On February 13, 1970,
Black Sabbath released its first album and
changed the face of music forever.

The band seemed to come out of nowhere, with a dark, otherworldly sound dominated by the soul-piercing wail of twenty-two-year-old John "Ozzy" Osbourne. Once its brooding, overpowering music was out, millions of listeners couldn't get enough, an record and in concert. It was the birth of heavy metal.

In Black Sabbath: An Oral History, Mike Stark leads you into the studio and on tour with the quintessential British metal band, a primary influence right up to the present day on hundreds of rock groups, from Metallica to Spinal Tap. Here are firsthand accounts from Black Sabbath's four founding members -- Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne -- and from other members through the years, including Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Eric Singer, Tony Martin, Cozy Powell, and Neil Murray. In their own words, they tell you what it's like to turn up the amps, hit the stage, and power-chord an audience into submission -- and create a brand -- new kind of rock in the process.