabbath: Paranoid: Classic Albums, the original title of the disc was to be "War Pigs," but the label refused to use that title while the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War.
Paranoid continued Black Sabbath's musical progression. The band focused on the heavier, more metallic sound, similar to the ending of the song Black Sabbath, and the song N.I.B. Tracks such as War Pigs, Iron Man, Fairies Wear Boots, and Electric Funeral show off the band's more metal-esque sound. Gloomy riffs are still found on the album, Electric Funeral's main riff being an excellent example of this. Black Sabbath also has a few new tricks up their sleeves in the form of Planet Caravan and Rat Salad. The former is an attempt at a psychedelic song, and though I'm no expert on this kind of music, the band does an excellent job with the song. Planet Caravan is quite relaxing, and a change from the destructive riffs found in previous Sabbath songs. The highlight of the song is quite easily the jazzy, two minute long guitar solo from Iommi, one of the most enjoyable solos on the album. The other song, Rat Salad, mainly consists of a drum solo from Bill Ward, with Tony Iommi pitching in some riffs for the first half and the remaining 25 seconds of the song. Think Moby Dick by Led Zeppelin, and that's what you'll find here, only a minute and a half shorter. Though these two songs are well done, Paranoid's most memorable moments are definitely when they are thrashing up the set with their brand of heavy rock.

Tracklist
  1. War Pigs
  2. Paranoid
  3. Planet Caravan
  4. Iron Man
  5. Electric Funeral
  6. Hand of Doom
  7. Rat Salad
  8. Fairies Wear Boots