ANNO DOMINI: 1989-1995 Black Sabbath (cd’s) (Warner/ BMG) *****+
May 31st, 2024… a day that many Black Sabbath fans thought would never happen. The Tony Martin-era of Sabbath is getting its due thanks to this box set that gathers four of the records released on the defunct I.R.S. label. Three of them have been remastered while the 4th, 1995’s Forbidden, has been remixed by Tony Iommi and engineer Mike Exeter. To have all of these albums in cd and vinyl form available again is a gift; that they sound so brilliant is a blessing.
I.R.S. Records, Black Sabbath’s label starting in 1989, folded in 1996, and with that the 4 albums in this box set; Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes and Forbidden, disappeared too, only to be found in used record shops if you were lucky. As recently as last year Tony Martin, Black Sabbath’s lead singer off and on from 1987 thru 1997, was told by band management that the logistics were simply too complicated and this project was not going to happen. Then, in his New Year’s message on Facebook, Tony Iommi said the box set WOULD happen. Us long-suffering fans were skeptical until the release date of May 31st was announced. I immediately started saving up and pre-ordered the CD and vinyl sets on Amazon, which arrived last week.
Before we consider the albums individually, a quick overview of the box set in general. Where some box sets go overboard with gewgaws and jimcracks, by that measure Anno Domini is modest to say the least. There’s a booklet with photos and an essay by music journalist Hugh Gilmour that includes quotes from 1989-1995 from various band members. Each set also contains a reproduction of the Headless Cross tour programme and a Headless Cross poster. Further, with the exception of Tyr each cd comes with a bonus track, previously available only in Japan; the vinyl editions do not have them and I’ve seen fans quibbling already on Facebook about the lack of extras, particularly given how long we’ve been hoping and wishing for these albums to come around again, but I’m satisfied. With other deluxe box sets I’ve purchased it’s one or two cursory listens to the bonus tracks, then never to be heard again. Some fans have bemoaned the exclusion of 1987’s The Eternal Idol from Anno Domini, but it was issued on a different label and had already received the deluxe reissue treatment in, I think, 2010.
HEADLESS CROSS originally issued in April of 1989 (cover photo of original issue)
This is the first time Tony Martin was able to participate in the creative process, having been hired at the 11th hour to replace Ray Gillen’s vocals for The Eternal Idol. In February of 1990 a review of this album was the first I ever published. I gave it 3 stars at the time, saying “The lyrics are stupid. The constant references to Satan and the devil are cartoony, like someone else’s vision of what Black Sabbath is.” As a 31 year old rocker at the time I also railed at the seemingly more commercial sound, but also praised Martin’s vocals throughout, saying When Death Calls is the centerpiece which showed how good this lineup can be.
Since then I’ve learned of the historical research Martin put into his lyrics, determined to not to ape what either Ronnie James Dio or Ozzy (with Geezer’s words) had done before. I have come to appreciate Headless Cross much more over the years for its artistic merits and the musicianship too, not to mention the determination and sheer balls it took for Iommi to engineer this rebirth for the band after a decade of dizzying lineup changes and the attendant loss of credibility. This was a confident “you haven’t seen anything yet” first step.
Listening to the original issue of Headless Cross and the 2024 remaster is like looking through the front windows in your house caked with grime after a hard winter, then cleaned to a sparkling shine. I’ve always enjoyed the songs, but the dust has been wiped off and they sound terrific.
HOT TRACKS: When Death Calls, Headless Cross, Kill in The Spirit World
TYR originally issued in August of 1990 (cover photo of original issue)
Eager to establish this lineup of the band- which beside Tony Martin, Tony Iommi and drummer Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Whitesnake) also included bassist Neil Murray and longtime Sabbath keyboard player Geoff Nichols- Black Sabbath wasted no time in getting back to the studio to make another record. Martin started with a lyrical focus on Norse mythology (Tyr; son of Odin and supreme sky god of the Northern peoples, the God of war and martial valor), but broadened his palette to include a romantic ballad (Feels Good To Me), a song about The Ten Commandments (The Sabbath Stones) and the Russian architects who were blinded after building a cathedral in St. Petersburgh so they could never build anything so beautiful again (Heaven In Black). Overall Tyr is a more aggressive and progressive album than Headless Cross, proving that Black Sabbath meant serious business.
Although the 2024 remix is cleaner than the original, I can’t hear a lot of difference between the two overall, and there is no bonus track for this. Sabbath were headed in the right direction with a solid, proven lineup of creative and talented players. Little could we have guessed that the wheels were soon to come flying off.
