Tyr

During the mid-1980s, Black Sabbath seemed to be just a shadow of what had once set a standard in heavy metal music. The constant line-up changes and album releases seemed to be unconvincing and seemed to kill off an important part of the genre's history. Tony Martin won the position as the band's vocalist, with notable lines for the albums Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, and later Cross Purposes. With two brands in tow, looks like his place was already enshrined in the band. But destiny wanted something more and what was to come left no room for any doubt.

Wow! Where does this come from? From Seventh Star to Headless Cross, Tony Iommi, working with a musical department of session musicians, seemed to be putting out good, radio-friendly metal stuff without hitting the mark. With each album, the results got better and were almost there on Headless Cross, or you might think so. Nonetheless, Tyr simply raised the standards of this Sabbath lineup to a new level. While Headless Cross had excellent performances from the musicians and also featured good production, there was an annoying corny element in the songwriting, which made the music sound too much like pop-metal, but that pop-metal was actually more interested in demons and other evil things rather than alcohol or girls. On Tyr, this pop-metal element is finally removed, giving way to a great epic heavy metal with many powerful overtones.

This change in approach while songwriting is easily evident in songs like Valhalla and Anno Mundi. Check out that chorus on Anno Mundi – did you ever think a Black Sabbath album would have something like that? Valhalla is easily the most epic thing they created after Heaven and Hell (title track). Tony Martin's clear and powerful voice fits easily into the scheme of things. For long-time Sabbath fans who complain it didn't sound like their band at all, there's Lawmaker, the hardest speed metal ever delivered by Black Sabbath.

But the highlight of the album is, you guessed it, Sabbath Stones. This is good old, smashing Black Sabbath in the vein of songs like Black Sabbath or Electric Funeral. Tony Martin's vocal delivery is the revelation of this song, as he sounds downright evil and menacing and proves that he can do much, much more than cheesy, high-pitched crooning. I love the nod to Black Sabbath (title track) in the way they speed up the song towards the end. But wait, Martin closes with a triumphant chorus, soaring and beautiful as it is. This is a dimension that neither Ozzy nor Dio reached, and proves this band could still evolve in a new direction without depending on certain vocal virtues like the aforementioned legends. Very impressive at this late in their career.

As things turned out, just as this lineup was becoming something truly incredible, Dio, Butler, and Appice reunited and The Mob Rules lineup was suddenly ready to record a new album. Another thing is that Dehumanizer apparently swept these albums away with the mighty Dio roars. Tyr is one of the highlights of Black Sabbath's discography and at the same time, one of the most notable works done by Tony Martin throughout his career, and that is saying a lot. Furthermore, it constitutes one of the best releases of 1990, along with notable ones released in that same year, except that this one curiously doesn't receive as much esteem. After a brief break with Dio at the helm, the spirit of Eternal Idol would reincarnate again in Cross Purposes 4 years later, another good album that perhaps doesn’t have the same capacity to delight us at the same level as the songs found here. Whatever they are, will always be a privilege to listen to them.

As an endless Tony Martin sympathizer, it’s important to acknowledge that not everything he did was great. In fact, I really only think two out of five are, but that’s for another time. Saying Tyr “doesn’t feel like Sabbath” would also be a dumb move, as the band had gone through so many stylistic changes up to this point that such a statement would feel redundant. This is however the concept album that seems to heavily attract power/doom nerds, and after many years of trying and trying again, I just can’t find the appeal. Musically it’s fine, not too removed from what they’ve done prior, but it doesn’t stick.

Matter of fact, I think it’s worth acknowledging the band deserving props for going this direction in the first place. I can’t think of too many times where they reached these levels of operatic save for some sparse Dio-era moments and a few of the weirder Ozzy songs. Tyr pretty much nails that across the board. My issue lies in the fact that it feels like it channeled the dark/glammy energy of Headless Cross and painted some extra bells and whistles without bringing anything interesting to the table. “Jerusalem” sounds like it could have come right from that album, but reworked to fit into this Norse themed disc.

The rest of this is just because it’s well-executed music that I can’t seem to find memorable at all. The acoustic guitars? Neat! The isolated operatic-like vocals? Impressive. The memorability? Non-existent. One that comes to mind is “The Sabbath Stones” since it’s one of the songs that dives into these tactics most heavily; it’s also one of the doomier numbers. But the song really just doesn’t do anything for me. Others like “The Law Maker” hook me on a promising note with harder punches but drop my interest after a minute or so. The things I do enjoy feel like they’ve been done before, but better. “Valhalla” and its synthy intro are solid songs, but for the billionth time, I can’t find myself returning to them for any reason.

Perhaps you could say it’s all me. This is my least favorite Black Sabbath album (save for Cross Purposes), but at the end of the day I just see it as C-grade heavy metal that isn’t bad nor great. But let that showcase what this band can really do. Twenty albums over a nearly fifty year span, and this is as bad as it gets? That’s pretty damn solid!

After the new Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath was able to release a true gem with "Headless Cross," they were able to follow with an album that almost matched "Headless Cross" with "Tyr." Now, the first thing to note about "Tyr" is that it's, again, a VERY different kind of Black Sabbath album. It's not quite as riff focused as pretty much every other Sabbath album is. Tony Iommi is still delivering quality riffs of course, but both the song structure and the production on top of that give everyone else more room. It might be Iommi's least prominent album, but on the flip side, it's Powell and Martin's MOST prominent album, and I find they make up for that very well. "Tyr" pretty much gives us the same lineup as the previous album, but Neil Murray takes over on bass. I don't think his bass work is nearly as prominent as Cottle's was on the last album, but he still does a respectable job, and stands out nicely when he has his moments.

The first song I like to point out is "The Law Maker." It's a really fun and energetic track. Iommi delivers a great riff to open it up and Cozy Powell's strong consistent pounding really gives the song the life it needed. Tony Martin comes in very powerfully on the song, and the chorus is both catchy and equally strong. I definitely want to note that there's a line in the song that always makes me think. "Silver mountains won't save you from hell, the prince of darkness inside you will dwell." I might be reading too much into the line, but I always thought these were subtle references to Dio and Ozzy who came before Martin. Silver mountains of course being a reference to Dio's classic "Man on the Silver Mountain" from his Rainbow days, and obviously, Ozzy has always been nicknamed the Prince of Darkness. Again, I might be over analyzing, but it's good thought food. I'd love to be given the chance to ask Martin or Iommi about it. In any case, "The Law Maker" may not be the fanciest track on the record, but it's just a great kick-ass, adrenaline fueled Martin era Sabbath track. You can also guess from the album's title, but there's a good amount of Norse references and themes across the album. Once again, that's a clear indication of what a different kind of Sabbath album "Tyr" is. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the combinations of "The Battle of Tyr," "Odin's Court," and finally "Valhalla." These three songs all seamlessly fade into each other, so I really consider them one song. The first is your basic atmospheric instrumental. "Odin's Court" is an acoustic mood setting interlude. Both of these tracks are really building both a narrative and the frame for "Valhalla." "Odin's Court" is a very nice track that does its job very well, though. Tony Martin gives a really beautiful performance, and of course, Geoff Nicholls' keyboards are essential to this kind of story telling. "Valhalla" is another explosive performance from the band. Iommi leads the way with a heavy and triumphant riff. Tony Martin brings yet another really catchy chorus, and the power and emotion that the song's theming absolutely required. Once again, I give Martin tons of credit here, because a singer who didn't take the story or theme seriously could have absolutely killed the song dead in its tracks, but Martin is selling it in his voice like a million bucks. These three tracks, again, are far from the fanciest or best Sabbath has to offer, but the story telling behind it is an awesome change of pace, and they're still solid, enjoyable tracks.

Nowhere does Tony Martin shine more than the opener "Anno Mundi," though. For me, this song is easily the biggest highlight of his entire career. Tony Iommi's clean opening riff reminds me a little bit too much of "Children of the Sea," but the rest of the song is dynamite after that little nitpick. Iommi's main riff isn't his most catchy or technical, but it has this grinding aggression to it that really paces the track very well. The range Martin shows on "Anno Mundi" is incredible. He's able to deliver both beautifully melodic vocals as well as more serious and gruffer vocals in measured variation. He even fits the chanting vocals that are interspersed throughout the song perfectly. I know this will still be too cheesy for a lot of people, but his dedication really saves the song from being a comical joke. This all culminates in how he sings the "your eyes are burning" line. He double tracks himself, and his high notes are so fantastic here. The emotion and strength bring a visceral combination. Cozy Powell is also delivering some really impressive fills behind this whole section, and Iommi's riff is simple, but has the perfect amount of heaviness the section needed. This section loops to fade the song out, and it'll definitely leave you needing to catch your breath if you're singing along. Cozy Powell is also the one to listen to on "The Sabbath Stones." He delivers beats all throughout this track that set the frame for every section perfectly. After the intro, his crashes and fills are accents that amplify every note being played by Iommi. Iommi's riff on the song is solid, but not his best. Powell's playing helps Iommi sound like there's more power in his riff than there might be with different drum work behind it. After this, the song settles down to a calmer acoustic section. The rhythm section is everything here. Murray's bassline is prominent and tasty, Nicholls' keys are essential to the 'calm before the storm,' feeling, and Powell's now calmer snare rim shots absolutely make the change of pace. The later, faster section of this song might be Iommi's best riffing on the entire album, too. With another perfect ride pattern beat from Powell, Iommi delivers a riff that is both heavy, and VERY catchy once the song speeds up. It's a very underrated riff, and it makes the song pretty special to have moments where every single member stands out for a section or so. The final riff of the song that Martin matches with his vocals is a great way to close the book on "The Sabbath Stones."

One of the more unique tracks on "Tyr" is "Jerusalem." Iommi has another very solid riff on the track, and Martin harmonizes his vocals over the last few notes of it. Like he does very often, Martin wrote a very catchy, melodic chorus to culminate this song. Much like "The Law Maker," this song is just another very fun one with the right mood and good playing across it. It's a song that I don't think would have fit on any other Sabbath album besides "Tyr," though. The ending is also a personal favorite of the Martin era for me. The notes Martin has been singing over Iommi's riff the whole song get multi tracked and sung on their own without the rest of the band to give it a unique standout. "Feels Good to Me" is "Tyr's" filler track, unfortunately. It's a very, very boring standard power ballad. While it's absolutely a boring track, less so than the quality of the song itself, it's just SO unfitting with literally every other song on this album. While every other song on the record follows Norse or fantasy themes, this one takes a personal love song-like vibe that absolutely shatters the themed immersion the rest of the album tries so hard to build. It's pretty much as out of place as you can possibly make a song. And on an album where the themes and mood are a huge part of it, immersion breaking like that is an absolute death sentence.

Now, I love "Tyr," but this is an album that I can absolutely understand how some people may not. It's not a record like "Headless Cross" was, where I felt it was just a victim of circumstance. I'm sure for most people it's enough of a deterrent that this record doesn't have the original lineup, but adding the fact that Tony Iommi is definitely less prominent on this record, and it makes sense. I just find that "Tyr" gives powerful enough performances from everyone else, along with Iommi's support, to make up for that. The album might be Martin's best on his own, as well as Powell's best work with Sabbath. I also find the deeply routed Norse and fantasy themes to be a nice breath of fresh air for Black Sabbath. Do I think they should have stayed in this direction? No. Not at all. But as a one off experience, I think "Tyr" is a greatly underrated record. However, much to my delight, there was an old friend of the band that was looming on the horizon of "Tyr" to come back and say hello.

