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If you've listened to Ozzy and Dio's entries more times than you can count, it maybe time to look into this era. Tony Martin was the 2nd longest serving vocalist for Sabbath and his skill level is right up there with Dio. This particular album has a dark occult flavor to the lyrics, which one would think is pretty standard for Sabbath, but this delves into man's struggles with demons, Heaven and Hell like never before. Not demonic by any means, Sabbath has always warned the listener of the occult rather than praise it, and this album is no exception. The title track is easily one of my top 5 favorite Sabbath tunes of all time, but other standouts are "Nightwing", "Kill In The Spirit World" and "When Death Calls". The album is full of those famous Tony Iommi "doom riffs", but the production adds an 80's metal glossy sheen that may turn away fans of the raw practically unmastered Ozzy era albums, Dio era fans and fans of Ozzy's post Randy Rhoads solo material should have no problem with this. But even with the gloss, it's hard to hide those doomy riffs and it adds a lot to the drumming of highly celebrated drummer (and long time Sabbath friend) Cozy Powell, who makes his debut with Sabbath here. Geoff Nichols plays keys, sparingly, and Laurence Cottle fills out the ensemble on bass, both of these guys pretty much stick to the background and let Tony, Tony and Cozy shine. It's amazing to me that Iommi has kept almost all of the non-Ozzy/Dio albums out of print because this album is classic. Fortunately, my second recommendation from the Tony Martin period, "The Eternal Idol" (the album before "Headless Cross") is still available at most online retailers as well as iTunes. But, alas, we will have to pay high prices from used dealers or, heaven forbid, download illegally if we want to hear this amazing album. A true shame. Someone tell Tony Iommi that a remastering of the ENTIRE Black Sabbath catalog (especially but not only the Ozzy stuff) is in order! Headless Cross is too bright of a gem to lose.Read full review
-DISREGARD THE FIRST REVIEW...THIS IS THE REAL ONE- In the mid-to-late 1990s, people pretty much stopped paying attention to BLACK SABBATH rather unfairly; with Ozzy hitting it big on his solo career, and, to a lesser extent, Dio, and as a result of MANY line-up changes, the solid core of SABBATH seemed to crumble apart. No one were taking Tony Iommi's band of wicked miscreants seriously any more. Then came 1989. Tony signed the band to the now-defunct IRS Records label, hired rock drum extraordinaire Cozy Powell, bassist Laurence Cottle, with singer Tony Martin (who had appeared on SABBATH's 1987 album "The Eternal Idol") to record their IRS debut, "Headless Cross". Now THIS is the album fans had been waiting so impatiently for. SABBATH had always simply flirted with evil and occult themes in the past, but this album was 100% dedicated to The Dark Side, both musically and lyrically. Iommi's trademark chugging metal riffs, balanced by wicked, creepy keyboard lines by off-stage member Geoff Nichols, Powell's powerhouse drum-work, and Cottle's smooth bass lines, set the musical stage for some of SABBATH's darkest and creepiest material. In the vocals department, Tony Martin is at his most powerful and raging, delivering the most impurely evil and Satanic lyrics SABBATH had ever recorded. The whole group as a whole let loose with a power and sincerety not seen in years, and was pretty much never seen again. There are no specific songs to request, as all of them are brilliant in their own right. This line-up would stay together for one more IRS record (the almost-as-brilliant "TYR") before Iommi attempted a premature reunion of sorts, and sadly, the magical darkness heard on "Headless Cross" would never again be reached. But said darkness is forever immortalized onto CD for any and all to hear, even if it is just once. "Headless Cross" is a dark, powerful, raging work of art. This is an album both Iommi and Martin are very proud of, with every right. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for ANY fan, not just SABBATH fans. RATING: 5/5Read full review
Post-OZZY/DIO years for Sabbath and Tony Martin on vocals is still awesome. All 5 lead singers that have fronted the band (don't forget Ian Gillan on 1983's "Born Again" & Glenn Hughes on 1986's "Seventh Star") have a distinct style and feel, but I have to tell you, the more I listen to the Tony Martin material the more I like it. I'm personally the biggest fan of the Dio years (Heaven & Hell is my all-time favorite) but the 80's, 90's material is just as good in its own way. The riffs on this disk are dark and "very Tony Iommi", the percussion hits hard and is probably as strong as any other release from the 4+ decades of the bands history. The only draw back is what an earlier reviewer stated, this section of the Sabbath catalog has been long OOP and I just don't get why! It is the most expensive title to get, I've seen mint condition cd's go for upwards of $30 on ebay recently...It begs the question, why doesn't Tony re-release this material or give us a remaster, it would sell, that is for sure.Read full review
All the Tony Martin Sabbath LP's are EXCELLENT but if I had to choose the best one this it. Bobby Rodinellis Drumming sets it apart as his playing is really Fantastic here!! Tony and Geezer are of course phenomenal and this is just one solid effort from start to finish. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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