• IMO Sabotage was the culmination of the original Sabbath’s musical evolution. Sabbath started to go gradually into a more progressive and experimental direction from Vol. 4 onwards, which complemented the band’s sound and wasn’t just laying heavy riffs one after another. It wasn’t change only for change’s sake, which happened with the following album Technical Ecstasy.

    With Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die Sabbath lost its identity. Sabbath hadn’t previously cared about trends but now it was following them, the sound changed to resemble more generic 70s rock. The previous albums had experimentation but the band retained its focus, but this time they became unfocused with ideas flowing into many directions. Apparently several record company executives had a role in this.

    Those albums were also symptoms of the band’s problems, internal turmoil and increasing drug problems. Van Halen was co-headlining Sabbath’s Never Say Die tour, and with its energy it made Sabbath look like tired old geezers.