Tyr, son of Odin and a viking god of war, is the protagonist on this album. After "Eternal Idol" and "Headless Cross", the band brought us a handful songs in the purest Birmingham style. There are fans who prefer their epoch with Ozzy for how important they were, especially by the development of heavy metal which lays the basis of doom sound, that’s true because you can't understand them without appreciating their beginnings. However, I like all eras, especially the ones of Dio and Tony Martin, both dinosaurs of metal. The line-up consists in Iommi, Powell, Murray, Martin and Geoff Nichols on keyboards, a veritable cast of monsters that needs no introduction. This album is full of potential hymns worthy of Sabbath's repertoire, really powerful songs with riffs and choruses which burn your head. This band's tandem is infallible when it comes to writing good songs.

This album was not well-received, but as time heals, the quality was recognized and today is valued with more justice than before when Black Sabbath was immersed in a crisis of brutal credibility. I really say there are only seven songs since tracks 5 to 7 are a "three in one", which are thematically dedicated to god Tyr, but lyrics don't matter because what matters is music. In my vinyl appears that songs are composed by Black Sabbath, and lyrics by Tony Martin. In contrast to might seem, this isn't a conceptual disc because the other songs don't talk about Norse mythology, they're varied lyrics. I'd say this is a heavy metal classic ever, heavy metal with no labels which provides dark sound, melancholy ambient and magic melodies. Perhaps can be added baleful and mysterious as well, sounding as a set of compact songs, with Iommi's heavy riffs and Martin's ripped, powerful vocals with a powerful rhythmic base where Cozy Powell outstands. Songs travel between the power metal vein with easy but effective choruses (emphasizing the honorable "Jerusalem"), they're both relaxed and optimistic. All in all, this record has a quite successful production and a brilliant cover which outstands as a battle standard.

Black Sabbath went on to a new phase that many didn't understand. The instrumental, heavy and technical songwriting is combined in a good way with Tony's chilling vocals; we have even "The Battle of Tyr/Odin's Court" which seem to be the starting point of a new way of doing music. The 80s did end with Tyr, an album which fits perfectly into a top ten and I dare to say in a top five in Sabbath’s career, some people have said that the no-classic singers who did record with this band shouldn't release discs under the band's name because they weren't Black Sabbath. On the other hand, we must finish once and for all the apriorisms related with Black Sabbath because is still said that the so-called Osbourne's years are above Dio's and Tony's epoch, which are true fallacies. In short, Tyr was a work that deserved to be continued but at the end, egos did weigh more than a good agreement. Luckily, Cross Purposes fixes the inconvenient with Tony's comeback, considering it more accessible than Dehumanizer.

There have been a lot of Black Sabbath albums over the years and - let's face it - some of them have been spoken about less than others. Such is Tyr. Dwelling in the Sabbathian obscurity of the Tony Martin era, with Tony Iommi the only original member, and sounding little like their famous early output, it might not be a surprise that this has been swept under the carpet, though it doesn't make it any less of a shame, because Tyr is very good. Just to qualify that statement for anyone with Master of Reality halfway into the rubbish bin, it isn't really an important album in terms of developing new ideas and pushing the genre forwards, though it's a great example of epic metal done in an altogether inspiring and memorable manner.

Calling this epic metal does a considerable service to Tony Martin's vocals, though he is more than happy to return the favour in our direction and sounds like a bigger Dio (I guess everyone was bigger actually) with his pants set on fire and fairly similar themes to sing about. He's got that same sort of timeless mid-range that makes everything sound like the opening of an old book, yet he never goes over the top even when he's belting out the chorus of 'Valhalla' or 'Jerusalem', both of which sound fucking great. We get lots of lyrics about what I'll term "old stuff", such as a stone circle ('The Sabbath Stones'), some kind of war (I'm not sure if 'Anno Mundi' is historical, but the title's in Latin so that counts), and of course Vikings (on 'Odin's Court' and 'Valhalla') The exception is 'Feels Good to Me', which is a slight oddball in such a set of fantasy and history songs, although doesn't totally spoil the mood that is set up by the atmospheric lyrics and the efforts of the rest of the band. And this is definitely a band effort, Iommi turning in great memorable riffs in almost every song and some tasty solo work, while Geoff Nicholls make an important contribution with keyboards that don't overwhelm the music but carefully control the quieter moments and make the dramatic ones truly bombastic. If you feel like checking the credentials of the rhythm players, 'The Sabbath Stones' is the place to do so, the pace dropping and other instruments allowing them room to build drama by way of Cozy Powell's tom hits and Neil Murray's elegant backing basslines.

Tyr is not all about atmosphere either, so anyone who has read comments about this sounding light can relax a little and, as long as the volume is turned up, rock out as well. 'The Law Maker' is the paciest track here, racing off on a storm of soloing and packing a little speed/power influence, while the doom fans are sure to be content with 'The Sabbath Stones' and 'Anno Mundi', despite the tendency of the latter to go more into epic doom territory. I find a comparison which returns to my mind frequently is that of Candlemass's Chapter VI, which is in fact a very similar kind of album, transforming the Swedes' heraldic doom into a more mainstream, doom/power hybrid. The "Valhalla suite" is a great composition as well, beginning with the keyboard intro 'The Battle of Tyr' that morphs into the impassioned acoustic 'Odin's Court' and finally explodes in the bombastic 'Valhalla', which adopts a healthy fast-medium pace to kick the doors down in the excellent second half of the album. 'Feels Good to Me' is probably the most commercial effort on this release that again builds through acoustic verses to a powerful slow riff in the chorus, yet it is 'Heaven in Black' that brings proceedings to a storming close with what I consider Black Sabbath's greatest chorus, a searing energy possessing Martin as he rides high on Iommi's irresistible riffing.

