"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Lord of This World" by Black Sabbath. Dramatic quiet-to-loud arc, stormy climax. harsh clashing textures, abrasive edges. Mood: heavy, intense, rebellious. Visual style: 1970s editorial print aesthetic, sun-faded color. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Lord of This World by Black Sabbath is 145 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 73 BPM · Double-time 290 BPM · released 1971
Fan image for "Lord of This World"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
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Song DNA
Misophonia Triggers
A heavy metal track from Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, featuring dark lyrics from the Devil's perspective warning of evil and damnation, driven by Tony Iommi's iconic fuzzy riffs.
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: heavy, intense, rebellious
Traditions: heavy metal
"Lord of This World" is in our intense band.
At least one of our five sensory dimensions crosses the threshold that means "this can be a lot." Most commonly: dynamic vocals or harsh texture, or a dynamic range of 8/10. The full breakdown is below. If you arrived here looking for a calmer alternative, our use-case verdicts section flags songs with similar mood but lower intensity.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 8/10 is in the upper band of our library. This song has a significant quiet-to-loud arc. For sensory-sensitive listening, set the opening volume well below your comfortable top-end; the climax will land harder than the intro suggests.
Sudden changes: present. This song uses surprise as a feature. For focus or background listening, it's likely to pull your attention away; for active listening, that's often the point.
Texture is harsh — the mix contains timbres that clash (distortion against bright cymbals, close-mic'd elements against compressed drums, or unresolved dissonances).
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Black Sabbath's catalog
We have 84 songs from Black Sabbath in the library. Of those, 8 are rated Safe, 27 Moderate, and 49 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 8/10 sits above the artist average of 7.1, making it the #9 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Master of Reality
We have 7 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans intense in sensory profile.
- Children of the Grave — intense DR 9
- Sweet Leaf — intense DR 7
- After Forever — moderate DR 7
- Into the Void — intense DR 8
- Embryo — safe DR 4
- Orchid — safe DR 3
1971 context
Released in 1971. We have 257 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.2/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1970s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
How fast is "Lord of This World"?
145 BPM — Fast (workout / running pace)
Steady-state running pace. Matches most recreational runners' natural cadence.
HIIT, Spin class, dance, intense intervals.
Active tasks, getting pumped up, party, anything high-energy.
Browse more songs at 145 BPM.
When "Lord of This World" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
Yes — 145 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
Maybe — the intensity / sudden changes are fine for solo highway driving but skip for city or rainy-weather driving.
No — too active to function as background; will pull attention away from what you're doing.
Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
A Sensory Guide to Metal: Not All Heavy Music Is the Same
A Sensory Guide to Metal: Not All Heavy Music Is the Same — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
The counterintuitive reason some heavy metal is safer than a Taylor Swift album
Not all loud music is unsafe. Not all quiet music is safe. How doom metal, drone, and sludge rock score better for sensory sensitivity than …
Metal is more predictable than you think — and that's why some people love it
Counterintuitive take: heavy metal is one of music's most predictable genres. Here's what the structure actually does to your brain.
Why this rating
We rate this song Intense. Our rule is deliberately conservative: any one of high dynamic range, present sudden changes, harsh texture, or a strained/screamed vocal is enough to trigger Intense on its own. Full scoring rubric: methodology.
See how “Lord of This World” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
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If this one is too much: sensory-overload protection
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-14. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
By the numbers: how this song compares
Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.
Where it sits in 19,000 songs
This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 95% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 81/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, harsh texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 95% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.
What it’s good for
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1971 in context
The 257 songs we’ve measured from 1971 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Lord of This World"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Lord of This World" by Black Sabbath?
"Lord of This World" by Black Sabbath has a tempo of 145 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 73 BPM, and at double-time 290 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Lord of This World" by Black Sabbath?
"Lord of This World" by Black Sabbath rates as Intense. Dynamic range 8/10, moderate sudden changes, harsh texture, dynamic vocals vocal style. Any one of high dynamic range, present sudden changes, or harsh texture triggers the Intense rating.
How loud is "Lord of This World" — what is its dynamic range?
"Lord of This World" has a dynamic range of 8/10. Substantial quiet-to-loud arc. Start at a volume well below your top-end; the climax will land harder than the intro suggests.
Does "Lord of This World" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "Lord of This World" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "Lord of This World" best for?
In our library "Lord of This World" is recommended for: emotional release, workout. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Lord of This World" released?
"Lord of This World" is from 1971, on the album "Master of Reality". It appears in our 1970s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Lord of This World"?
We tag "Lord of This World" as heavy, intense, rebellious. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Lord of This World"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Lord of This World" good for running?
Yes — at 145 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.
Is "Lord of This World" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (8/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Lord of This World" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Too intense overall.
Should I listen to "Lord of This World"?
"Lord of This World" is Intense in our ratings — dramatic dynamics, possible sudden changes, or strong vocal or textural energy. Best with intention rather than ambient use. If you are sensory-sensitive, the alternatives section surfaces calmer songs in the same mood family.
Songs with the same DNA
harsh texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
What this song means to people
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