"Hand of Doom" is a song by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, originally appearing on their second album Paranoid, released in 1970.

Background

The song was conceived after the band had observed a growing number of US soldiers arriving in England from the Vietnam War in the late 1960s with severe drug addictions.[1] The song paints an unflattering picture of hard drug use for the purpose of self-medication. The lyrics were written by Geezer Butler while the music is credited to the entire band.

Personnel

Black Sabbath
  • Melissa Auf der Maur, known for her work with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, was the leader of a Black Sabbath cover band named after this song.[2]
  • The song was used in a scene in the fourteenth episode of the first season of Elementary, originally aired on February 3, 2013.[3]
  • Metallica’s song about addiction, "Trapped Under Ice", from the 1984 album Ride the Lightning, references this track in the lyric "Hand of doom has a tight grip on you."

References

  1. ^ Classic Albums – Paranoid by Isis Productions/Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  2. ^ "Auf Der Maur MTV Biography". MTV. 1972-03-17. Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  3. ^ Video on YouTube
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