For such a compact album as Tyr, there is a lot of material to explore here, with clear progressive elements guiding the songwriting on several of the songs, though never causing any stagnation in the free flow of riffs and enjoyable rhythm work. Personally, I'm not much of a fan of acoustic songs but freely admit that 'Odin's Court' is a worthy example of how to do it right despite the fact that 'Feels Good to Me' irks me just a bit from being much longer, mainly comtemplatively acoustic, and just missing the same epic feel as the rest of the material. That makes it rather plain in comparison to the richness of the other songs, something that cannot be said of 'The Sabbath Stones', which has so many changes that some of it amounts to farting around. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the material on Tyr is strong not only in Sabbath's discography but in the combined fields of doom, power, and epic traditional metal, while the weaker songs are not bad by any means. If you want to listen to some straight up quality music, forget who Black Sabbath are and just stick this straight in your player - you can't go far wrong.

It's often been said that this is a conceptual album about Norse mythology. But the bulk of this album is pretty much Judeo-christian. Side A alone (1-4) could have made a decent concept album on the Bible if not the Torah; Law Maker is almost about Moses, Jerusalem could be about King David or Jesus. The concept of Anno Mundi is related to the creation of the world as expressed in the Judeo-christian scriptures, and the Sabbath Stones conjure the images of tablets of stone. Both songs are also about fulfilling prophecies. Those references aside, Anno Mundi conveys an anti-war message not unlike War Pigs (generals..), Sabbath Stones was the third ever song to feature the word Sabbath in the title (and second one to actually feature the word Sabbath in the lyrics) but the first one in a long-time (17 years). This is to mean that Martin, who wrote the lyrics, was consciously trying to maintain a certain level of familiarity and continuity with the band's previous work. Another example of this is the mention of Lucifer in Heaven in Black (N.I.B). Not attempting to sound sinister with every sentence allows Martin to come up with some pretty fine lyrics.

About the Norse part of the album, the song Valhalla must be directed to Tyr (otherwise there is no reason for the album's name) and is loosely about Ragnarök, the final battle at the end of the world, which Loki indirectly triggered (he who has the skill of deceit). The version which Martin referred to here is probably the Germanic one which inspired Wagner for Der Ring des Nibelungen (Götterdämmerung, or Twilight of the Gods) because it refers to a ring.

Now, about the music. Not unlike Headless Cross, Iommi has been recycling some patterns from Sabbath's earlier glorious days. Anno Mundi's acoustic intro is eerily similar to that of Children of the Sea; and the riff is reminescent (though in a lesser capacity) of Zero the Hero's (and Guns'N'Roses' Paradise City to some extent, but this is GnR's fault originally). The verse part of Sabbath Stones is built on the War Pigs model; a riff with lyrics sang in between. Heaven in Black is built on a Children the Grave pattern (listen to the riffing during the verses). Still, aside of the Anno Mundi intro, these borrowings are quite subtle and if anything, serve to give a continuity feel.

The album has very fine moments, such as the contrasting acoustic passages in Sabbath Stones, whose lyrics are ambiguous and evocative enough not to make anyone cringe. Anno Mundi has beautiful vocal overlays and works very well on all levels. The heavier, fast-paced songs (The Law Maker and Heaven in Black) provide a good contrast to the album which otherwise contains several soft parts. Jerusalem and Valhalla have extremely catchy, and yet not cheesy, choruses and very good build-ups. Cozy Powell's power drums on Valhalla mark the transition from Odin's Court to that song very well. The Battle of Tyr is perhaps a little cheap (keyboard orchestra?) but nevertheless provide a Wagnerian feel to this ~8 minutes song which culminates as Valhalla.

One can't blame Sabbath here for playing it safe and trying to apply a recipe; it was very uncommon for a metal or rock band back then to have orchestral passages on an album (I'm not talking about orchestrating certain songs like Queensrÿche or Aerosmith did with Michael Kamen). Same for the subject matter which gave the album its title; this is before the label Viking metal was crafted. Though Manowar and Bathory had sung about Nordic mythology already, I really don't think here that Sabbath were trying to jump on any bandwagon. They chose this subject probably because they had done the pseudo-satanic thing an album before, and wanted to explore other ominous fantasy subjects (as they had started with Dio); they could have chosen Celtic, Greek or Roman mythologies.. the English week days are almost all named after Norse god names, so perhaps it was just an arbitrary decision.

Odin's Court contains very nice electric guitar licks who would later turn up on the Bible Black song. As for Feel Goods to Me, it is reminescent (in its overall commercial attempt) of No Stranger to Love from Iommi's previous solo album and one can indeed wonder.. what was he thinking ? Did he really thought he would get an MTV hit with this song or video? It's not a bad song, but it affects the cohesion of this album.

Worthy of mention is that this album had the rhythm section (bass+drums) of Whitesnake, Slide it In era. Does it show in the music? No. In this type of Sabbath, bass is not very important. Headless Cross had a session bass player, and here is Neil Murray who already has a good musical relationship with the drummer. He does a fine job, but the job is not that all important, unlike in other eras of Sabbath where Butler is needed. This kind of polished-AOR rock doesn't need the Geezer Butler bass, though obviously he could also do the job.

