Black Sabbath was an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham, Warwick… Read Full Bio ↴Black Sabbath was an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham, Warwickshire in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with releases such as Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971). The band had multiple line-up changes following Osbourne's departure in 1979 and Iommi is the only constant member throughout their history.

After previous iterations of the group – the Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth – the band settled on the name Black Sabbath in 1969. They distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and down-tuned guitars. Signing to Philips Records in November 1969, they released their first single, "Evil Woman", in January 1970, and their debut album, Black Sabbath, was released the following month. Though it received a negative critical response, the album was a commercial success, leading to a follow-up record, Paranoid, later that year. The band's popularity grew, and by 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, critics were starting to respond favourably.

Osbourne's excessive substance abuse led to his firing in 1979. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Following two albums with Dio, Black Sabbath endured many personnel changes in the 1980s and 1990s that included vocalists Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen and Tony Martin, as well as several drummers and bassists. Martin, who replaced Gillan in 1987, was the second-longest serving vocalist and recorded three albums with Black Sabbath before his dismissal in 1991. That same year, Iommi and Butler were rejoined by Dio and drummer Vinny Appice to record Dehumanizer (1992). After two more studio albums with Martin, who replaced Dio in 1993, the band's original line-up reunited in 1997 and released a live album, Reunion, the following year; they continued to tour occasionally until 2005. Other than various back catalogue reissues and compilation albums, as well as the Mob Rules-era line-up reunited as Heaven & Hell, there was no further activity under the Black Sabbath until 2011 with the release of their final studio album and 19th overall, 13, in 2013, which features all of the original members except Ward. During their farewell tour, the band played their final concert in their home city of Birmingham on 4 February 2017. Occasional partial reunions have happened since, most recently when Osbourne and Iommi performed together at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records worldwide as of 2013, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. Black Sabbath, together with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band of All Time" and placed second on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number 85 on their "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and in 2019 the band were presented a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath

Studio albums
Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1970)
Master of Reality (1971)
Vol. 4 (1972)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Sabotage (1975)
Technical Ecstasy (1976)
Never Say Die! (1978)
Heaven and Hell (1980)
Mob Rules (1981)
Born Again (1983)
Seventh Star (1986)
The Eternal Idol (1987)
Headless Cross (1989)
Tyr (1990)
Dehumanizer (1992)
Cross Purposes (1994)
Forbidden (1995)
13 (2013)

In For The Kill
Black Sabbath Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Thunder shattered the dawn
Raging with fury, the king has come
The power of terror will reign
There is no mercy in pleading

In for the kill, no quarter be shown
Live for the thrill of battle alone
Blessed by the will to die for the throne

In for the kill
In for the kill
Freedom is taken by storm
The blood on his hands is still running warm
The power of terror will reign
There is no mercy in pleading
In for the kill, no quarter be shown
Live for the thrill of battle alone
Blessed by the will to die for the throne
In for the kill
For the kill

Thunder shattered the dawn
Raging with fury, the king has come
Death and destruction riding the storm
Blood on his hands still running warm

In for the kill
The king has come

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Black Sabbath's song In For The Kill depict a barbaric king who is fueled by power and driven by his own ambition to conquer and vanquish his enemies. The thunder that shatters the dawn represents the violent force that the king brings with him, as he charges into battle with fury in his heart. The power of terror that he wields will reign over all that he sees. He shows no mercy to those who would plead for their lives, and he tramples over freedom with his army of soldiers.

There is a sense of fatalism and senseless violence in the lyrics, as the king is driven by the thrill of battle alone. He is fearless and willing to die for his cause, blessed by the will to die for the throne. The blood on his hands is still running warm, as he revels in his victory and continues his reign of terror. The repetition of the phrase "In for the kill" reinforces the idea that he is unstoppable and ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Overall, the lyrics to In For The Kill paint a dark and brutal picture of a king who is consumed by his own lust for power and domination, with no regard for the lives he takes or the devastation he causes. The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the dangers of unchecked ambition, and a warning about the destructive nature of violence and war.

Line by Line Meaning

Thunder shattered the dawn
The lightning and thunder are breaking the dawn, creating a significant impact.

Raging with fury, the king has come
The king is full of anger and has arrived to engage in battle.

The power of terror will reign
Terror and fear will dominate the land.

There is no mercy in pleading
Pleading will not help one to escape from harm or punishment.

In for the kill, no quarter be shown
The opponent will not receive any mercy and will be destroyed completely.

Live for the thrill of battle alone
Fighting is what drives the person and nothing else matters.

Blessed by the will to die for the throne
The person is honored to sacrifice their life for the king and his kingdom.

Freedom is taken by storm
Liberty is seized with great force and violence.

The blood on his hands is still running warm
The king has recently engaged in combat, and his hands are still stained with fresh blood.

For the kill
The king is determined to win at any cost.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANTHONY IOMMI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind