Which Black Sabbath album was released in 1972?

Black Sabbath’s album released in 1972 was Vol. 4.

Vol. 4 was the band’s fourth studio album and was released on 25 September 1972. It followed Master of Reality, which had appeared in 1971, and preceded Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, released in 1973. The album’s title can be misleading because there were no earlier Black Sabbath albums officially called Volumes 1, 2, or 3.

The record continued the band’s heavy style but also introduced more experimental material. Songs such as “Snowblind,” “Cornucopia,” and “St. Vitus Dance” sit alongside the emotional piano ballad “Changes,” showing a broader range than the band’s earliest work. “Snowblind” was originally considered as the album’s title, but the record company rejected it because of its direct reference to cocaine.

Vol. 4 was commercially successful despite mixed contemporary reviews. It reached number 13 in the United States and number 8 in the United Kingdom, and it became Black Sabbath’s fourth consecutive album to sell one million copies in the United States. The album is now widely regarded as one of the band’s essential releases.