All in all, this album is constituted of 1)a mini album whose themes revolve around Christanity and/or Judaism (1-4), 2)an EP whose theme is Norse mythology (5-7), 3)a MTV/radio-friendly ballad (8) and 4)a heavier song based about some kind of episode from the Russian Empire (9). It could have been a more credible album if better organized, were the MTV ballad removed and the Norse trilogy (one three-part song, really) expanded to make two cohesive, individually themed album sides.

It is a very good counterpart to Headless Cross. Both albums form an era in themselves, and this one is the lighter side, whereas Headless Cross is the darker.

I'll never forget this one time standing in line to report back in from a liberty port call in Singapore when I was in the service overhearing a conversation between two other guys sharing what they did that night. Usually such exchanges have to do with their drinking experiences that night and where the best "masseuses" reside and how many they did. On a Navy ship, blather about such indulgences are as casual and mundane as housewives shooting the shit at a tupperware party. I wasn't struck by tales of strippers pulling razorblades out of their twats or bar fights with Royal servicemen. No, what caught me by attention was the sailor who was matter of factly reporting that he and so and so went and saw Black Sabbath play a gig in a club that night and got the autograph of Tony Iommi and singer Tony Martin afterwards. He was met with an "oh" and the conversation moved on to other persons, places and things of relevancy. "Oh". And hence, I will always associate that little second hand moment with this era of the band as very "oh." After all, this wasn't any old heavy metal band that may or may not have been heard of by the average Joe. This was Black fucking Sabbath. Or at least what was left of them which sorry to say was not much because if Tyr is the best album from the Tony Martin days, then you need not be bothered unless you are satisfied by name brand appeal alone which I suspect is the case with many people.

Not that this record is bad by any stretch but it really isn't much more than average heavy/power metal with predictable melodies and plenty of filler. That may be good enough for most other bands that play this type of thing but it is NOT good enough for Black Sabbath. Am I putting too broad a perspective on this band after all these years of them having been around? Perhaps. Fellow Brummie Tony Martin is a workman like vocalist with a good set of lungs for heavy metal and I can see why Tony Iommi hired him even if he really is just a second rate traditional metal wailer in the vein of Ronnie Dio. I suppose it also explains alot that Martin wrote all the lyrics on the album. Norse mythology is one of my favorite subjects but I'm not certain that the band plays it up all that well here on this album. Black Sabbath may be Tony Iommi's band but listening to Tyr, I realized just how much Geezer Butler was important for musical vitality in some of the band's heavier sound. He worked well with Iommi in those classic times. Geezer was very much a contributor on Born Again and that was the last album that could be said to be truly "heavy". Ian Gillan's half-ass performances for that tour still outshines anything Tony Martin does on Tyr. No disrespect to Martin but it just illustrates the haves and have nots that the guitarist had to work with because one thing that this album strikes me as is that it's kind of soft and quiet. More importantly, Iommi's riff writing is very pedestrian here. There is nothing on it that will make you go "yeah, that's Black Sabbath right there!" Where's the heaviness and energy? Well I guess I could point out some examples but they are more in the power metal vein but it's not as heavy as Born Again or Mob Rules.

Anno Mundi starts things off with an opening chord nearly identical to Children of the Sea. Just one more reminder that everything here sounds like the band is trying to rehash Heaven and Hell to very mixed results. I will admit this is a good song to listen to on it's own merits. It's very catchy and melodic. But when a Black Sabbath album sounds more like Manowar and Crimson Glory, it's a problem. Anno Mundi is much more progressively textured than the song it tries to emulate but that doesn't mean it's any better. The second track called Law Maker is quite the lame filler song. Cozy Powell was a great drummer and his rollicking hits similar to what he did on Rainbow's Rising is quite recognizable on this song but as much I love that band, it sounds way too much like them than Sabbath. Even Tony Iommi's progressions and speedier soloing are highly derivative of Blackmore. In of itself, that's kind of cool but the song just doesn't do anything for me one bit.

Now as for Jerusalem, I will admit this a very good track with wonderful catchiness to it. It's still stuck in my head. I know I am one to rag on Tony Martin alot but he is the best part of the song. His singing sounds so much like David Coverdale on this track that it's scary. So I guess he can do more than just RJD impressions after all. Again, a good song but is it a good Black Sabbath song?

The Sabbath Stones has a couple good bits to it but I think it's yet one of the weaker songs on Tyr. I would say it's closest in feel (slightly) to Black Sabbath's doomier sound that the band was much more known for. It has one of those transitions into melancholy with the mellotrone and acoustic guitar passage and the song sounds like an admixture when the riffs and chorus speed up like that found in the final passage of Heavan and Hell. I didn't like the opening however. I felt Martin's delivery sounded forced and prosaic. This track sounds like it would've worked better had it been done on Born Again.

The centerpiece of Tyr is really the next three songs. The Battle of Tyr is a pretty majestic instrumental to introduce the suite Odin's Court and Valhalla. These are pretty good songs actually and I wish they would have worked this whole Old Norse concept longer throughout the record although in the first minute or so into Odin's Court with that soft acoustic passage I kept expecting to hear "fade away, fade away, break the crystal ball." Neil Murray is hired help but I really enjoy his bass work on Valhalla. His four strings are engineered quite impressively into the track giving it an epic quality into the stormy forefront of sound. Are these three songs awesome? Almost. Are they classic Sabbath? No. To deem any Tony Martin era material classic would be to marginalize the impact the term "classic" has when used in that fashion ESPECIALLY when applied to such a band as Black Sabbath. It's indefensible.

