>Phase A – Black Sabbath to Vol. 4
Right out of the gate, early albums are heavy, atmospheric, slow-burning, and often feel genuinely sinister. Absolutely legendary output, no notes. 10/10

>Phase A′ – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath & Sabotage
By this point, they're not the only 'metal' band anymore, there's i.e. Judas Priest but they sound more like heavy glam rockers at this time. Sabbath goes prog. Some of their best songs and some absolute misfires. Peaks are high (Megalomania, A National Acrobat, The Writ), but the inconsistency starts to show. 8/10

>Phase B – Technical Ecstasy & Never Say Die!
Now they're playing catch up. It's not terrible music, but it barely resembles what made Sabbath unique in the first place. There were already a dozen other bands doing this and more effectively. Magic is fading fast. 6/10

>Phase C – Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules
For a brief moment, the band seems revitalized. But while this is a new kind of Sabbath, it's also one trying to chase contemporary metal. Good albums but they don't quite reach the innovation or atmosphere of Phase A. 8/10

>Phase D – Born Again to Tyr
Sabbath is lost chasing trends, rotating vocalists, and throwing ideas at the wall. Born Again is awful. Martin is a technically solid but has zero stage presence. There's good material buried in here (Headless Cross mostly for me), but it's drowned in tryhard energy. 4/10

>Phase C′ – Dehumanizer
Dehumanizer almost succeeds. It's heavy, focused, and thematically darker. If the band had stuck together and built on this momentum, they might have had a real second act. Instead, they implode again. 7/10

>Phase D′ – Cross Purposes to 13
This is Sabbath in zombie mode. Cross Purposes is a lukewarm attempt to recreate Dehumanizer but with Martin. Forbidden is just dreadful. Star Producer Rick Rubin had the right idea trying to return the band to their roots, but it seems the band was confused by it. Still, 13 is their best since 1992. 3/10