Black Sabbath is often credited with inventing heavy metal when they released their first album in 1970 Their new style of music was loud brutal scary innovative & highly influential on heavy metal bands from then on Their five decades of music crosses generations of fans & they remain relevant to this day with their 2013 album charting 1 in the US & in at least five other countries In Experiencing Black Sabbath A Listener's Companion musician & scholar Nolan Stolz leads the reader through Sabbath's 20 studio albums & additional songs offering a close look into their music & the storied history of the band Along the way Stolz highlights often-overlooked key moments that defined Sabbath's unique musical style & legacy Band members' own words illuminate certain aspects of the music & Stolz makes connections from song to song album to album & sometimes across decades to create an intricate narrative of the band's entire catalogue Experiencing Black Sabbath reveals the underappreciated genius of these heavy metal progenitors to all rock music fans & gives even the most fervent Sabbath fans a new way to appreciate this music