And contrary to what you might believe, it doesn't have all to do with Tony Martin because yes, I like Tyr better than the Dio fronted Dehumanizer album which I thought was perfunctory in its heaviness in that it sounded as if what worked for Judas Priest with Painkiller might work for Sabbath with Dehumanizer. It didn't. So there is no pure Dio bias either. Tyr has it's moments(Jerusalem, Odin's Court/Valhalla). It has some catchy songs(Anno Mundi and Heaven in Black) but mostly it has too much of an aftermarket feel with this lineup. The filler songs are too distressing to overcome because it sounds like a band grasping for relevance. Seriously, who ever gets excited about albums like Tyr or worse, The Eternal Idol? It's all very "oh."

With TYR, Black Sabbath saw Tony Iommi, Tony Martin and Cozy Powell joined by ex-Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray to form what some consider the most underrated lineup of Sabbath. TYR is certainly the best album to feature Tony Martin as vocalist and is another great album in the long discography of Black Sabbath. Powell delivers some fine performances, and as always Tony Iommi cranks out the best metal riffery this side of Valhalla.

The album is almost a concept album, as several of the songs link together to form a tale of Vikings and Nordic Gods. As such, TYR is Sabbath's contribution to the "Viking Metal" genre. Feeling tired of the devils and demons of previous works, the band gave Martin free reign to work with this lyrical concept. The result is a brilliant and very heavy album.

Opening with "Anno Mundi," the song begins with acoustic guitar before kicking in with Iommi's trademark crunching riffs. Next is "The Lawmaker," one of Sabbath's fastest tracks, with a scorching intro solo and some nice keyboard touches by Geoff Nichols midsong. "Jerusalem" is a midtempo power metal song followed by the total doom of "The Sabbath Stones." Iommi's classic riffing is all over this one, certainly one of the strongest tracks on the album.

Side two sees a trilogy of sorts: "The Battle of Tyr", "Odin's Court", and "Valhalla"seem to blend into one long song. This is where the Nordic myth theme appears. Interestingly enough, "Odin's Court" seems to have been something of a minor hit is Southeast Asia, don't know if the band knows this. "Feels Good to Me" is the power ballad of the album, a melodic song which the band made a video for. The band returns to heaviness for album closer "Heaven in Black," a powerful track about Russian history with a great chorus by Martin.

One minor complaint about TYR is that the bass guitar is mixed a bit low in the mix (Neil Murray himself has voiced complaint about this). It's not like it's Metallica's "And Justice For All..." or anything, just turn the eq on the bass up if it's not enough for you. I've never had a problem with it, and I've regarded TYR highly since it's release. For any fan of traditional heavy metal, TYR is a must!

The turn of the decade saw the continued glory of metal in various forms. Bands such as Judas Priest and Riot were ushering a different speed metal answer to the established thrash genre that had dominated the mid 80s, while other artists such as Dio and Yngwie Malmsteen completely revamped their bands in order to continue the evolution of their sound. In the middle of it all is this forgotten classic, the album which truly captures the spirit of true Viking metal, despite the fact that it was penned by musicians on an island a bit west of where the Norsemen originated.

It can be plainly stated that Sabbath’s influential status in the 70s and early 80s was obvious, but what is not as well known are the precedents set by this band in the later 80s and the early 90s. Although song by song “The Headless Cross” has a slight edge, the progressive themes and the ambitious approach to songwriting on here takes this album up to near equal standing with its predecessor. Geoff Nicholls’ keyboard textures, Tony Martin’s voice, Neil Murray’s active bass lines, Cozy Powell’s beats, and maestro Iommi’s riffs all line up perfectly, each linking together to create a grand dragon boat of sound.

This album begins amazingly with the highly progressive and mystical sounding “Anno Mundi”. The opening riff is slightly reminiscent of “Children of the Sea”, but is accompanied by a choral chant that sounds like it could only have been accomplished by Freddie Mercury. What follows is a set of hard edged riffs that flirts with sounding like both “Zero the Hero” and “The Eternal Idol”. Although we don’t have a guitar solo to speak of on this track, as was the case with the title track of the first album with Tony Martin, the amount of different themes and ideas going on here completely make up for it,

“Law Maker” and “Jerusalem” follow, the former being a solid speed metal song that cooks equally as fast as “Turn to Stone” on the Seventh Star release, the latter being a solid mid tempo track with a killer signature riff and plenty of amazing vocal moments. “The Sabbath Stones” is a song that reminds more of classic Sabbath during the Ozzy years, going through a barrage of contrasting sections. You get a quiet acoustic guitar section with keyboard fills that sounds a bit similar to the quiet part of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, while the slow verse riffs remind of “The Wizard. Everything kicks it up a notch towards the end with a drastic tempo change which has that rhythmic triplet feel of the closing to “Black Sabbath”, but with a sense of triumph that also reminds of the closing section of “Heaven and Hell”.

“Feels Good to Me” is the album’s single and has the most obvious hooks to it. The lyrics are about a troubled relationship, the guitars are mostly quiet during the verses, following with a powerful yet simple chorus riff. Unfortunately if you happen to run into a copy of the single for this song, you will discover that the highlight to the song, the guitar solo at the beginning has been cut. “Heaven in Black” closes off the album on an up tempo note with plenty of wah pedal dominated guitar soloing. It mostly sounds like a less blues driven version of “Black Moon”, although the vocal lines remind a bit of “Devil and Daughter”.

