Black Sabbath, God is Dead? | Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘

On the 2^nd edition of Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘, we explore the outlandishness behind the song “God is Dead?” performed by Black Sabbath.

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ring on the outlandishness! Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 is a column that falls under the umbrella of Controversial Tunes 😈🎶.  Like its parent column, Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 provides background information and insight into rock and metal songs that raise eyebrows and stir the pot.  The records featured on Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 can be classic or brand new. On the 2^nd edition of Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘, we explore the controversy behind the song, 🎵 “God is Dead?” performed by 🎙 Black Sabbath.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍

“Lost in the darkness, I fade from the light / Faith of my father, my brother, my Maker and Savior / Help me make it through the night.” When your band name is 🎙 Black Sabbath, you open yourself to controversy.  Being the heavy metal band that they are, the iconic British collective aren’t strangers to religious skepticism within their music. The Satanist rumors have been going around for years, specifically regarding front man, 🎙 Ozzy Osbourne.  With Ozzy reuniting with his old band on their 2013 comeback album, 💿 13, disputing God’s existence was a must, hence, “God is Dead?” The entirety of the song explores faith issues.

“The blood runs free
The rain turns red
Give me the wine
You keep the bread
The voices echo in my head 
Is God alive or is God dead?
Is God dead?”

If you’re a Christian who’s totally bothered by any sense of skepticism or potential agnostic/atheism, there’s hope! There’s a question mark as opposed to an exclamation mark! 🤷 Still, lyrically, there’s ‘blasphemy’ sure to get your undies in a twist!  The chorus’ communion, for example, seems to make The Lord’s Supper sacrilegious focusing on drinking wine as opposed to the blood of Christ represented in the sacrament.  Ozzy isn’t merely opting for shock value but making thoughtful points about a spiritual struggle and existential/faith crisis.  He’s torn: “With God and Satan at my side / From darkness will come light.”

There’s also criticism of churches that appears on the second verse: “Who do you trust when corruption and lust creed of all unjust / Leaves you empty and un-whole.” He makes a legitimate argument.  That said, it’s not EVERY church, which is the counter argument. 

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Final Thoughts 💭 

Interestingly, as the song progresses, Ozzy asserts, “I don’t believe that God is dead.” What does that mean for him spiritually? Who knows, but this Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 joint is captivating from start to finish.  The lyrics and vocal performance by Osbourne ‘take the cake,’ but the music kicks some serious butt too, including a rad guitar solo 🎸🤘. 

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🎙 Black Sabbath • 💿 13 • 🏷 Universal International Music BV • 🗓 2013
Black Sabbath, “God is Dead?”: Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 No. 2 [📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, Paul Brennan on Pixabay, Pexels, Sebastian Ervi, SHVETS production, Universal International Music BV, Vinícius Caricatte]

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