HEADLESS CROSS

I've always liked the Sabbath period with Tony Martin. The music had a big and heavy epic feel, splendid melodies and admit it, an excellent singer. In the high octave range of metal vocalists, he rules easily.

There is little to remind us this is still Black Sabbath though, a heavy take on Rainbow is more what it sounds like. Especially with Cozy Powell's ever commanding drum sound and Tony Martin's emotive and heavily Dio-influenced voice. Ok, he doesn't have the words 'Rainbow' and 'Evil' and 'Fire' in every track and he goes clearly a tad higher and cleaner, but apart from that, Dio all over.

One of the aspects I used to like about this period is the heavy revulsion it provoked with the legions of Sabbath newbies of the early 90's. "That!? Sabbath!?". I always though that reaction to be extremely amusing. Yes I know, strange humour.

Anyway, much of this stuff is over the edge of unbearable hair metal goofiness. Tracks like Kill In The Spirit World and Call of the Wild are ill-advised to say the least. But at other moments this album rules with its straightforward and direct (not to say overstated) emotional appeal. Headless Cross, Black Moon and Nightwing are massive power metal anthems. A style of music I don't like at all normally, way too derivative and undemanding. But once in a while, it's good to hear some of the songs that started it off.