Snowblind

The Zoo Crew, spinning records at THE ZOO radio station, is cranking up "Snowblind" by Black Sabbath from their iconic album Vol. 4 for all the Zoo Freaks out there. This track, released in 1972, is a raw dive into the band's struggles with cocaine addiction, a theme that resonated deeply during their recording sessions in Los Angeles. Originally, the band wanted to title the album Snowblind as a nod to their heavy drug use, but their record company, Vertigo Records, vetoed it due to the blatant drug reference. Instead, they settled for Vol. 4, though the band slipped in a cheeky thank-you to "the great COKE-cola Company" in the album's liner notes, a sly wink at their vice. In a 2021 Rolling Stone interview, bassist Geezer Butler revealed the cocaine bill for the album's recording was a staggering $75,000, outstripping the $65,000 production cost, highlighting the band's wild excess. Guitarist Tony Iommi also shared a lighthearted memory of musicians flocking to their Bel-Air mansion, pretending to visit but really after their private plane-delivered cocaine stash.

"Snowblind" itself is a sonic beast, blending monolithic guitar riffs with gothic arpeggios, as noted in the same Rolling Stone piece. The song's lyrics, penned by Butler, vividly capture the disorienting grip of addiction, with lines like "My eyes are blind, but I can see/the snowflakes glisten on the trees." Ozzy Osbourne, in that interview, called cocaine their "most amazing discovery" at the time, though he later regretted its destructive hold, saying it became their "worst enemy." The track's intensity is amplified by its live performances, with Black Sabbath playing it at least 468 times, per the Black Sabbath Wiki, though it was notably absent from their 2005 setlist, the only year it wasn't performed with Osbourne on vocals. A fan on Songfacts shared how the bridge of "Snowblind" brought them to tears, despite never using drugs, showing the song's emotional pull. Even Frank Zappa, a known anti-drug advocate, praised the track, as mentioned on Songfacts, proving its universal appeal.

Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England, in 1968, born from the working-class grit of schoolmates Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums). Initially called the Polka Tulk Blues Band, then Earth, they pivoted to a darker sound after Butler's unsettling encounter with a shadowy figure, inspiring their name change to Black Sabbath, drawn from a 1963 Boris Karloff film. Their early days were steeped in Birmingham’s industrial gloom, with the band escaping factory life through music. Iommi’s accidental loss of two fingertips in a factory mishap, as shared in a 2023 X post by @SamBuntz, led him to detune his guitar for easier play, birthing the band’s signature heavy, doomy sound that defined heavy metal. Their debut album in 1970, followed by Paranoid, skyrocketed them to fame, with relentless touring and raw energy cementing their legend, as detailed on their official website.

You can keep up with Black Sabbath on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fans also gather at dedicated spaces like Black Sabbath Online, a comprehensive fan site with album histories and news, and the r/blacksabbath subreddit, where Zoo Freaks can dive into discussions about the band’s legacy, share memorabilia, and connect over their love for tracks like "Snowblind."