All 19 Black Sabbath Albums Ranked From Worst to Best

From No. 19 all the way to No. 1, see how we ranked every album by Black Sabbath.

Known the world over as the founders of heavy metal, the band's reach and influence is immeasurable. Their legacy? Immortal.

Metal itself may not have existed would if not for a mishap at a metal factory where guitarist Tony Iommi (who turned out to be a metal factory of his own) lost the tips of his fingers during his last day on the job. He had wanted to quit on lunch, but his mother insisted he see his job through to the end of the day.

"I went to the hospital and they cut the bones off [the end of the affected fingers] and they said, 'You might as well forget playing,'" Iommi told Musicians Institute during a 2017 In Conversation series.

With plastic tips outfitted on his fretting hand, he down-tuned his guitar as the slack on the strings made it easier to play with the impairment and there we have it — metal was born.

The Black Sabbath discography is a lofty 19 albums with lengthy periods of a lack of output. Over 30 musicians have passed through their doors, some as live session members and, throughout, Iommi has remained the lone constant.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne Albums Ranked

While the Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio eras of the band are the most well-known and loved, there are indeed more highlights within the catalog. Especially the underrated Tony Martin era!

As any Sabbath fan knows, ranking their discography is an unenviable challenge. For many, a particular favorite can be ever-changing. It's a testament to the true brilliance, strength and innovation of Black Sabbath that this is so difficult.

But we've done it anyway and any ranking is sure to spark plenty to debate. That's part of the fun, so keep scrolling to see how we stacked up all 19 Black Sabbath records.

Subscribe to Loudwire on YouTube.