Black Sabbath's Protest Songs Reveal Metal's Political Roots

Black Sabbath were the godfathers of metal, often remembered for their dark, heavy sound, but their early records also carried sharp lyrics, mostly penned by bassist Geezer Butler. Like many young bands, they came into music mad at the world, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne would later become well known beyond the rock world.

One of the clearest political statements is 'War Pigs/Luke’s Wall,' which pairs images of witches and sorcery with a critique of politicians who start wars and rely on the poor to fight them, ending with the 'war pigs' left in Satan’s hands at judgment day. That mix of class divide and antiwar sentiment recurs across the first eight albums.

On the debut, 'Wicked World' highlights class hypocrisy—spending on moon missions and wars while people starve—while Paranoid adds 'Electric Funeral' on nuclear annihilation and 'Hand of Doom' on drug addiction born of war. Master of Reality and Vol.

black sabbath, metal, geezer butler, ozzy osbourne, war pigs, luke's wall, wicked world, paranoid, electric funeral, class divide