Core Elements of Rock from the 70s:
🎸 Guitar
Down-tuned riffs: Heavy, sludgy, and ominous — using lower tunings to create a sense of dread, Powerful distortion: Thick and fuzzy, like molten iron, Riff-driven: Songs often revolve around iconic, hypnotic riffs (“Iron Man, ” “Paranoid”), Dark modal scales: Especially the tritone (“devil’s interval”), evoking an unsettling feeling, 🥁 Drums
Dynamic and jazzy: Swinging grooves infused with explosive fills, Weighty but alive: Not robotic — human and expressive, adding texture rather than just timekeeping, 🎤 Vocal
Wailing tenor: Nasal, haunting, and eerie — like a ghost chanting over a battlefield, Melodic yet unhinged: Brings tension between order and chaos, Apocalyptic lyrics: War, insanity, occultism, and social decay, 🎸 Bass (Geezer Butler)
Gritty and melodic: Often plays counter-melodies instead of just root notes, Fills the low-end void: Crucial for their massive wall of sound