Hostile review
The review that missed the birth of metal
Released in the UK on 13 February 1970. A contemporary hostile review, alongside chart results with their dates.
The verdict at the time
Bangs attacked the band as derivative of Cream and dismissed the songwriting as 'inane lyrics that sound like Vanilla Fudge paying doggerel tribute to Aleister Crowley', concluding the record was 'a shuck' despite the murky song titles.
Chart peaks
European positions are listed by country. Later chart entries are labelled separately.
Sources & context
One critic's opinion, summarised from the original Rolling Stone review of September 1970. The album is now recognised as the founding document of heavy metal.
