“They were unfairly dismissed by critics and listeners with ‘good taste’ as mindlessly primitive”: A music professor breaks down the theory behind Black Sabbath's Iron Man

Black sabbath.

In memory of Ozzy Osbourne, we’re taking a look at one of the most iconic songs the Prince of Darkness ever recorded with Black Sabbath.

Iron Man is not named after the Marvel comic, which wasn’t available in the UK at the time that Sabbath wrote the song. (This hasn’t stopped Marvel from using it in movies and trailers.) Guitarist Tony Iommi came up with both the song’s intro part and the main riff while jamming over a simple thumping kick drum pattern played by Bill Ward.