Hand of Doom

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For other uses, see Hand of Doom (disambiguation).
"Hand of Doom"
Song by Black Sabbath
from the album Paranoid
Released18 September 1970 (1970-09-18)
Length7:08
LabelVertigo
Songwriter(s)Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne
Producer(s)Rodger Bain

"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

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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

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Black Sabbath

Cover versions

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Danzig version

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The band Danzig covered "Hand of Doom" for their album Danzig 5: Blackacidevil, with new lyrics and musical arrangements by Glenn Danzig. Danzig explained his changes to the original version: "I didn't want people to think it's just a cover...I started improvising and twisted the words. The melody is still the same, with an industrial kind of groove to the beginning and then the chorus comes in and it's full on crazy, with the screaming vocals." The idea for recording a cover version of the song came during a soundcheck by then-Danzig guitarist John Christ.[2]

Orange Goblin version

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The band Orange Goblin covered "Hand of Doom" for their EP Nuclear Guru.[3]

Slayer version

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The band Slayer covered "Hand of Doom" for the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black II.[4]

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  • 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.[5]
  • The song was used in a scene in the fourteenth episode of the first season of Elementary, originally aired on February 3, 2013.[6]
  • 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 me."
  • The cover art for the GZR album Black Science is intended to represent the Black Sabbath song "Hand of Doom".[7]

References

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  1. ^ Classic Albums – Paranoid by Isis Productions/Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  2. ^ "Glenn Danzig – On the Record". Metal Edge. March 1997. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  3. ^ "Sunday Old School: Orange Goblin". Metal Underground. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  4. ^ "The Real Meaning Behind Black Sabbath's Hand Of Doom". Grunge. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  5. ^ "Auf Der Maur MTV Biography". MTV. 1972-03-17. Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  6. ^ Video on YouTube
  7. ^ "Black Science at Black Sabbath Online". Black Sabbath Online. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
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