Black Sabbath : Anno Domini : Deluxe Box Set Review - Why the Tony Martin Years Were So Special 

Love the Tony Martin era big time! I still ordered this boxset even though i have had the original albums for years . One the remastering and second the new remix of Forbidden. I am glad that the Tony Martin era is finally getting the recognition it has always deserved. In my opinion albums like The Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, and TYR should have been huge. In my opinion they are just as amazing as the Dio era.

I've been a fan of the Martin-era for over a decade. It makes me happy to see it finally getting recognition.

"Exactly the same, but bigger". That made me grin. My Spinal Tap moment of the week.

Never fails as soon as I track all them down. Toni goes off and releases a deluxe set

Phil, you convinced me. I was gonna skip this set, as over the years I had successfully hunted down cd copies of all these albums, but they were never my favorites. Your review has made me wanna hear these new masters, and knowing that it matches the other deluxe boxes, made it a must have

Quote of the day, "The drums are freed from their prisons!" 😅 Great video sir! Cozy Powell's contribution to this era cannot be understated. Headless will always be my favorite from this era. Those delicate cymbals Cozy does on Kill in the Spirit World always gave me goosebumps. I'm looking forward to hearing the new Forbidden and Cross Purposes, mostly because those were the ones I kind of liked, but I mostly wrote off... There are some great riffs throughout those later albums, so hopefully we can properly hear them! I did like "Illusion of Power" with Ice-T, mostly because I'm a big fan of Body Count. Cheers! 😅 🥂

‘Forbidden’ getting a proper revival almost brings a tear to my eye. I’m very excited for my CD box to get here, which I chose for two reasons: 1. I wanted the bonus tracks and 2. My entire Sabbath collection is on CD already. These four were the only ones I was missing and I’m happy to complete this incredible catalogue.

Excellent review of this long anticipated box. The Tony Martin era is an exceptional addition to the Sabbath history. Really appreciate all five of the studio albums and was lucky to see them live on two occasions including the Cross Purposes recording at Hammersmith. 👍

Just brilliant. I am listening to this era of Sabbath for the first time. And love it.

Excellent reviews and presentations! 😊

Thanks for the review Phil. I ordered this a month ago and anxiously awaiting my copy. Finally, I'll have physical copies. Tony Martin finally gets his due.

Excited for this box. The Martin era was my introduction to Sabbath and remains a favorite despite there being higher highs in the Dio and Ozzy eras. Headless Cross and Tyr just give me the warm fuzzies in a way that few other albums do. Spent a lot of time driving around town as a newly-licensed driver blasting those two albums.

Thank you so much for this Phil ..your critic always on point ..much appreciated..i guess we're left with no option but to order both sets 😂😂

Fantastic review. So thrilled to get it on vinyl especially. Such an underappreciated era in Sabbath's history. Excellent observation that they could have put the bonus tracks as a single in the vinyl. Totally agree.

Great review! Now "Cross Purposes Live" needs to get a proper re-release. 🦇

Loved your review and can`t wait for the Box Set to arrive. Can honestly say that I loved the Martin Albums since back then and have all the Albums on Vinyl. Except Forbidden which I didn't get. Now I'm totally eager to listen to the Remix and re-discover it like you did. Thanks for all your Videos!

Can't imagine your son's reaction when after 15 years he found this box set is coming up. Great respect to both of you! :)

I was 16 when headless cross came out and it was the first black Sabbath record I ever bought, and I still love it to this day, Tony Martin is brilliant I was upset when dio came back in '92 cause I loved this version of the band so much, I'm glad they put this together, I hope they put em out separately also!

I’m so happy this is out, Tony Martin era was amazing!!!!!

Tony is such a great singer...some great songs on those albums!

You're the best, Phil. Thank you!

Great video! I’m still thinking on getting this but a nice packaging

Awesome TONY MARTIN era/albums! 👍🏻😍👍🏻 Hi from Brazil 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I picked this up after streaming TYR & Headless . Cross purposes is good to. Glad Tony Martin years finally get there just due. Martin era was long ignored by myself as well as many others because the albums were so hard for me freaking find. Being a vinyl guy for awhile now buying this is a must for any Sabbath or metal fan .

So glad for the reissue of these albums see the light of day. Great review!

