Chillystories

When they first came together as a group in the late 1960's, the band was called Earth and played the blues that was popular during that time. The band rehearsed in a space across the street from a theater that often showed horror films. Making the association that people pay money to be scared, the band changed their name to Black Sabbath, after the Bela Lugosi film, and began to create the incredibly innovative dark and heavy sounds that became the beginnings of heavy metal. This grounding in the horror genre also had them experimenting with some of the darker spirits that are among us.

 
The following is a snippet taken from the linear notes of Sabbath's 1997 CD 'Reunion.' In it, bassist Geezer Butler describes an interesting experience while the band was writing their first album (entitled 'Black Sabbath') in 1969. They were written by Phil Alexander, editor of Kerang! Magazine:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 
The writing of 'Black Sabbath' also coincided with experiences Geezer Butler would rather forget.
 
"I'd been raised a Catholic so I totally believed in the Devil. There was a weekly magazine entitled 'Man, Myth And Magic' that I started reading which was all about Satan and stuff. That and the books by Aleister Crowley and Denis Wheatley, especially 'The Devil Rides Out' which was meant to be a cautionary tale but which read like a handbook on how to be a Satanist.
 
"I'd moved into this flat that I'd painted black with inverted crosses everywhere. Ozzy gave me this 16th Century book about magic that he'd stolen from somewhere. I put it in the airing cupboard because I wasn't sure about it. Later that night I woke up and saw this black shadow at the end of the bed. It was a horrible presence that frightened the life out of me! I ran to the airing cupboard to throw the book out, but the book had disappeared. After that I gave up all that stuff. It scared me shitless!"
 
For Sabbath, it wasn't the end of the bizarre supernatural events that increased their mystique...