Black Sabbath: Doomed to Fail

When Black Sabbath released the doomedtofail Never Say Die in 1978, the irony of the title was lost on nobody including the band. The metallurgists had revolutionized heavy music at the dawn of the 70s with classic albums like their selftitled debut, Paranoid and Master of Reality. But years of rampant substance abuse and dwindling album sales had left them a wornout husk of a band. Black Sabbath struggled to complete 1976 s messy, freewheeling Technical Ecstasy, and by the time they commenced work on Never Say Die in early 1978, they could barely stand, let alone play. We examine the history behind the album in the latest installment of our Doomed to Fail series. 0:00 Introduction 0:25 How Black Sabbath revolutionized music in the 70s 0:34 As success fades, Sabbath begins to feel the effects 0:40 Technical Ecstasy (1976) 0:46 The birth of Never Say Die 0:53 Singer issues 1:04 Ozzy pushes back 1:12 The writing process 1:25 Black Sabbath