Very good review of both boxes. They look good, it's a shame that the vinyls and CDs are not gatefolds, Digipacks or Jewel Case, it's a shame that they don't come with the original booklets. It is appreciated that these boxes were made, after so many legal obstacles that they had to put together the records from the I.R.S. record label in these boxes. 🤘💀🍺

Thank you Phil...fantastic review...I agree with you that Cross Purposes, as Sabbath Bloody Sabbath back in the day, shows, as an album, some different side of the band's music. It's thematically assorted, grungy and, definitely more modern sounding to my ears than Headless Cross. It's my favorite Tony Martin album...Geezer actually plays on it. True that production-wise Forbidden may seem thin so I'll check out the new remix but in terms of songs I kinda like it ...Sick And Tired is the Bluesfest song Sabbath has since the days of the first album. This box set was necessary, indeed

The first time I heard Black Sabbath in 2000 or 2001 when I was 18-19. It was "Nightwing" from "Headless Cross". Then I was into "Cross Purposes" album. I became a huge fan of that era. So, it's great they reissued Tony Martin's period albums. Amazing box sets. Thanks for reviewing them.

Headless Cross is one of the best metal albums ever!!! 🤘🇦🇷

I'm a Kiwi Sabbath fan from way back. I've just got the cd version it's fantastic I love it

Phil, Thanks for this review and I look forward to this cd box set. Interesting back story about your son. Good day from the U.S.A.

Great Black Sabbath era, i ordered my cd copy.Thank you sir!!!

I purchased all the original Tony Martin era cds back in the day when they were new. I really enjoy them. The thing that they should have done better is to put the discs in a jewel hard case not a digipak. I have never been a fan of the digipak's. I am glad they are releasing the bonus tracks off these albums as well. I have the bonus tracks but they are a bootleg version better than not owning them but will sound so much better now. I love the look of the book.

These are my first ever Sabbath albums I bought since trying to find the Ozzy/Dio sets is near impossible now. That, and I have a new appreciation for the Martin Era. Gives me a whole new perspective on the band i grew up with as a kid and my introduction to metal/rock.

Big fan of Black Sabbath. I grew up on Sabbath music. I was born in 87 so I was a little late to that party but this band (every line-up) has been gold to me. And Tony Martin was one of my favorites. Going to buy the cd box set. But been through some rough shit lately so now I'm finally gonna go buy it. BUT I do have the original cd's of Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes. Forbidden is the one I'm after for real. Probably still gonna try and find an old copy of Forbidden as well. But I've heard these new remasters and they sound so damn good. Especially Forbidden. It's like a new record. So.... Amazing all the way through

Just got mine the other day...love it!...thank you Mr. Iommi!! But...just as u pointed out a 7" with the bouns tracks would have been great...like the one that's in the Sabotage box set. Also...i don't give a toss if Tony M was under the weather (lol) Cross purposes live finally on vinyl would have put this over the top!...so far...all the other super deluxe sets have had live music...sooo...yeah. Anyhow...i love it and it's long long over due🤘

Thank you for the unboxing video , I get my cd copy on the mail this week and can’t wait to hear it

This is the review I've been looking for. Excellent description, information, and insight. Thank you for the effort.

Tony Martin is criminally underrated IMHO. I too first saw Tony with The Alliance, including a showcase at The Grand Theatre Wolverhampton. We were in the Circle bar as was a certain Mr Iommi and Geoff Nichols. Also milling about were the members of Slade. A mate's band supported The Alliance at one of the gigs and Tony blew everyone away with his vocals. Well deserved re-release of these albums and a great appraisal Phil!

Great review! I absolutely agree Cross Purposes is a gem. So damn underrated.

Very useful and thoughtful review!

Hello Phil, just got my cd boxset today, and I am really disappointed with the cds packages. Great video!

Fantastic review, thanks a lot, I would like to listen you at first before I listen alone with a bottle of good wine..... Once again thx a lot !.

Brilliant review Phil. I have the vinyl box on order, can’t wait to receive it.

PS , already put my order in 😂❤ Thanks Phil 😂 Looking forward to spending time listening to this set ❤

Thanks for the unboxing. Can't wait to get my DC set!

“Eternal Idol” criminally underrated, even more so than “Headless Cross”. Love those two albums and played them to death when they came out. I saw them live at Hammy O on 10th Sept 1989 with Axxis supporting, block 11, row F, seat 3. Brian May came on as guest - all that for the MASSIVE price of….er £9, lol. Fantastic looking boxset🤘

Headless Cross blew my mind back in 1989. All in all the Tony Martin era is very good. Still have original vinyl of Headless Cross and Tyr - reissues of Cross Purposes and Forbidden

Another great review of my fav band. Thank you so much for your honest work!

