Everyone backstage, after an amazing day of love and appreciation for Black Sabbath, were rich rock stars – which also implies ageing rock stars. While, in one way, this highlights the massive influence of the band, it does it in a way that is only commercial and filled with mainstream appeal.
I mean, I never thought that bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Tool would rise to that level, but that just goes to show you how popular heavy music has been in the whole sphere of rock ‘n’ roll.
The boys from Birmingham will go down as the greatest band in history that attained mass acceptance while playing so much of their music on the fringes of dark blues – and giving birth to all things Doom.
And there you go. Doom. None of the bands that played on stage on 5 July 2025 were anywhere near this genre of music-slower tempos and low-tuned guitars that create a thicker/fatter/muddier sound.
None. It was simply bands – great bands at that – who were influenced to play heavy but not the heavy that Black Sabbath invented.
What makes the Black Sabbath story and celebration so phenomenal is their rise to power, obtaining mainstream acceptance, and having lasting cultural relevance, came without compromise to their music.
Darkness became a bright light of inspiration for many bands.
However, what should be seen as a missed opportunity was to give so many of the underground bands – scattered all over the globe – who have been influenced by Black Sabbath to the degree that their sound is organically derived from those molten lava roots.
Everything cool in rock music came from the underground. Those who only champion the bands that ‘made it’ are gatekeeping journalists whose own ego needs to be tethered to success, fame, and celebrity.
That’s not rock ‘n’ roll, folks. And that certainly does not embody the gritty “back-to-the-beginning” roots of Black Sabbath.
Here is a sampling of bands that fans of Black Sabbath would have endeared themselves to immediately. But, if they didn’t, that means they are not really fans of that sound – they are only fans of things that are popular, like ‘Dad Metal’.
You can’t purchase Black Sabbath cool. You have to walk the walk.
Let’s go for a stroll in the heavy underworld of Stoner Doom.
Acid Mammoth (Greece)
Black Sabbath’s last two great Ozzy albums, Master Of Reality and Sabotage, are not shy influences for the band whose name is spot on in terms of describing a thundering, trippy sojourn through those albums.
The result is a band that sounds like, looks like, and smells like a 1975 Sabbath concert. It might be the only father-and-son band on the planet showing how strong the Sabbath roots are
Belzebong (Poland)
Four dudes in denim throwing down slab after slab of dungeon-like Doom. No vocals. Just dudes – literally. Alky Dude, Cheesy Dude, Hexy Dude, and Sheepy Dude. If you imagine them performing in a cloudy haze of dry ice and weed, you’re gonna seriously dig this band.
Black Capricorn (Italy)
The Sabbath-inspired riffs are not in short supply here. The vocals complement the haunting soundscape. Impossible to not fall in love with this band. Their Doom could bore a hole to the center of the Earth.
Black Road (USA)
Suzi Uzi laying down the hypnotic vocals over psychedelic Doom that sounds wonderfully accessible.
Black Rainbows (Italy)
A band that gives a balanced delivery of Sabbath’s heavy grooves and heavy psychedelic nods – hence the label they founded, Heavy Psych! Attitude and look is pure unassuming stoner.
Black Sabbitch (USA)
An all-female Sabbath cover band. While all the bands in this list play their own music, I would be remiss not to mention this super-talented cover band that is led by Fireball Ministry’s Emily Burton. A crime this song was not played at Back To The Beginning.
Bog Wizard (USA)
If you don’t think for a second that this band stinks to high heaven of Sabbath’s sound, then the song title of the video below should fix that. The vocals add to the gloomy atmosphere. Diverse landscapes are part of the band’s overall sound.
Bongzilla (USA)
If you like doomiest of Doom with vocals that will scare the shit out of you, then Bongzilla is for you. Well, who are we kidding? It should be for you!
Domkraft (Sweden)
Probably my favourite band of the last ten years. Nobody creates quite the numbness of heavy like this Scandinavian outfit. Don’t blame me if you blow out your speakers trying to chase this boss level of Doom.
Electric Wizard (United Kingdom)
If you love Black Sabbath and don’t know about this genre-defining band that has been around since the early ’90s, I am at a loss for words.
Hashtronaut (USA)
For some folks in the underground, their 2024 album No Return was easily in the top releases of that year. The Sabbath vibe runs deep here.
Iron Blanket (Australia)
Sounds like if Sabbath were an underground band in the ’70s. Dark and not quite ready to surface to the mainstream.
Kadavar (Germany)
This Berlin-based band has undergone many musical shifts in its storied career, but their early roots clearly paid homage to the Sabbath’s catalogue.
Kadabra (USA)
In addition to bringing the slowed-down heavy guitars, this French three-piece brings a more playful and accessible Doom to the scene.
Monolord (Sweden)
For me personally, this band needs to be on the Mount Rushmore of Doom bands this century. Not only did they mine all the needed heaviness from Sabbath, they, like all great bands, brought in their own unique artistry.
The best Doom bands, while singing about heavy topics, are strangely uplifting. Monolord is, without a doubt, one of them. If you’re not banging your head like the woman in the dreads in the video below, you hate life.
Orchid (USA)
Could easily pull double duty by being the world’s greatest Sabbath tribute band. Fine line between imitation and flattery. Orchid dances on this line like it’s nobody’s business.
Sleep (USA)
I would have been eviscerated for not putting this band – and rightfully so. Sleep are one of the pioneers of the Stoner/Doom scene, and their albums are all legendary.
No surprise that Matt Pike went on to create one of the greatest and most influential bands in history: High On Fire. Only this band could create another great ‘naut” song.
Spelljammer (Sweden)
Love the band’s name. And sure enough, the Doom spell that they cast with their sound goes through some indistinguishable path of Sabbath and Sleep. Addictive as hell.
Windhand (USA)
Thomas V. Jager is often seen wearing his jean vest with a massive Windhand patch covering the entire back during live performances.
There’s a damn good reason for that. Windhand is the aspirational Doom band that every band on the scene wishes they could be. The crunching and swirling guitars with the hypnotic vocals of Dorithea Cotrell are impossible to reproduce.
I am sure I have left off a few great bands. And I kind of like that. That’s an indication that the scene is alive and well with not just the influence of Black Sabbath but their sound as well. This is where the true and organic value of Sabbath’s legacy lies.
Back To The Beginning implies embracing the birth of something new and exciting. Being curious about bands that are carrying the torch of Sabbath’s Doom sound for the next generation – bands from around the world – is a prerequisite for being a fan of heavy music.
There is more to Sabbath’s legacy than millionaire acts from only the UK and USA.
And not showcasing and recognising this talent in some way was a missed opportunity to see what is happening in the underground – where all great music comes from.
