...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble signed to that label. The album shows the band trying out various genres a mix of heavy metal and progressive rock rather than the hard rock that they would become known for on later albums. Tracks 3 and 8 were recorded as Spice songs prior to the band's renaming as Uriah Heep, and featured session player Colin Wood on keyboards. When Ken Hensley joined Spice in late 1969, the tracks were not re-recorded. The album was generally panned by the mainstream critical press upon its release, although it has since been acknowledged as an early classic of the heavy metal
Heavy metal lyrics way. "Contrary to the notion that heavy metal music glorifies or encourages substance use…, Black Sabbath’s lyrics…weave a cautionary tale of how persistent substance use can hijack free will, become the dominant focus" of the user’s life, and lead to misery. Weinstein states that drugs are not used much as a lyrical theme in metal, because drugs do not "resonate with the power" of heavy metal music (Black Sabbath’s "Sweet Leaf", a song that celebrates marijuana, is a notable exception). Andy Bennett states that the classic era-heavy metal themes of sex, drugs and rock and roll are not present in