It is a hard task to think of any other record, which would conduct such a perfect mixture of rock music's propensities, dominant for the period. References to '50s-60s western musical culture and artful orchestral inserts (reflective of prog and folk rock movements), annotated with a commanding riff work, further pushing the boundaries of heavy metal guitar style, form a sophisticated yet intelligible configuration of this album.

What's so stirring about Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is its very condensed assertion of ornate non-rock components, submerged into an unfailing tightness of guitars and a rhythm section. This quality makes the album a more hard-hitting and accessible (in a positive sense) offshoot of the early '70s rock's complicated side, than other releases of the same era, when maker's intent to sound complex sometimes turned music into an oversaturated muddle of ideas.

The aforesaid quality shines through a classy interaction between symphony and rock (standing in the same league of grandiosity as Queen's "The Prophet's Song") in "Spiral Architect" or "Sabbra Caddabra's" masterful, hard rocking re-embodiment of the late '50s Little Richard vibe with a saxophone's tonality of driving guitar licks and also piano, accompanying pumping riffs in a swingy mode. Mellow instrumentation (acoustics, flute, synths) subdues the music, making it diverge from heaviness and encompassing laid-back parts, where Ozzy Osbourne demonstrates an ability to carry emotion with his singing. This attitude is shown in "Looking for Today" and the title track. The latter is also notable for containing some of the heaviest Sabbath's riffs ever. However, the record's most impressive indication of the band's prowess as heavy metal innovators can be found in "Killing Yourself to Live" and "A National Acrobat", both featuring churning chords, overlapped with highly memorable harmonies and double-tracked leads.

Whatever the band does here, a sense of both intricacy and catchiness remains. It's something, I always evaluate in rock/metal albums. The feeling, which the music and Butler's metaphysical poetry radiate, differs from the previous Black Sabbath's output; it is slightly more uplifting, definitely a good sign of evolving towards unexplored directions. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is truly a highpoint of the band's artistic growth.