Tony Iommi names the Black Sabbath era that was unfairly overlooked
Whenever a band has a popular first album, they always find themselves in a position where they have to release more music that somehow lives up to the hype established by their debut. Black Sabbath has this issue, as their debut record wasn’t just well-received but was one of the first bricks laid in establishing the heavy metal genre.
Their first album, also titled Black Sabbath, was one of the most raw-sounding and exciting records ever created. Recorded in the span of a couple of days, it has a live feel that packs a punch. Catchy, dread-ridden songs and elongated improvised solos make for the perfect sound for any lover of rock music. Pair that with Tony Iommi’s unique guitar style and Ozzy Osbourne’s bone-chilling vocals, and you have yourself a hit record.
The nature of their debut meant that they were in a position to have a successful second release. Recorded not long after, Sabbath was granted more studio time and could do what they did on their first album but fine-tune things a little more. After this, the band were in a tough position, as they wanted to continue to deliver that hard rock sound but in a way that surprised fans. In doing so, they utilised different effects and studio mastering, and while they had some successful albums come out, nothing ever hit in the same way those first two albums did.
Not only was the bar set so high, but the band was tumultuous. Ozzy Osbourne had developed a dangerous dependency on drugs and alcohol, which led to volatility and unpredictability and eventually saw him kicked out of the band. Now, Sabbath were left trying to capture the magic of those early albums with singers that fans might not be as familiar with.
Granted, a lot of people love the work that Sabbath did with Ronnie James Dio, who joined the band and delivered some of the most killer heavy metal vocals ever committed to the airwaves. However, another singer that Sabbath had who failed to get recognition as a prolific frontman was Tony Martin.
Martin joined Black Sabbath in 1987 and recorded several albums with the band, each of which was good but none of which seemed to get the attention that they deserved. Tony Iommi has spoken about this period for the band, saying he thinks it’s a shame that so many people gloss over the Tony Martin era.
“It’s sad, really, that it wasn’t promoted like it could’ve been,” said Martin when discussing the record Headless Cross, “A lot of people didn’t even know we got an album out – except in Germany, where they did promote it. It’d done good there, in Europe.”
In a bid to try and get more ears on these forgotten albums, Black Sabbath re-released the records from the Tony Martin era of the band in a boxset called Anno Domini 1989-1995, which included the albums Headless Cross, Tyr, Forbidden and Cross Purposes. Again, none of these albums can live up to the standard set by Sabbath’s debut and second record, but in isolation, they are examples of great heavy metal music made by the best heavy metal band in the world.
