Remembering when Black Sabbath appeared in ‘CSI’
Although they are now defunct, over their two periods of life, Black Sabbath were one of the busiest bands on the planet. Fuelled by pure creativity and what Iggy Pop would call a lust for life, the stories about the quartet are many, ranging from the downright hilarious to tales that evoke utter revulsion. Still, such was the life of one of the world’s premium rock outfits.
Notably, Sabbath first broke through at the dawn of the 1970s with their ominous yet grooving form of music that was darker than anything that anyone had ever heard before, even more so than the sinister sounds of Iron Butterly’s countercultural classic, ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’. The four Brummies were acutely aware that audiences loved to be scared, so they made this their main artistic slant, which stretched from their eponymous 1970 debut to their final opus, 2013’s 13. Whether it be ‘The Wizard’ or ‘The Sign of the Southern Cross’, Black Sabbath’s oeuvre oozes darkness.
After the breakthrough of Sabbath, the world of rock would never be the same again, with them stirring the final ingredients into the cauldron to produce the multifaceted and mesmerising genre we now know as metal. Duly, from groove to black metal, we hear the influence of Ozzy Osbourne and the band alive and well today.
From many drug-fuelled capers to rehearsing in the dungeon of a creepy old castle, Black Sabbath’s life was nearly as fantastical as the stories their songs told, and duly, they are one of the most interesting acts we’ve ever seen. This penchant for the unbelievable existed until they called it a day in 2013, and towards the end of their career, Sabbath gave fans one of their most surprising moments.
This came in the form of a special appearance and performance on the long-running American procedural crime drama CSI. Taking to Instagram in 2020, the band added their appearance on the show to their ‘OnThisDay’ series. It featured three photos, the first two showing the band performing before the final image depicted Ozzy’s short cameo in the programme. He appears opposite James Callis’ character, who explains that he once interviewed Ozzy back in 1986, to which he quips: “I don’t remember 1986!”
Fans of the show will remember the episode, ‘Skin of the Game’, the finale of season 13, where the team investigate a series of killings related to Dante’s Inferno. At one point, we see Black Sabbath perform the thunderous opener of 13, ‘End of the Beginning’, which perfectly sets the tone for what is to come over the rest of the episode and season 14.
