Cozy is the man... :metal: :metal:

"Fire and Water, Wind and Rain, Wings that carry Hell in every vein."

TYR (released Aug 30, 1990)

After the lukewarm sales of Headless Cross and the collapse of the US tour, Iommi & co. quickly returned to the studio hoping to reverse the trend. Thankfully, the lineup was stable for once, Neil Murray had joined for the HC tour and would prove to be an asset in the studio.

TYR was a first for Sabbath, a concept album based around Norse mythology. The idea was all Tony Martin, who came up with the story and wrote all the lyrics. Martin sounds really confident on this album, you can tell he was passionate about it and he gives arguably his best performance with Sabbath.

The opening track Anno Mundi borrows a little too closely from Children Of The Sea for it's intro...but once the song kicks in it develops into a very impressive performance. Cozy Powell & Neil Murray REALLY gel on this album, check out the effortless groove they lay down for the verse sections. Geoff Nichols keyboards are more prominent in the arrangements throughout the album, this allows Iommi to play more textural guitar parts instead of having to drive every song. The song is multi-layered with numerous shifts in tone and tempo.

The Lawmaker is the most straight-forward "metal song" on the album, it's a little pedestrian in the beginning but around the 2 minute mark really kicks into gear. Iommi's solo just shreds and sounds great over Powell's thundering double bass.

Jerusalem is one of the most non-Sabbath sounding songs this band ever recorded, the prominent keyboard parts and layered harmony vocals taking it closer to Rainbow territory. Its a very catchy tune and quite memorable, Iommi's solo is the main reminder of who we're listening to.

The Sabbath Stones (I really hate that title) is the first "epic" of the album, taking us closer to established Sabbath territory. The song begins as a loping doom track...but completely switches gears at the 1:45 mark when Iommi's acoustic guitar part comes in for a quiet interlude before the pounding chorus. Here again is a musical arrangement that's quite a bit more complex than anything Iommi had attempted in some time...the band is incredibly tight on here. The fast riff that comes in around the 5 minute mark is slamming.

The Battle of TYR/Odin's Court/Valhalla is the centerpiece of the album (though it didn't require 3 song titles). Probably the most mature composition this particular lineup recorded, it's quite an achievment and one of my personal favorites from this era. The guitar/vocal arrangement on Odin is beautiful and Martin sounds great on this type of material...it also tricks you into a comfortable mood before Valhalla comes crushing in. The Iommi/Powell partnership is at it's most impressive on this song, it's the perfect balance of the heavy & melodic. Iommi again lays down a blistering solo. This song should have stayed in their setlist for awhile.

Feels Good To Me is the one nod towards commercial considerations on the album, but who wasn't recording power ballads during that time? It also helps that it's a really good song, it's comparable to No Stranger To Love...the guitar solo is gorgeous.

The album ends with the best Rainbow song that Black Sabbath ever recorded; Heaven In Black. Cozy's drum solo intro and Nichols keyboard parts always make me think I'm hearing an unreleased song from Rising. I love the guitar solo mid-section on this tune.

The only real problem with this album...is that it doesn't sound like a Black Sabbath record. It's a very good progressive-tinged metal album, but is another case where I wonder if Iommi would have done better with either a different band name or just a solo album. It's a very artistically successful album, but unfortunately wasn't what US audiences were looking for at the time. IRS did little to promote the album and it failed to chart in the top 200 in Billboard. The band tried to schedule a US tour but there wasn't sufficient interest, so they focused on the rest of the world...and did quite well.

I'm pleasantly surprised how well this album has held up over the years.

*notes*
On the European tour for this album there were numerous guest appearances, including Ian Gillan, Geezer Butler and Brian May.

This exact lineup would return for 1995's Forbidden.

TYR is my fave album with Tony Martin (most of the time). Great review d, I can't add more.

When 'TYR' was first released I was not overall impressed, it was not til I gave the album a few spins did I grow to appreciate the album. Not one of the best Black Sabbath albums in their discography but certainly not anything to be ashamed of.

With the addition of Neil Murray on bass, it made the band sound that much more stronger and him and Cozy Powell just jelled very strongly, not very surprisingly considered they had worked together in Whitesnake.

A concept album about Norse mythology may have not been the smartest commerical move, at least in the Staes. As detuned pointed out overseas this version of Black Sabbath were starting to sell more tickets and their albums where doing very well, over here the albums where not promoted and went straight to the cut out bin.

