SABBAFIED

It was the summer of 1981 and my cousin and I were about to go see the animated film "Heavy Metal" at the theater in our town. The movie was rated "R" and we were both too young to get in to see it without an adult. A friend of my cousin just happened to be 18 and chaperoned our trip to expose us to this "wicked flick". I was 14 years old and was about to get my first taste of Black Sabbath. The film just blew me away. It was erotic, exciting, action packed and mesmerizing. All things a fourteen year old american boy loves to watch (when he can get away with it). It took my imagination on a journey and changed me forever.
One thing that caught my attention dramatically was a scene where an army of possessed soldiers is about to wage war on this peaceful city fortress on some distant planet. Although the entire soundtrack was phenominal, the musical score during that scene went hand in hand with the action sequence of bloody battle. I did not know who any of the bands were at that time, but was blown away none the less.

It was about 2 weeks later when I purchased the soundtrack LP at a Musicland store in the mall. It was a double record set of songs and I began playing the album from the beginnning as soon as I got home. When I reached a song called "The Mob Rules" I realized this was the tune that had been so carefully edited into the movie during that epic battle scene. It was loud, it was heavy, it was hypnotizing, it was Black Sabbath. I frantically read the liner notes of the album sleeve. "Who are these guys?", I asked myself. "This is the heaviest music I have ever heard", I thought. "Performed by Black Sabbath / Written by Terence Butler, Ronnie James Dio, Anthony Iommi", it read. It was my first taste of Black Sabbath and it would not stop there.

"Close the city and tell the people that something's coming to call"
The Mob Rules ~ Black Sabbath / Mob Rules