When it comes to Black Sabbath tribute albums, there’s no shortage of them out in the wild. From full-length tributes to scattered covers tucked away on singles, compilations, or live sets, the catalog is massive. But one tribute in particular seems to have slipped under too many radars: Sacred Bones Records’ 2020 compilation What Is This That Stands Before Me?
Released to mark the 50th anniversaries of Black Sabbath‘s groundbreaking self-titled debut Black Sabbath and its equally legendary follow-up Paranoid, this collection takes a refreshingly unconventional approach. Instead of recruiting the usual roster of metal and doom bands to crank out faithful versions of Black Sabbath‘s iconic riffs, Sacred Bones turned inward to their own roster of genre-bending artists.
On paper, it might not seem like an obvious match. The label is known for post-punk, darkwave, experimental pop, psych rock, and noise — not exactly the usual suspects for covering Tony Iommi‘s riff-heavy legacy. But that’s what makes this album so fascinating. It’s Black Sabbath reimagined through a completely different musical lens. The songs are still there — the melodies, the hooks, the heavy atmosphere — but they’re wrapped in entirely new textures and moods.
This isn’t a paint-by-numbers metal tribute. It’s a transformation. The doom and blues foundation that made Sabbath a force of nature is reframed through dreamlike folk, icy synths, hypnotic psych, shadowy post-punk, and avant-garde experimentation. It’s familiar and alien at the same time, a reminder of just how malleable and timeless these songs really are. The tracklist is:
- The Soft Moon – “Black Sabbath”
- Molchat Doma – “Небеса и Ад (Heaven and Hell)”
- Thou – “Supernaut”
- Marissa Nadler – “Solitude”
- Hilary Woods – “N.I.B.”
- Zola Jesus – “Changes”
- Moon Duo – “Planet Caravan”
- Dean Hurley – “Warning (Bar Band Version)”
- Uniform – “Symptom of the Universe”
It’s a lineup that plays to Sacred Bones’ strengths while honoring Black Sabbath‘s enduring influence. Molchat Doma‘s cold, post-Soviet darkwave take on “Heaven and Hell” feels like an entirely different universe from the original, while Marissa Nadler‘s haunting rendition of “Solitude” strips it back to a chilling, spectral beauty. Moon Duo‘s nearly nine-minute version of “Planet Caravan” leans deep into cosmic psych, while Thou‘s crushing “Supernaut” delivers the heaviest moment on the compilation for those craving a dose of pure sludge. Get it here.
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