Great stuff! Expensive but worth getting for Cloak and Dagger on cd alone! The cds are available in other box sets for better value. Have been waiting for Forbidden remix for decades and it's a shame its not available individually - you have to buy everything else again to get it! In a way there is a bonus track on the vinyl copies.... I'm sure they released a "special one sided single" during this era - the B side was completely blank! That just typified how low Sabbaths fortunes were at the time

Phil, I appreciate your coverage of this spectacular release. I am one of those fans that purchased all of Black Sabbath's albums from Masters of Reality on. Bought them when they were released. Went back of course to scoop up BS s/t and Paranoid. I am a fan of every era and Tony is my favorite overall singer with Sabbath. I loved DIO's stint in Sabbath and I would not change anything about the Ozzy era ( my most listened to era and hands down my favorite ). These albums mean almost as much to me as the original bands releases with Heaven & Hell and The Mob Rules ( my favorite with Ronnie ) coming in third. Honorable mention Born Again, great album! In closing I am delighted to hear that my forthcoming boxset (cd ) will sound so good. Thanx for the review, keep on Rockin" 🤘

Hi Phil, I pre-ordered this box set when it was available and I’m really looking forward to listening to it on my rig. I’ve just discovered your channel and I was browsing for early reviews and you’ve nailed it. I’ve subscribed and am looking forward to watching some of your previous videos. ❤

Great words from a true fan, informative, and passionate. Thank you...

Cross Purposes is amazing. Underated album, at the time.

As a long time (since '71) Sabbath fan, it is great to see that some of their less popular, but still fantastic music , being appreciated. I recently listened to all of my Tony Martin era discs (original copies) and it seems unfortunate that the Cross purposes live disc was not included. It is a very well recorded show with a great set list. Forbidden has had a lot of negative comments, but I always liked it better than Cross P.'s, I tend to favor the heavier/darker/evil sounding Sabbath albums, but they are all great and worth owning IMO...thanks for the preview.

Fantastic Review,Thank You so much 🤘🤘😎

Excellent review Mr.Phil I only have the TYR cd from the Martin era and I was looking for the others for long time and now can get them on cds at last Tony Martin is also great as Ozzy- Dio and Gillan eras i was interest to listen to new Sabbath songs again when i hear the the song The Shinnig on radio first with the singer who die young from the band badlands who was very good then with Tony when the Eternal Idol came out love all Sabbath eras Bill - Appice- Bev- -Cozzy - Rondinelli -Geezer- Spitz and always with the master of the riffs the one and only Mr.Iommi now will finish my collection from all eras Thanks for share the info.

Great review! I pre ordered mine a couple of months back and i cant wait to get it! I own every Sabbath album on CD including the Eternal Idol but i have struggled to find any of the other Tony Martin albums on CD, I was first introduced to the Tony Martin Era back in 2007, my uncle is a huge Sabbath Fan and he made me a disc with their whole discography on it, although i was already a fan of the Ozzy stuff i had never heard any of the Martin stuff and i was instantly hooked! It is my favourite era of Sabbath and Tony Martin deserves a lot of respect and i hope this Boxset finally brings him that respect!

What a wonderful review!

I pre ordered the vinyl box set can't wait to get it!! Thanks for the review.

Hi Phil Great review. Totally agree on these box sets same with Tull. In my case when we moved home and cds came out never really thought about vinyl, replaced with cds . And as you say the individual albums/cds are ridiculous prices. I could only get some of them from disogs etc, new mint condition, however they were copies or bootleg copies from Korea or Taiwan . Quality ok but very basic texts and very thin booklets. So happy this is coming out, same with Tull my copies cd only and reissues. Of course there are things could have been a little bit different, but copyright etc and of course sorry to say I may be wrong but seems no matter what Toni does Sharon seems to be in the background. This happens with a lot of bands who have different eras line up changes etc. It is what it is and I am very grateful for it. Also a chance to hear the music as you haven't heard it before. Take care Jonathan

Great review thanks, glad I changed my mind now, should be coming very soon fingers crossed.

I am an enormous fan of Tony Martin and I got all of these Black Sabbath albums in real time back in the day. I will never stop trying to introduce this era to anyone I can!! Tony Martin might be the most underappreciated singer in metal. He has a tone that is so pleasant, yet it is full of color, emotion and energy!! And please, he has an enormous range as well! Dio is one of my top five favorite singers of all-time, but I will say this. No one was as strong singing all the eras of Black Sabbath as Tony Martin was. He could sing anything!! I really wish they had included the entire "Cross Purposes: Live". I hold onto my VHS as the laser media version didn't have the entire show. Sadly, Tony Martin was ill, and his voice is nowhere what it was on other shows during this era. As I get everything via Hi-Res downloads, all the "extras" aren't important to me. But they are very cool to see! Looking forward to hearing the remixed "Forbidden". I also must mention how spectacular Cozy is playing and sounding! One of the benefits of being co-producer! You get to ensure your instrument sounds huge. Play the intro to "Sabbath Stones' on a really good sound system ..with load of volume and you will understand everything you have ever needed to know about Cozy Powell! "Headless Cross" and "TYR" are incredible albums! Yes, the sound is different from many of his other recordings. Heavily compressed and noise gated. Which can suppress the clarity of his cymbals at times..but they still sound huge!! And that works perfectly for me. I must also mention how much I love "Cross Purposes"!! Bobby Rondinelli does a great job, and the riffs are mammoth!!! Tony Martin is just crushing it! This wasn't some lower-level version of Black Sabbath. Not remotely. This was a full throttled powerhouse of a band all being led by Tony Iommi..who in my opinion IS Black Sabbath!

Major respect to Tony Martin, because he was treated quite badly by Sabbath at the time, in and out of the band, not being told he was out of the band, and so on. Real lack of respect. He talks about it in interviews. I think he was too nice to tell them where to go, especially around the Dehumanizer time. And it is great to finally see him and these albums get the respect they deserve. Headless Cross is one of my all time fav albums.

I waited so many years for them to do justice to the great vocalist that Tony is. Tony Iommi has reviled him so many times... he fired him without personally notifying him and hired him again and Tony came back to make wonderful albums.

Fantastic review Phil … Tony Martin is a monster vocalist … the lord of the riffs plays amazing in those albums … underated period of the band… a salute from Argentina!

The remixes are smashing. 🤘 Cross Purposes marked 30 year anniversary this past January. Forbidden gets a new lease on life with this mix. It becomes a record that forces focus on the great riffs.

Will be getting this one soon. Thank you Phil, always😊😊

Started listening to Black Sabbath when Master of Reality was released (1971) . But only started listening to the Dio period in recent years. As a result, was never able to find these albums. Received the box set yesterday. Listening to these for the first time!

Outstanding review Phil, thank you!

Phil excellent review. I’m looking forward to this box set. Thank you Cheers from Houston 🇺🇸✌️

Looking forward to receiving and listening to this finally. Good review.

the usual great discussion from you Phil thanks

Thanks Phil ! My CD box should be here this week, I pre-ordered it from my local, looking forward ! Also glad you like the remixed Forbidden - only one I have not heard, I am holding off until this version arrives.

I have been waiting for your review Excellent insights, as always. Your eye for detail is appreciated. By God Headless Cross is a monster album! Black Moon was my favorite tune of the Martin era. .Like you, I also "got busy with life" by the time Cross Purposes was released....I look forward to discovering this one, based on your comments.

Great review Phil, really enjoyed that! I am so delighted these great albums are finally back out again. I have all the originals, so the only thing I’d like from that box is the book (which looks fabulous in fairness - oh, and a listen to that ‘Forbidden’ remix of course! Very strange how the cd box has the bonus tracks, and the vinyl has the lyrics printed. I really hope it’s not the case of a cynical record co. looking to get completists to have to ‘double dip’. But like I said, so happy to see this era of Sabbath finally getting the recognition it deserves (I think this set will sell very well).

I bought every single album back then, loved 'em all while being on a minority, as Sabbath name itself looked or meant 'demodė' or 'unfashioned'... Times brings justice, good music stands its test... Oh, and about Forbidden: ok, productiom might be questioned, but... SONGS THEMSELVES WERE DARN GOOD BACK THEN, if you could understand it that is... Sound is one thing, songwriting is what matter most anyway... So I'll buy it without needing to 'discover' it since I 'lived' it entirely, very happy Tony did it at last so many listeners out there can have their deserved share ❤

How silly is it that I want this now that I know it matches the other sets? 😂 Great video, Phil, you sold another copy!

