‘Vol. 4’ is the fourth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released in September 1972. It was the first album by Black Sabbath not produced by Rodger Bain; guitarist Tony Iommi assumed production duties. ‘Vol. 4’ sees Black Sabbath beginning to experiment with the heavy sound they had become known for. Although most of the album's songs are in the band's trademark heavy style, others demonstrate a more sensitive approach which the band had never attempted before. The best example of this experimentation can be heard in the song ‘Changes’. The album cover features a monochrome photograph of Ozzy Osbourne with hands raised, taken during a Black Sabbath concert.
‘Vol. 4’ was released in September 1972, and while most critics of the era were dismissive of the album, it achieved gold status in less than a month, and was the band's fourth consecutive release to sell one million copies in the United States. It reached number 13 on Billboard's pop album chart and number 8 on the UK Albums Chart. In June 2000, Q magazine placed ‘Vol. 4’ at number 60 in its list of The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever and described the album as “the sound of drug-taking, beer-guzzling hooligans from Britain's oft-pilloried cultural armpit let loose in LA.” Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 48 among the “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time”.
180gm vinyl includes a copy of the album on CD.