The highlight of this album is obvious as it contains the concept of the album. “The Battle of Tyr/Odin’s Court/Valhalla” is a glowing example of Sabbath’s progressive roots, going through some rather intricate musical changes and ideas. The first track is an instrumental keyboard prelude that could easily be included in a 80s Sci-Fi/Fantasy film score. The middle track is an acoustic and atmospheric ballad with a very exposed yet perfect vocal performance, sounding essentially as any Viking Folk Metal outfit should sound. The 3rd and final track of the opus is where all the best aspects of this album culminate. You have an unforgettable main riff, a riveting guitar solo, and probably the most triumphant chorus ever composed by Black Sabbath. No matter how much praise you steep this song in, it will remain underrated, and it is in a class completely by itself.

In conclusion, this is Black Sabbath’s musically progressive and melodic answer to the changing world of metal. Although it will probably never get the credit it deserves, this album represented an alternative to the road that metal was going down, one that has still yet to be fully explored. It comes recommended to any fan of Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Traditional Heavy Metal, or any other genre that deals in the concept of Norse myths and legends. I still listen to it once every few weeks, and it stays fresh, forward looking, and a cut above the rest.

By 1990, Black Sabbath had already went through some of the most legendary heavy metal singers of all time and a load of other musicians. Regardless of who came in and out of the band, Sabbath was still able to be a powerhouse in the metal scene. Tony Iommi's recruitment of an unfamiliar singer by the name of Tony Martin on "Eternal Idol" caused the vocalist to go from an unknown musician to one of metal's most captivating elites. Tony Martin's era in Sabbath continued through the 1980's with the masterful "Headless Cross," which quickly became a cult classic within the band's fan base, but their impressive run didn't end there. The band's fifteenth album,"Tyr," is the valorous continuation of Sabbath's legacy in the form of other Tony Martin albums with epic music, soaring vocals and spell binding lyrics.

The semi-power metal approach Sabbath began using when Tony Martin entered the band remains intact here along with a few touches of doom metal and atmosphere. "Anno Mundi" and "The Sabbath Stones" are the most atmospheric songs on "Tyr" because they have slow, yet heavy riffs with agile keyboard overtones and slothful drum patterns. Some of the album's faster tracks, like "The Lawmaker" and "Heaven In Black," utilize quicker riffs and drum patterns than most of the other songs.

Regardless of what style is being played, Iommi is able to play splendid riffs and otherworldly solos. The majority of the riffs he plays are rather fast, yet some are slow and forceful. The doom influence on "Anno Mundi" drives the song with epic and powerful riffs that are just as catchy as they are brilliant. Iommi's solo performance is on par with his fantastic riffs as he rapidly nails several notes in just a couple of seconds to make some wonderful leads. Iommi's guitar show on "Tyr" is incredibly good and is one of his best Sabbath performances to date.

By the time "Tyr" was recorded, Tony Martin had found his niche in Black Sabbath and was hailed as one of the band's most exciting members. Martin's ability to match Sabbath's metal attack on "Tyr" shows a great display of talent and greatness in his voice. The high notes Martin is able to hit on "Anno Mundi" and "Valhalla" makes the music seem epic and powerful. His note holding skill also makes some of the song's choruses seem brighter and more energetic. "The Lawmaker" applies to this the most when Martin is singing the chorus and he holds the final line with a powerful vocal tone.

Cozy Powell's drum performance on "Tyr" is substantially more technical and skillful than the percussion on his Black Sabbath debut, "Headless Cross." Unlike his prior album, Powell is occupied with great drum fills and solid patterns. "The Lawmaker" and "Heaven In Black" each begin with complex drum fills that are stylish and talented. During the solo on "The Lawmaker," Cozy accommodates his double bass pedals with Iommi's solo to make the song seem faster and beautifully animated. "Tyr" is definitely Cozy Powell's stand out performance during his short stay in Black Sabbath.

"Tyr" is one of the most unique albums in the Black Sabbath catalog due to the fact its the band's sole concept album. The main center point of the lyrics here is the concept and story of Norse mythology. Such songs like "Odin's Court" and "Valhalla" give strong reference to mythological gods like Odin and Thor while maintaining a stable story line about Norse beliefs.

"Tyr" is without a doubt one of the best Black Sabbath records ever made. If you have the slightest interest in Black Sabbath's phase with Tony Martin, you need to get this album. If you aren't familiar with Tony Martin or his time in Sabbath, this is a great place to start.

This review was written for: http://www.Thrashpit.com

Initially I viewed Tyr as the weakest of the original Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath trilogy, but these days I’ve been inclined to believe it might be the strongest (it is, at the very least, better than Headless Cross). This is because Tyr is the sound of this Black Sabbath lineup at their most comfortable. Here there is no need to live up to any of the expectations based on the band’s rich lineage, they need only live up to those based off of The Eternal Idol and Headless Cross. The resulting freedom is responsible for one of the most developed Sabbath albums ever made, a record that is both musically enjoyable and artistically satisfying.

As with the other albums that Tony Martin sings on, it is necessary to mentally detach these works from the Ozzy-era albums to fully appreciate them. The sound is more of a traditional/power metal sound than anything remotely doomish and there is an essential keyboard element (once again provided by Geoff Nicholls) accompanying the band’s sound. This is for atmospheric purposes, obviously, but the results haven’t been this magical since Heaven and Hell (when the 80’s style synths really started making a full-time appearance). Where Headless Cross relied on synth backing to the point of dependence, Tyr blends them flawlessly into the instrumentation, which is also quite strong. Tony Iommi brings the riffage by the barrel; Tyr is one of the heaviest Black Sabbath albums since the Ozzy years. Iommi is the key here, but it is also due in no small part to the incredibly proficient Neil Murray on bass guitar and drummer Cozy Powell, who delivers one of the best performances in his extensive discography. Everything is just incredibly well done, whether the band is performing quick power metal (“The Lawmaker”), straightforward, catchy traditional metal (“Jerusalem,” “Heaven in Black”) or doom-laden epics like “The Sabbath Stones” or “Anno Mundi.” The latter numbers are where this lineup really excels, and nowhere are they more ambitious than on the “Tyr” trilogy. Featuring a keyboard introduction (“The Battle of Tyr”), a stirring acoustic movement (“Odin’s Court”), and a powerful concluding anthem (“Valhalla”), it is one of the highlights of later-period Sabbath. Only “Feels Good to Me,” (the ballad of sorts) feels a bit weaker than the rest: the album just plain rules that much.