What I like about this album, that it seems like Tony Martin is no longer writing lyrics in some preconceived notion of what he thinks Black Sabbath is suppose to be but writing lyrics to fit his style and not throwing satan into other line.

I like every song on this album including the ballad ' Feels Good to Me', a great solid Black Sabbath album and one I rate slightly higher than 'Headless Cross' if only due to the fact that Tony Martin is not writing silly lyrics about demons, satan and hell fire.

After initial puzzlement, I've learned to love each of the Tony Martin era albums mentioned here so far. Eternal Idol is actually one of my top five Sabbath albums ever. The Valhalla suite off Tyr is probably my favorite Martin era song. And Headless Cross, despite it's Rainbow cheese, is fun to listen to. It's one of those albums (like Celtic Frost's Cold Lake) that is so silly that I can't even attempt to take it seriously, so I just play along and enjoy the cheese. You know I like cheese.

I've actually never heard the Ray Gillen version of Eternal Idol. I need to get that and study it a bit.

"Gotta send me a plastic Jesus, there's a check in the mail today..."

DEHUMANIZER (released June 30, 1992)

By the time 1991 rolled around Black Sabbath had become fairly irrelevant, the years of constant lineup changes had taken their toll on the bands stature. At the same time the band "Dio" was also slipping in popularity. At times like these it becomes easier to overlook previous disagreements.

At the conclusion of the TYR tour (which Geezer made a guest appearance) Tony Iommi fired Tony Martin & Neil Murray and work began on demos for a new album. Work began with Iommi, Butler and Cozy Powell, it is unclear at what point Dio entered the picture. At some point prior to entering the studio Cozy was involved in a horse riding accident and broke his pelvis...this left the door open for the return of Vinny Appice to the fold. Thus 10 years after they disintigrated the Mob Rules band was back in the studio together.

The expectations on the band were HUGE to deliver a Sabbath classic, an album that would erase all the years of confusion...while not quite reaching that plateau, Dehumanizer did deliver a viscious metal assault.

The very first thing I noticed when Dehumanizer was released was that the instant Geezer returns the SOUND of Sabbath follows. It's really the combination of Iommi & Butler that is the core instrumental identity of Sabbath...without Butler it's never quite the same.

The album kicks off with the "mission statement" track Computer God. This song sets the tone for the rest of the album. Epic, evil, angry, punishing. Appice pounds the drums like his life depends on it and the band lurches along with a truly menacing groove. Dio is especially aggresive on this tune.

After All, The Dead starts out as a promising doom track, but then never really hits it's stride...in the end it's pretty generic sounding and rather dull.

TV Crimes however gets us right back on track...a crushingly heavy uptempo song with some memorable Iommi riffs and a killer solo. This song would fit on Mob Rules nicely.

Letters From Earth returns us to the doom, but this time it works beautifully. Geezer drives this loping monster along and Dio really nails the mood. They should still be playing this song live...

Master Of Insanity was a leftover track from the short-lived Geezer Butler band, while it starts off with a really promising bass-driven riff it then devolves into a really generic metal tune that sounds like it was stitched together Frankenstein style. Thankfully this is really the last misstep on the album.

Time Machine is a solid uptempo rocker tailor-made for the stage. There is an alternate version as a bonus track (from the Wayne's World soundtrack) and it's actually superior to the album version.

Sins Of The Father is one of the most interesting tunes this lineup ever recorded. Back in '92 when this album came out I wasn't crazy about it...but now it's one of my favorite songs on the album. It sounds like a song that could have been written with Ozzy in mind (especially the intro). Iommi's main riff for this song is KILLER, a very cool and underrated track.

Next up are two Sabbath classics in a row:

Too Late is the song that returns us to the "classic" sound of H&H and Mob Rules. Perfectly suited for Dio's voice, this is easily the most memorable song on the album and one that they continue to perform to this day.

"I" starts out with a great bluesy Iommi riff before kicking into full-on stomp mode. Even though catchy usually isn't a word associated with Sabbath, it fits with this song.

The album ends with Buried Alive which returns us to the viscious mood of Computer God, a truly brutal stomper with Dio giving a very aggresive performance.

