Paranoid, released by Black Sabbath in September 1970, was the band's only LP to top the U.K. Albums Chart until the release of 13 in 2013. Paranoid contains several of the band's signature songs, including "Iron Man," "War Pigs" and the title track, which was the band's only Top 20 hit, reaching No. 4 in the U.K. charts. It is often regarded as one of the most quintessential and influential albums in heavy metal history.

Black Sabbath is often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre, were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band" of all time, and placed second in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them No. 85 in their "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." They have sold more than 70 million records worldwide. Black Sabbath was inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance.