You nailed it with your review. TYR was the one that needed remastering the least. Forbidden sounds much more Sabbath in remix. For me, Cross Purposes is the best surprise, I think it's superior compared to Forbidden as an album. I think a lot of people only familiar with Headless Cross will be returning to Cross Purposes for further listenings.
Agreed it’s a shame that most people have only heard of the Tony Martin era for Headless Cross. That album is considered the classic, and Forbidden is considered the worst. Tyr and Cross Purposes seem to get forgotten about in the middle…Hopefully that changes now that they’re on streaming services.
Headless Cross: Great album, suffered a bit from 80s sheen. Still shines through, but it has more oomph now. Tyr: Other than Eternal Idol (Which I don't really consider a Tony Martin era album, I mostly listen to the Ray Gillen album) my favourite of the Tony Martin era, the best produced and so the remaster does not add that much, but it still was a joy to listen too. Such an epic feel to most of the tracks, I'll be spreading the word among my rock and metal savy friends that they certainly should check this one out! Cross Purposes: The surprise for sure. I always liked the album but I honestly think now I love it... Wow I'm a bit floored actually. A hidden gem now completely unearthed. This proofs again: 87-93/94 was certainly no joke! Forbidden: I never listened to the original mix. I listened to Never say die once and thought it sucked and everyone said this one was the worst album so I never bothered. From a production standpoint it sounds good. Still some signature Iommi riffs, although few and far between. Murray is audible, sounds fine but the magic that was Geezer and Tony together once again on Dehumanizer / Cross Purposes is gone. Solos are unmemorable. Powell's worst performance (which is still average compared to 98% of rock drummers out there, but still!). Lyrics are absolute rubbish. Even on 89/90 albums it was a bit eh but still acceptable, as soon as Geezer returned from 91-94 the lyrics got leagues better. Tony Martin's weakest performance. Not terrible, but unnoticeable which you can't say about the four predecessors (although he just redubbed Eternal Idol...) First four songs are okayish, I actually liked Forbidden, Kiss of Death and the bonus track. Could've been weaker tracks on Headless Cross or Cross Purposes, but still alright. Rusty Angels sounds like a bad Dokken song and the other 3 songs in the middle are completely forgettable. So not as terrible as everyone stated, the remix is its saving grace, but still nothing to write home about. I'm going to play the crap out of Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes now that they're finally more widely avaiable. Even 8,9 years ago a physical copy went for 20-30€ if you could even get any.
It's really too bad the mix was so bad last time. It really grated on my nerves, but now you can REALLY appreciate the master riff-meister Iommi doing what he does. Some really great songs on there!
@@ScottyKirk1 that’s what I was thinking! If this mix dropped in ‘95, I wouldn’t be shocked to see it labeled as a comeback. It’s doomy as hell and has some of that eras best riffs.
My favorite Black Sabbath line-up after Dio. Forbidden is probably my number 1 off that line-up and Headless Cross is the 2nd. I REALLY loved Forbidden when it came out. And I still do. I just couldn't believe that in 1995 Black Sabbath sounded like a modern band, and not just an old band with a modern production. RIP Cozy Powell
Agree with you on Forbidden. I couldn't really understand the hate it gets. Some monster riffs in there and maybe just one or two filler tracks. I've been listening to it the most since I've gotten the new set.
Tyr is exceptoonal ! A viking themed album in the unique Sabbath style. Yes, it's different, but full of metal class and elegance. In 1990 the trend was Skid Row, Slaughter, Poison, L.A. Guns, etc, but Sabbath remained very unique. Forever Tyr !
It’s definitely my favorite Martin-era album! It feels like Sabbath doing an epic doom album a la Candlemass and is awesome! That lineup rocked too which carried on to Forbidden.
Listened to Forbidden twice today. I absolutely think they fixed it. There's a few interestingly strange picks of the alternate takes, but the sound is so incredibly good now.
It's about time these albums have an Official re-release. I have the original CD releases, but having them reissued in remastered form is long overdue. My CD version Boxset is arriving on Wednesday.
Hoping my boxset will be here this weekend... Spotify will have to do until then. I have the originals of all but Forbidden. Really happy we finally have new remasters, and even though I don't love Forbidden, I can finally complete my Sabbath collection now.
Tony Martin is incredible and extremely talented singer. In this period Black Sabbath became more progressive band(you can hear this in songs like "when death calls', "the sabbath stones", "kiss of death"
I agree with you on the new remixed albums and as a long time Black Sabbath fan I think looking back over history it is clear to me that Tony Martin is the best singer the band ever had because of his voice and range he is the only one who could sing any song on all 19 albums.
Definitely would recommend picking it up if you get the chance! My copy should be here in a few days. Forbidden is still a bad album, but at least it doesn't sound like a dumpster fire anymore. Have a great weekend, bro!
YES! Tony Martin era gets respect! the remastered Tyr feels heavenly. besides these 4 I wonder what other albums in Rock and Metal have been long out of print.
Really glad the Martin era is getting more love now. There are a lot of defunct labels out there and tons of albums out of print… Still Not Black Enough and KFD by WASP come to mind.
All these albums sound amazing remastered on this box set and the remix of Forbidden makes this album listenable to me. The original was a 3/10 for me but with this new remix I'd give it a 7. The Tony Martin albums are always highly underrated.
@@TheCDGuyJZ I agree, it's still one of their weakest efforts, but now songs like Get A Grip and Shaking Off The Chains really cook. The album Headless Cross sounds better than ever too, I love what they did on that remaster.
@@Prof.Fulkerson I was told that Amazon US was cheaper than over here, for whatever reason. That's a reasonable price over there in the States and what I would have expected to pay taking into account the exchange rate (about 40 GBP). I would have bought it at that price. I have no idea why the price point was over twice that in Britain.
@@TheCDGuyJZ Supposed to. It will contain, from what I understand, the original mix remastered, a new remix, and a live show along with a book and fold-out poster.
Hey I hated the Forbidden mix as well, but there are some great songs in there and the addition of Ice-T on one song was cool because I'm a big fan of Body Count. Probably unpopular opinion, but I think Cross Purposes is the weakest of the four, at least the first half, as from track 5 on its DYNAMITE! Headless will always be my favorite of this era, and Tyr takes the 2nd spot. The remixes really bring the vocals and guitar to the forefront. Cozy's contributions to the 3 he played on cannot be overstated, especially on Headless. The way he and Iommi weave their instruments together in phrasing and the lead-ups to some of Iommi's most inspired solos is truly awesome. All this really showcases how great of a singer Tony Martin is. He did an outstanding job with keeping the band going when the rest of the world was mostly listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Long overdue, but thanks to Tony and Tony! Hopefully now all these young streamer kids will see what most of us have known, that these albums are GREAT, and YES they are Black Sabbath! 🤘 🤘
You should have waited until you got the physical cds. Even though I stream, i don't think that that does music justice. I'm waiting until I have the physical box. I went to Amoeba not too long ago to get it, but they were sold out. I did make a Spotify playlist based on the Sabbath Stones comp.
I wanted to get a feeling for the sound on a good pair of headphones. I also had to improvise a little because Rhino delayed my order. CDs are much better tho.
I'm from the camp that doesn't like remasters because of compression and loss of dynamic range. Haven't heard the others but the Tyr album sounded fine as it was.
Tyr was definitely fine to begin with… probably the one that needed a remaster the least. Still, I’m glad that it’s more readily available now for people to buy and listen to.
@@TheCDGuyJZYeah, I agree with you there. Often wondered why these albums haven't been more readily available. Surprised to see this box set coming out all of a sudden.
@@TheCDGuyJZ no worries! I enjoy the reviews. I was trying to decide to get the cd box of vinyl box. If I got the cd box id want all the other sabbath box sets that match . But when I saw that $100 paranoid cd box i knew I’d never get it so I bought the vinyl box of this release instead.
Hello My Dear Great Friend Johnny Z I Hope You Have A Great Wonderful Week Ahead Blessed With Beautiful Accomplishments And Achievements Great Success Total Happiness Sunshine And Smiles That Will Allow You To Enjoy Your Life As A Happy And Successful Person In The World. May God Always Bless Your Life With Love Joy Happiness Health Success Peace And Prosperity.
These are all smashed with compression, DR numbers of 6/7. Not good at all. Originals sound much better - not ear-bleeders like these. I’m delighted the Martin era is back out there for people to enjoy, but don’t get caught up in the hype of a brand new boxset.
@@TheCDGuyJZ Agreed. Tony Iommi kept the band going through thick and thin. If Ozzy is so important, where was he when the band was struggling. Right, making money for Sharon.
@@mattiparker14Geezer is on Cross Purposes. So, there's that. There's even footage elsewhere on RU-vid of Iommi/Martin/Ward/Butler-Sabbath live in 1994, at the Monsters Of Rock Festival Brazil.