In summary, Dehumanizer was definitely the heaviest record Sabbath had recorded since Born Again...and the first one to actually have that signature Sabbath sound. While it didn't re-create that spontaneous magic of the first two albums with Dio (an impossible task), it was a very welcome addition to the Sabbath catalog back in the summer of '92.

The public responded to the reunion providing Sabbath with their first truly successful album in a number of years. TYR never even charted, but Dehumanizer made it to #44 on the Billboard Charts...which also surpassed the performance of the previous Dio album (Lock Up The Wolves peaked at #63). The tour was a success....UNTIL...

...Iommi & Butler agreed to be the opening act of Ozzy's "farewell concert" so they could perform a short set with the original lineup. Dio FREAKED and refused to open for Ozzy, so instead of Dehumanizer being a new beginning, it ended up as a one-off project...and the revolving door of band members would continue...

DEHUMANIZER was the first Sabbath album I picked up since my experience with SEVENTH STAR a few years previously. The track "TV Crimes" piqued my interest when it started getting play on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, so I ordered the tape from Columbia House (where it was the "Selection of the Month" at the time). That was kinda dumb because at the time I was starting to change my collection over from cassette to CD, so after a few quick spins when I first got it, DEHUMANIZER got lost in the shuffle rather quickly and was almost forgotten.

I finally picked up a CD copy a few years ago (I'm actually now on my second CD copy, as the first one I bought had a skip on it!) and have re-discovered what a cool album it is. Definitely the heaviest thing they'd done since BORN AGAIN, as detuned states, and though it may not quite be in the same league as HEAVEN & HELL or MOB RULES, it still holds up rather well and gets spun quite often nowadays.

Once the Tony Martin era had begun, my attitude towards Black Sabbath was "Why bother? Nobody cares anymore." and left it at that. One day a few years back I found Eternal Idol used and figured I give it a shot. I was floored at how good it really was. I then sought out the remainder of the Martin era and like it all. Never judge something before hearing.


As for Dehumanizer, a friend from work had it and played it alot. I was quite familiar with it before ever buying it. What can I say, anything with Dio singing on it sounds great (the songwriting was pretty awesome as well).

Sabbath returns with a good album. I like this one, but it would be my # 4 of the Dio-Sabbath albums.

I was very excited when I first learned that my favorite Black Sabbath line up was reuniting, I was (and am ) a fan of Tony Martin era but I was very happy to hear Dio was back in the band. I would have been curious to hear what Cozy Powelll would have sounded with Geezer Butler on bass but it was not meant to be.

I have to agree with detuned the combo of Iommi and Butler, no matter who is fronting the band, bring that classic Sabbath sound back to life. Dio sounds angry and this album features some of his most aggressive singing. While I love 'Dehumanizer' this was the weakest album in the Black Sabbath Dio-era.

I like every song on this album and I was happy to see this tour (with Danzig opening ), to say I was disappointed that this fell apart soon after the reformation would be understatement.

The recent release of "The Rules Of Hell" boxset was the first time that I had heard Dehumanizer in years. I definitely appreciate this album more now than I did when it was first released. I always liked it...but was hoping for a little something more.

The passing years have mellowed my view on it...however, I think "The Devil You Know" is a far superior album by this lineup.

Ahhh, the almighty Dehumanizer. This is my fave Sabbath album EVER!!
When it first came out I was in 7th grade and I quickly rushed out to get it and...I was totally unimpressed, I thought this was one sucky album so I traded it for another CD. Fast forward ten years and in order to complete my Sabbath collection at the time I needed Dehumanizer so I bought it and decided to give it another chance and I'm glad I did, it was so freakin' awesome and it still is, there are a few demos of songs that eventually made the album and some that didn't floating around on youtube but have yet to find a hard copy of them. Lyrically/musically it's one of Sabbath's best.

"It's too late now, it's time to kiss the rainbow goodbye"

CROSS PURPOSES (released Jan 31, 1994)

Another year, another Black Sabbath lineup. For those that might have lost count...this is the 9th studio album in a row without a consistent lineup. If nothing else, Sabbath should get some kind of award for it's revolving door history of band members post-Ozzy.

Speaking of Ozzy, originally Iommi & Butler had hoped this would be the reunion album with the Ozzman. But after waiting 6 months for him to show...they gave up and brought in their perennial "backup quarterback" vocalist Tony Martin once again.

When this album was released in 1994 I really liked it, it was nice to still have that Iommi/Butler combination (the Sabbath engine)...but I don't think time has been overly kind to this album.