Of course, one must mention singer Tony Martin. His performance on the album is not merely one of comfort, but of absolute confidence. Completely shedding the Dio mannerisms that he displayed on The Eternal Idol, Martin gives a powerful, emotional performance from beginning to end. He experiments with layering on “Anno Mundi” and “Jerusalem” to good effect and he’s matured as a lyricist: every tale told on this album was penned by him.

Underrated like all of the Martin-era albums, Tyr is an excellent album nonetheless. Recommended for fans of epic heavy metal bands like Manilla Road, Manowar, etc. minus their speedier stuff

From the half of the 80's and to end of it, Sabbath was stormed by numerous line-up changes. The line-up had been varied from album to album since 1978's Never say die, except the Dio-era albums Mob rules and Live evil, which had the same line-up. Men have entered and left Sabbath too many times to no-one to remember actually how many. But that hasn't stopped Iommi (only original member) to make good music. The post-Dio albums have always been persecuted by the glorious albums of the early 70's and that is a shame.

Black Sabbath's two previous albums with vocalist Tony Martin are musically similar to Tyr. But the band has made a concept album this time. Christianity is still an important subject for Sabbath to handle, but it has also added themes from Norse mythology to the soup.

Tyr's first track is entitled "Anno Mundi". The start is dim and cold, then the cold but infernal guitar riff fills the air. Riffmeester Iommi has done it again! If someone thought that Iommi couldn't build clever riffs and combide them to crushing songs, Iommi's raunchy guitar will make the suspicious bastard so little that he could fit into keyhole. Martin's too many times under-rated vocals are clear and loud, backing Iommi's guitar. The storm behind the drums makes this sound even more massive than it was alongside with raging bass sound.

"The law maker" speeds the tempo up. It is probably the fastest Sabbath song. The songs in this speed are usual to other bands, not the band like the doomy Sabbath. Fast songs in Sabbath's back catalogue are rare, that is what makes this track special and awesome. "Jerusalem" explodes and reveals great riff, what is actually commonplace to Black Sabbath songs. Ordinary Sabbath song, which isn't a bad thing at all. "The Sabbath stones" is a classic later-Sabbath song. It is more peaceful and darker song, but the hellhammer blows shatter the silence.

The next three tracks could be named as "The Valhalla-trilogy". "The battle of Tyr" is silent ambient track, which could be from any Lord of the Rings-movie. The silence continues with "Odin's court", which includes acoustic guitar, a silent electric guitar solos in the back and Tony Martin's vocals. In the middle of the Martin's vocals, the song "Valhalla" suddenly starts. The listener doesn't even notice the transition between the three songs. For you who doesn't know what the "Valhalla" means, here's some info. The word "Valhalla" means the warriors's heaven where warriors fought eternally in Norse mythology. The song, not surprisingly tells about that.

The album changes course during the song "Feels good to me", both musically and lyrically. It could be regarded as an album's mandatory ballad. It doesn't make you cry, the guitar attack prevents it. It's better not to say anymore about this. "Heaven in black" is same as the first tracks of the album. The drumming sounds like a groundfall, bass is loud and guitar cries and howls. It's a perfect ending. The album ends fast in complete silence. Was that it?

Yes it was. The album is powerful Sabbath stuff packed with good guitar riffs, which are the Sabbath's and especially Iommi's trademark. If you don't buy this album after reading a review mocking this album, burn that review! It's foul! If you belong to those who say that Iommi couldn't have written any good riffs after Mob Rules, I have something to say to you: Fuck you!

All of Tony Martin's stuff.... well, except maybe that last album from '95 (Forbidden) is must-hear material. This era is indeed the ultimate in classic power-metal of the Purple/Rainbow/Dio/Yngwie vein. Combine Iommi's monster guitar work with the sense of style borrowed from Rainbow via a certain former vocalist, and from Purple via another certain former vocalist, and then throw in the most underrated singer in the history of the world... combine all that with epic song constructions about vikings and other cool stuff, and you are all set.

Highlights.... first off, the uber-song Battle of Tyr/Odin's Court/Valhalla, which bursts open on the third track... VALHALLA!!!! Then of course The Sabbath Stones harks back to some of the more traditional years of Sabbath, with the heavy-as-fuck riffage... there's also the catchy, speedy, 80s-metal sounding Lawmaker, and then THE HIGHLIGHT... the opener is just completely amazing... Anno Mundi. Spiritus Sanctus, Anno Mundi, whatever the fuck he's saying. Also the lyrics are perfect... DO YOU FIGHT FOR THE CAUSE??? Throw in the subtle keyboard track, and the ever-building-up intensity, and we've got ourselves a winner. And the sands of time grow old! One of the best songs Black Sabbath has ever done.

The album kinda dies a bit at the end... Feels Good to Me is kinda empty and seems like a mishmash centered around one second-class Iommi riff, and Heaven in Black is pretty decent, but just not quite spectaular as some other fast songs that Sabbath has toyed with over the years.

Still, a great album... the second-best album of the Martin years, after the unforgettable Eternal Idol.