By 1990, Black Sabbath were in a weird place. Tony Iommi was the only original member left in the band. But that didn’t stop him and an excellent group of og British metal heads from making some great albums. Neil Murray on bass, the insanely overlooked Tony Martin on vocals and the drumming legend himself Cozy Powell slayed. The first outing ‘The Eternal Idol’ was the strongest since ‘Mob Rules.’ The follow up ‘The Headless Cross’ was even stronger. And remains a fan favorite to this day. But the third installment ‘TYR’ really took the cake.
During the time, Sabbath weren’t experiencing much success in the U.S.. But were enjoying some of their biggest audiences ever in Easter Europe and the Middle East. Gaining enough support to sustain finances for new material. The line up’s third outing ‘TYR’ remains one of Sabbath’s best. And most overlooked albums state side.
The opening ‘Anno Mundi’ starts things off with a phat groove bang. The excitement continues with ‘The Law Maker.’ One of the best power metal representations of Iommi’s writing. The song also contains one of the mans best solos in all of his career. Instantly making ‘TYR’ a relevant classic. ‘Jerusalem’ is yet another strong hard rockin’ track. The simple, heavy rhythm works brilliantly with the vocal melodies. Even going as far as to have a perfect live audience opportunity with the gang chant that ends the chorus. One that’s really catchy. To the point that it makes one scratch their head in confusion as to the lack of commercial success. While ‘The Sabbath Stones’ is simply pure Sabbath. Proving that it’s Tony’s writing a vision that’s carried the band since the beginning.
The obligatory ambient interlude is next. This time keeping in theme of the album. It runs into the chill ‘Odin’s Court’ before slamming things down with ‘Valhalla.’ Solidifying ‘TYR’ as Sabbath’s most themed album. It’s not quite a concept record. But there’s certainly a strong ‘Viking’ influence throughout. ‘Feels Good To Me’ is the ballad. A strong blues presence gives the track a bit of a different vibe than the rest of the offerings. While the album closes out with the strong, heavy swing of ‘Heaven In Black.’ Rounding out the different moods that are prevalent throughout.
All in all, ‘TYR’ remains one of Black Sabbath’s most overlooked albums. Not just for them, but for all of hard rock and metal. Tony Martin’s voice soars. Proving that he’s more than worthy of fronting the Sabbath moniker. Tony, as always, is in fine form. And the rhythm section just doesn’t get enough credit. They’re freakin’ legends. And this is the most overlooked line up in Sabbath history. As worthy as any Ozzy or Dio era. So crank it, live it, love it. Jam on some ‘TYR’ this week.