I Witness is a nice hard charging number, however Martin's performance on this song is SO flat that it steals some of the impact. This track would have sounded great with Dio on vocals, but Martin just doesn't have the necessary "grit" to really sell it.

Cross Of Thorns =

Psychophobia FINALLY kicks this puppy into gear. Only Iommi & Butler would come up with a rhythm like this, agressive and choppy, it has loads of attitude. Martin sounds more comfortable on this song and puts in a really good performance. The line "it's time to kiss the Rainbow goodbye" has always sounded to me like a middle finger to Dio. The second riff that comes in around the 1:30 mark is AWESOME! Incredible groove on this one, new drummer Bobby Rondinelli really makes his presence felt.

Virtual Death starts off with an ominous Geezer bass intro and settles into a nice loping doom groove at the beginning...but then the song goes absolutely nowhere. Martin again sounds like he's "phoning in" his performance, with a rhythm this simple you really need some charismatic vocals to sell it...Martin doesn't.

Immaclate Deception is a real odd duck. The prominent keyboards give it more of a Rainbow-type vibe...then Rondinelli comes in with a pounding double-bass mid-section which changes the mood yet again. Martin sounds good on here...but this song really sounds unfinished and stitched together.

Dying For Love is a nice power ballad that begins with a beautiful Iommi solo (ala Feels Good To Me, No Stranger To Love) and some wonderful Geezer Butler commentary under the verse sections. Martin is in his element here, he's really a much better vocalist on the mellower material.

Back To Eden is another patchwork track...any song that starts with the line "we are the Star Demons" has an uphill battle ahead of it. The chorus section is nice...but again, this tune really just doesn't work. Next.

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is one of the best songs on the album and was a good choice for the first single. Iommi provides a memorable riff (one of the few on the album) and the band really clicks.

Cardinal Sin (the actual song title is Sin, Cardinal Sin but was misprinted on the album) sounds a little like Dio-era Rainbow due to the doubled guitar/keyboard riff in the first section. I REALLY like this song, it sounds organic and it holds up quite well.

The introduction of Evil Eye reminds me a little bit of Into The Void, it's got more of an old-school-Sabbath groove to it. The song was originally supposed to feature a guest appearance by Eddie Van Halen but scheduling conflicts kept that from happening. I LOVE Geezer's bass-driven section after the initial Iommi solo...it brings back memories of the Sabbath of yore...it's a great way to end a rather lackluster album.

What's The Use was released as a Japanese only bonus track...and it's a GREAT rocker...why this wasn't on the US release is beyond me. There are quite a few other tracks on here that I would have happily traded for this one. Iommi's solo is killer.

Unfortunately for Sabbath the US market was really ambivilent about the album. When Dio returned their sales returned...as soon as he left...they tanked again. Cross Purposes only managed to reach #122 on the Billboard charts and was quickly forgotten. There are a few really good tracks on here, but this is easily one of the most mediocre albums in their catalog.

Things would continue to get worse....

Cross Purposes is an album I like but rarely listen to it, I think it's a little flat and Iommi's riffs are a little soft but this album holds a sentimental value so I like it nonetheless.

CROSS PURPOSES-LIVE (released Mar 1, 1995)

I.R.S. basically snuck this one out in early 1995 with minimal promotional push. It was released in a CD/VHS combo pack, the VHS has 3 additional songs not on the CD.

The concert was recorded at Hammersmith on April 13, 1994. It's been years since I listened to this one...I remember it as being "serviceable" but not really all that special. Tony Martin was ill for the majority of the tour and his vocals are not at their strongest. He comes across better on the Dio material, the Ozzy stuff sounds pretty awful (from what I remember).

This has been out of print for years and has never been reissued (aside from a bootleg DVD that is missing about 30 minutes of the original show). If you're a fan of the Tony Martin era it's probably worth having...but it can be safely avoided by everyone else.

*notes*
Children Of The Sea was performed at the concert but was omitted from the release.

I actually like 'Cross Purposes' quit a bit. I am actually a huge fan of this album, I would have preferred to have had Cozy Powell or Vinnie Appice on drums but Bobby Rondinelli does an excellent job on this album.