Happy to see these come out.I bought all of the CDS when they came out.After watching your review I went back to look at the other CD box sets of Black Sabbath.Improvements would have gatefold sleeves, hardback book , FM broadcast of Manchester 89 which is a bootleg. These broadcasts have been more available as part of box sets or deluxe versions.I am glad to this box is the same size as the others though ,Thanks Phil for the review,I have mine on pre order.

Agree with everything you said! I've said many times on different forums that I'm convinced 💯 that if this version of Sabbath had operated under a different name, we could be talking about one of the best metal bands ever. I'm so happy that Tony Martin is finally getting the recognition he deserves 👍👏👊🤘🎸🎶🎶

Excellent review

Great points! It would have been great if the box been brought a fifth disc with more bonus tracks from all the albums.

Good stuff Phil. I think your video proves once again that the CD is the most practical format for the box set. Really from ease of handling and also storage.

I love the Tony Martin Sabbath material -especially Headless Cross (the entire album ) and Cross Purposes. I have never stopped listening to them - have listened to them hundreds of times. Tony Martin was the only singer I think (at least the opnly singer avaialble) who could even come close to replicating the quality and power of Dio which was important for the band to continue their legacy - those were BIG shoes to fill and he rose to the occasion.

Thanks for the great review. Headless Cross has always been a favorite. I date back to the Ozzy years when I was a teen, but Dio and then Martin are my favorite years. Very excited for this!

Oke Phil Now i have the box and its great. Everything you have done in this video are true. I like Sabbath now even more... I still hope that the tapes from Sabbath bloody sabbath come across. Greatings.. Dick

Tony Martin era is my favorite along with Ozzy years. Headless Cross is in my Top 3 of Sabbath albums. Thanks for the great video.

Cross Purposes is a hidden gem. Great to suggest a comparison with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. At the time the loss of Cozy was a worry but Bobby was brilliant on the tour. Looking forward to the remix of Forbidden. Where is Eternal Idol?

I have to tell you Phil, Your son, Dan, has a great taste in music. This is my favorite Sabbath era, and I've always felt these albums didn't get the proper recognition and appreciations. Better late than never.

Thanks for this. Love yer videos

Another jewel from black sabbath! If this could happen, hey who knows, Cross Purposes Live the complete show! Remaster and extended! And hey.... One more 13 remix. Hey Tony hurry up time is ticking! Congrats Mr. Aston. Whish you the best!

Hi Phil .. as ever a great and entertaining episode.. Have to admit would like to have seen the book as a hard back and maybe a 3 track 12” with a nice Headless Cross engraving on one side .. would have been a nice touch I think.. What next and were to with Sabbath… ?

This is one of my favorite Sabbath eras, so grabbing the CD set was a no-brainer for me. Seeing your review confirmed my belief that I made the right choice.

Another great review Phil. Lots of little titbits to chew over. I saw Black Sabbath on their Headless Cross tour at the Hammersmith Odeon back in about 1990 I think it was. It was a great concert and Tony Martin was fantastic as the band's vocalist. I still have my old CD copies of 'Eternal Idol' and 'Cross Purposes'. I've never actually heard 'Forbidden', so that one is a bit of a curiosity perhaps. I did like the bit about your son suggesting a re-release on the facebook group site. I shall read a lot of the observations in the comments section......Well done mate 👍

Well done Phil, you have a way of making me want to run down to the record store and pick the thing up asap. I have the originals on cd and Vinyl as well as all thr other boxsete released like this. I wasn't gonna bother but now I definitely want it

🎶🎶 ✊ Black sabbath 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 👍 🎥

Sending you all my love from Brazil!

The Forbidden remix is ​​totally worth it, and includes “Loser Gets It All”

Cannot wait for mine to arrive. I haven't been this excited since the Live Evil reissues!

While it is a disappointment that the bonus tracks were not included on the vinyl version of the album, the only reason I can imagine they weren't included was for length. For me personally, if it's a matter of crushing the grooves in on a record to fit an extra track or two and sacrificing some of the sound quality, it's not a worthy trade off. I'm reminded of The Devil You Know which while sold with 2 LP's used the last side to silk screen Henry onto it. While most of the album sounds great on vinyl and is a worthy purchase for a vinyl collecting sabbath fan, the last track on each side can get quite distorted if you're not playing on a turntable with a needle equipped to handle really tight inner grooves.