Many spirits are lost forever but one survives Reportedly this song was to be called “Hero” until Ozzy released one with the same title a few months prior. It’s not as good as “Kill In The Spirit World”, but it has a good pulse and it’s pretty decent. Their albums were a lot better than given credit.Īnother hard rock song follows: “Call of the Wild”. I think there was definitely a double standard in how fans treated Sabbath in the late 80’s. I’m sure this song was derided by skeptics at the time for its pop tendencies meanwhile Dio got away with songs like “Mystery”. Then Tony nails it with a hauntingly bluesy solo. The hard rock song “Kill In The Spirit World” boasts song damn strong verses before it melds with a spooky chorus. By the time Martin proclaims that there’s no tomorrow, “just an evil shadow” at the end, you’re probably exhausted from rocking so hard.Īnd that’s side one, a decidedly dark affair. It’s Iommi’s mate Brian May! A heavier Brian May than you were hearing at that period of the 1980’s, and his solo totally makes the song that much more special. And best of all, who shows up to play the guitar solo? Does he sound familiar to you? Take it out and you don’t have enough to keep it interesting. This one section, as far as I’m concerned, makes the song. It has three distinct sections: the mellow verses featuring Lawrence Cottle’s chiming fretless bass, the heavy choruses, and the scorching “Don’t look in those sunken eyes…” section. “When Death Calls” is a slow burner that I witnessed Sabbath perform live in 1995 on the Forbidden tour. Its only flaw is that Geoff Nicholls’ keys are mixed way too high, as they are on almost every song on Headless Cross. Martin scorches through the song with bravado and lung power to spare. If that’s not your thing, then just walk away, because you won’t like the rest of this review.Īnother riffy number shows up next, “Devil & Daughter”, which also showcases Tony Iommi’s underrated soloing. In the 1980’s most bands needed a singer who could shatter glass and Tony M delivered. It pulsates before it explodes in the chorus with Tony’s youthful scream. If you love Cozy’s drumming, you will love “Headless Cross”. The intro then segues into one of the most powerful Sabbath songs of the entire catalog: “Headless Cross” itself. It’s a short one, a mere 7 tracks plus intro “The Gates of Hell”, but most of the songs are in the 5-6 minute range. I can’t say I prefer it to Seventh Star, but it’s pretty close. I can’t say I adore it as much as Born Again, my favourite album of all time by anybody. I like it a lot better than the previous one, Tony Martin’s debut as Sabbath singer, The Eternal Idol. While Headless Cross is lopsided to keyboard-heavy melodic numbers, I consider it a really underrated album. (They were not, however, able to get me Seventh Star, then only available from Japan.) I paid about $25 for a US import, thanks to Orange Monkey Music in Kitchener, the only store that was able to get it. This is one of the last Sabbath albums I got, because it was pretty scarce in the mid-90’s.
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