"Hand of Doom" is a song by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, originally appearing on their second album Paranoid, released in 1970.

Background

The song was conceived after the band had observed a growing number of US soldiers arriving in England from the Vietnam War in the late 1960s with severe drug addictions.^[1] The song paints an unflattering picture of hard drug use for the purpose of self-medication. The lyrics were written by Geezer Butler while the music is credited to the entire band.

Cover versions

The song has been covered by various bands, including:

• Slayer on the 2000 Black Sabbath tribute album, Nativity in Black II.
• Danzig on its 1996 album, Blackacidevil.
• Isis on its 1999 EP, Sawblade.
• Eyehategod on a split album with Anal Cunt.
• Orange Goblin on a split with Electric Wizard.
• HIM as one of their B-sides on the single The Funeral of Hearts, and on their 2007 compilation album, Uneasy Listening Vol. 2.
• Reverend on its 1990 debut album World Won't Miss You.
• Jazz Sabbath on its 2020 self-titled debut album.^[2]

Personnel

Black Sabbath

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Tony Iommi – guitars
• Geezer Butler – bass guitar
• Bill Ward – drums

In popular culture

• Melissa Auf der Maur, known for her work with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, was the leader of a Black Sabbath cover band named after this song.^[3]
• The song was used in a scene in the fourteenth episode of the first season of Elementary, originally aired on February 3, 2013.^[4]

References

External links

• "Black Sabbath – Hand of Doom tab". Guitare Tab. Retrieved 19 June 2012.