HOT TRACKS: The Sabbath Stones, Anno Mundi, The Battle Of Tyr/ Odin’s Court/ Valhalla
CROSS PURPOSES originally issued in January of 1994 (cover photo of original issue)
The progress of the Iommi/Martin/ Powell/Murray/ Nichols lineup was halted by a reformation of the Dio-era of Sabbath regrouping for the ill-fated Dehumanizer album and tour. Ozzy had announced his retirement and asked his old mates to open at his (ahem) last show. Tony and Geezer agreed but Ronnie would have no part of it, so Rob Halford was recruited for the gig and the Dehumanizer lineup came to a swift end. As I understand it negotiations began for a new studio record with the original guys, then Ozzy bailed followed, presumably, by Bill Ward, which left Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler holding the bag. Tony Martin agreed to come back in, and former Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli got behind the kit .
When Cross Purposes came out, I had no idea Sabbath were still at it or that a new album was in the works… I literally stumbled across it at A&B Sound in downtown Kelowna. Produced by Leif Mases, who had engineered Tyr and produced Zeppelin’s final record In Through The Out Door, this album has a crisp sound that many fans, myself included, compare to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. There was still magic between Iommi and Butler as demonstrated in the new batch of songs, with Rondinelli’s skill as a drummer rivaling early Bill Ward’s inventiveness. Ideally the album should’ve been huge but IRS, their then-label, put little effort into promotion. Too bad; song-by-song I consider this to be the best, most consistent of the 4 albums we’re evaluating today. No less than Eddie Van Halen makes uncredited contributions to the song Evil Eye. This particular lineup onstage is arguably the most powerful since Black Sabbath’s early prime. If you’re lucky enough to have the Cross Purposes: Live cd (I do), then you know I ain’t lyin’. Tough to improve of Leif Mases’ production, but this includes the bonus track What’s The Use.
HOT TRACKS: I Witness, Evil Eye, Dying For Love
FORBIDDEN originally released in June of 1995 (cover photo of original issue)
The year following Cross Purposes saw the reunion of the Tyr lineup (what’s with these guys and reunions anyway?!?) and the release of Forbidden. This album regularly ranks low for fans as the label tried to force Sabbath to be something they’re not. Wanting the band to be ‘hip with the kids’ after the rock/hip-hop success of Aerosmith’s Rock This Way IRS engaged Body Count guitarist Ernie C.to produce. As you might expect, Ernie’s rap sensibilities were a mismatch for Black Sabbath and Forbidden died a quiet death as the record label soon did too. I bought the disc when it came out, even knowing all this, because I’d been a fan for many years and that’s what a fan does. Hey- I don’t like everything Kiss did, but I sure as hell have all their albums.
I liked most of the songs on Forbidden but found the production to be murky and listless, and wasn’t surprised to find that the band didn’t care for it either. When this lineup came back together Cozy Powell had much less creative input; couple that with difficult recording sessions and the band’s waning fortunes he would bail before the end of the album’s tour to be replaced once again by Bobby Rondinelli. But happily, this is not where the story ends.
Not being a fan of the original version of the album, Tony Iommi has talked for years about doing an actual remix… and be damned if he hasn’t pulled it off spectacularly. With the help of engineer Mike Exeter, Iommi took the original session tapes down to the nuts and rebuilt it to actually sound how a Black Sabbath record should. Fan reaction on Facebook has been swift, with some even saying the 2024 Forbidden remix is now one of their favorite Sabbath albums and no wonder; the difference is frankly startling. Some things used on the original mixes were dropped, and parts from the original sessions not used in ’95 included. The sonic differences between the two is remarkable and worth the price of the box set all on its own. Working only with material from the original recording sessions, Iommi and Exeter have made Forbidden 2024 sound like an entirely new album. Melodies and arrangements are pretty much the same but if you’re familiar with the ’95 issue it’s big fun to notice the differences as the new album plays. I gave the box set a 5 star rating overall but if I were to grade the albums individually I’d give Forbidden 2024 a solid 6, it’s THAT impressive. The bonus track here is Loser Gets It All
HOT TRACKS: Rusty Angels, Can’t Get Close Enough, Kiss Of Death
ANNO DOMINI: 1989-1995 Black Sabbath(vinyl) (Warner/ BMG) *****+
All of my comments above on the CD box apply to the vinyl too, so I won’t repeat them here. The extra goodies like the booklet and such are bigger of course, but the biggest difference I suppose is that the 3 bonus cuts mentioned previously are not included on the vinyl issues. You gotta wonder why that’s the case, or if it might have been possible to include a bonus EP with those songs. Makes no difference to me as I had always intended to purchase both sets.
I have never owned legit copies Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes or Forbidden on vinyl before, so it feels like my Black Sabbath record collection is now complete. In the last couple or so years I’ve bought Brazilian bootlegs of them but they sound like shit. Thanks to Anno Domini I can either toss those in the garbage or sell them to another collector who needs to have absolutely EVERYTHING. The sound quality on these new records is amazing, even on my decades-old Kenwood turntable so I’m a happy camper. It’s a great year to be a Sabbath fan!