I think both musically and lyrically Tony Martin was coming into his own and this album features some of his best vocal work. Lyrically the album (not on every song granted) has matured and has better lyrics than the last two Martin Sabbath albums, this of course has alot to do with Geezer Butler back on board.

Usually I am in complete in agreement with detuned on the most points but on this album, we disagree on a few minor points. I feel the first song has an excellent Tony Martin performance, and the next song 'Cross of Thorns' is one of my favorite albums on this CD. Tony Iommi is fine form through out the album and the man never seems to run out of incredible riffs.

I do agree with detuned on most of his points regarding this album, including that Tony Martin excells on the slower moodier tunes, but in my very humble opinion this is far from a medicore Black Sabbath album.

While in the States the album peaked at #122, it was getting a bit of air play and the tour did ok, overseas they did much much better. It is too bad that this version of Black Sabbath did not try to rebuild its name and reputation from these modest successes, but as you will see with the next Black Sabbath album would destroy whatever momentum they were slowly building releasing the worst Black Sabbath in their entire discography, but that is story for another day.


As for 'Cross Purposes Live', I have to agree with detuned's review, a good live album but not a special live album, there are in existence better bootleg audio and video footage from this era of Black Sabbath than the officially released version.

"Nothing you can do will hurt me, I am Indestructible"

FORBIDDEN (released June 8, 1995)

You know you're in trouble when the grim reaper on the cover looks bored...

Let's see, where were we...at some point during the Cross Purposes tour Cozy Powell returned to the lineup...then once it concluded Geezer Butler left (again) to pursue a solo career. The ever-resilient Iommi simply rang up Neil Murray to return and voila...the return of the TYR lineup...I can't believe it, an identical lineup on a 90's Black Sabbath album.

A more appropriate title for the album would have been "Contractual Obligation Blues".

Iommi was exhausted. Can you blame the guy? He had pretty much single-handedly kept Sabbath afloat during the 70's when the other band members were too wasted to contribute. He reformed the band and created a second classic lineup...then he survived record label interference, management that ripped him off...and more lineup changes than I can wrap my head around.

It will be quicker to cover the couple good tracks on Forbidden in detail. There are actually two excellent songs hidden amidst the wreckage of this album.

Can't Get Close Enough To You is a really intriguing track, the intro is really unlike anything that "Sabbath" had done before...a circular, hypnotic groove leads into a CRUSHING Iommi riff, a real monster. This group had managed some good chemistry on TYR, it returns for this song. Tony Martin actually sounds better on Forbidden than he did on Cross Purposes, his voice is stronger and he gets some nice "grit" here and there.

Kiss Of Death is a near-classic Black Sabbath song that most people don't even know exists (because of being trapped at the end of their worst album). A return to the epic song form employed during the Dio era, it's a truly inspired performance. Cozy Powell is a complete MONSTER on this track, man what a great groove. There are numerous changes, it shifts very nicely between light and heavy segments. Then when the chorus finally arrives at 3:30 it just sounds HUGE! The song shifts yet again around 4 minutes with a great uptempo section.

...okay, now for the rest.

It's a disaster of epic proportions. There is something horribly amiss with almost every song. Un-inspired riffs, sloppy song structure and bad production choices galore. Ernie C. from Body Count was really not the best choice for a Sabbath producer (major understatement)...and having Ice. T do a guest vocal spot was easily the biggest mistake in their history. Aside from those songs I mentioned earlier, this album is frankly un-listenable. Sick & Tired is worth checking out for the killer guitar solo...but the album deserves to be out of print and stay that way....

It was brutalized by the critics and completely ignored by the fans. I saw the Forbidden tour in Tacoma WA, it was actually a really good show and I definitely had the feeling it was a "farewell tour", at least for this lineup.

When the tour ended, Sabbath went dormant. Not extinct, just sleeping.

*notes*
The Japanese version of the CD contains a bonus tracks "Loser Gets It All". On this occasion it's just as bad as the rest of the album.

To this day, Forbidden is the last full-length studio album released under the name "Black Sabbath".

This probably won't be a surprise, but I really like Forbidden. Every song except "Shakin Off Your Chains" (the worst Sabbath song EVER) are pretty listenable. In fact, I argue that the second side (tracks #6-10) are at LEAST as good as anything on Headless or Cross Purposes. I think a lot of people automatically dismiss this album because of the 20 seconds of rap by Ice-T on the record. If they do, I feel they are missing out on a real hidden gem.