Introduction: "What Is This That Stands Before Me?" x Acknowledgments: They Sold Their Souls for Rock 'n' Roll xii Part I Necessary Evil 1 1 Beyond Good and Evil: Facing Your Demons With Black Sabbath and Existentialism 3 William Irwin 2 Masters of a Better Possible Reality: Conquering Evil With Love 12 Liz Stillwaggon Swan 3 "Is It the End, My Friend?" Black Sabbath ' s Apocalypse of Horror 20 Brian Froese Part II Playing Devil ' s Advocate 31 4 Black Sabbath and the Sound of Evil 33 Joel McIver 5 The Worst of All Possible Worlds: Schopenhauer Meets Sabbath 41 James Heathers 6 Tony Iommi ' s Hand of Doom: From Plastic Fingertips to Creative Freedom 51 Ken Pepper Part III The Dark Art of Metal 61 7 The Art of Black Sabbath: Aristotle Joins the Band 63 Greg Littmann 8 Black Sabbath and the Problem of Defining Metal 76 Soren R. Frimodt-Moller 9 Saint Vitus Dance: The Art of Doom 87 Manuel Bremer and Daniel Cohnitz 10 Gods, Drugs, and Ghosts: Finding Dionysus and Apollo in Black Sabbath and the Birth of Heavy Metal 96 Dennis Knepp Part IV Is It Still Sabbath Without Ozzy? 111 11 It ' s Not Sabbath Unless Ozzy ' s the Singer (But It ' s Fine If You Disagree) 113 James Bondarchuk 12 Fightin' Words: Sabbath Doesn ' t Need the Ozzman 126 Wesley D. Cray 13 The Name Remains the Same--But Should It? 140 Mark D. White Part V Symptoms of The Universe 149 14 Wicked World: The Politics of the Supernatural in Black Sabbath 151 Erich Christiansen 15 "Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen": Is Ozzy Going Insane? 163 Kevin McCain 16 "As the War Machine Keeps Turning": Just War Theory, Pacifism, and the War on Terror 171 Jacob M. Held 17 Stop Stereotyping Sabbath: Sex, Subjugation, and Stupidity 182 Robert Arp Contributors: Children of the Grave 190 Index: The Writ 195

"This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, shedding a lot of light on the members, music, and society with regards to everything from religion to family." ( San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review , 14 March2013) "This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, shedding a lot of light on the members, music, and society with regards to everything from religion to family." ( City Book Review , 1 March 2013) "Black Sabbath & Philosophy is a wholly absorbing read large ... A long-overdue work, and a rewarding one both for fans and those curious about the philosophical gravity behind all those murky riffs." ( PopMatters , 11 January 2013) "Much like Black Sabbath themselves, this wide-ranging, amusing book entertains and makes your brain ache in equal measure." ( Record Collector , 1 December 2012) "A book to dip into, that will get you thinking and almost certainly have you going back and listening to your old Black Sabbath albums in a different light. Highly recommended." ( Get Ready to Rock , 20 November 2012)