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In the early Nineties, Black Sabbath must have seemed to many like fish out of water, old fossils unwilling to give up, even though the scene around them had drastically changed in the meantime.
Already considered the fathers of heavy metal twenty-five years ago, Tony Iommi and company had miraculously survived the Eighties. While Ozzy, after his dismissal in '79, embarked on a sold-out solo career, the guitarist had more than one headache: the number of singers to find themselves with the Sabs' microphone was countless, and drummers and bassists often became mere session players. Only in 1987 did a fresh breeze begin to blow from Birmingham, with the permanent arrival of young Tony Martin, who was urgently called to rerecord the vocal parts for “The Eternal Idol,” an LP as remarkable as it was unknown to most. With seasoned Cozy Powell also on board, the group seemed to regain some popularity with “Headless Cross”, far from the glory of the past but still enjoyable. Evidently, the only one not convinced of how things were going was Iommi himself, who after the excellent “Tyr” of '90 decided to embark on a cardboard reunion with Ronnie Dio, yielding the decent “Dehumanizer” and a plethora of quarrels and discussions. The arenas were filling up again, the bank account too, but the singer of “Heaven And Hell” was certainly no nonentity and his ego was what it was. Having bid farewell (not really!) to the New York elf, all that was left was to call back the trusty Martin, who very patiently agreed to resume his place after being unceremoniously dismissed.
Black Sabbath version 1994 reappears with a lineup that combines old and new and is one of the best in the band’s history on paper. If Martin represents the new beginning of the late Eighties, Geezer Butler, who had rejoined a couple of years earlier, embodies the spirit of the golden era. Yet another change behind the drums, with the seat now occupied by Bobby Rondinelli, a classy drummer with an impressive resume, mainly Rainbow, while, according to the credits, it seems that for the first time Geoff Nicholls is officially recognized as a full-fledged member of the group and no longer just a session player. It is pointless to mention who wields the six strings.
“Cross Purposes” hit the stores in January '94, an annus horribilis for any classic metal band: between grunge tornadoes and alternative storms, does the old English Sabbath still have a reason to exist? The answer is yes. Much like their “cousins” Motorhead, Black Sabbath managed to navigate through very different musical eras without ever really overturning their proposal or caving into passing trends, much like a fossil preserved over time regardless of what happened around it. “I Witness” is a tight track, great for opening the album, showcasing, along with the already known abilities of the members, an excellent production. “Cross Of Thorns” is rhythmic and atmospheric, supported by the voice of the ever-praiseworthy Martin, the only one truly capable of not making listeners miss the legendary Ozzy and Dio, while “Psychophobia” does not deviate an inch from what has been offered so far, with powerful and melodic hard rock. If “Virtual Death” echoes the early doom Sabbath too much, “Immaculate Deception”, with Nicholls' keyboards ever prominent, perfectly captures a now well-established band, despite the many lineup changes. “Dying For Love” is a beautiful ballad but the subsequent “Back To Eden” and “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle” feel déjà vu, and even “Cardinal Sin” does not shine for originality. The album concludes with “Evil Eye,” a decent track but nothing more.
“Cross Purposes” thus turns out to be a pleasant melodic hard rock album, starting very well but losing its way with some tracks that are not always on target: sometimes there's a feeling that, at the “mere” seventeenth LP, they began to feel a bit fatigued, at least in the compositional phase. For years, the album has been out of catalog, like much of those with Tony Martin, but rumors of a new collaboration between the singer and the guitarist are circulating: maybe it will be a good opportunity to open the archives and reissue some of the old material.
Black Sabbath:
- Tony Martin, vocals
- Tony Iommi, guitars
- Geezer Butler, bass
- Bobby Rondinelli, drums
- Geoff Nicholls, keyboards
“Cross Purposes”:
- I Witness
- Cross Of Thorns
- Psychophobia
- Virtual Death
- Immaculate Deception
- Dying For Love
- Back To Eden
- The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
- Cardinal Sin
- Evil Eye
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 I Witness (04:58)
Across The Desert Of The Burning Dark, A
Darkness Which Illuminates You,
There's A Place You've Always Wanted To Be,
Whose Pleasures Always Did Escape You,
It's Always Been So Out Of Reach, Nothing, So Near
Ever Felt So Far
And Now It's Here Within Your Grasp, A Never
Ending Burning Says It All.
As You Drive Into The Darkness, In Front The Future
Behind You History
Caught Alone In The Dark Night, Do You Think
That's The Way It's Supposed To Be.
You Don't Believe Your Eyes, Cos All They See Is
Lies, Oh Yeah.
You Better Run From The Holy Man, The Eyes That
Will Are Set Uppon You,
Listen Not To Verse And Prayer, Song That Thrill
And Voices Tempt You
The Inner Flame Has Fear Of Death, Never, Has
Light Ever Seemed So Dark.
Pilgrims Of Sabbocracy, Hear The Hounds Of
Heaven, As They Bark
I Witness A Time And A Place That Never Dies, Still Frozen In Time,
This Darkness The Only Place That I Can Hide.
I Witness, A Dream.
I Witness A Time And A Place That Never Dies, Still Frozen In Time,
This Darkness The Only Place That I Can Hide, I Witness A Dream.
Oh, Just A Dream.
03 Psychophobia (03:14)
Mortal Eyes, Looking Through A Veil Of Dreams,
Hypnotised, An Ever Living Soul With Wings.
Think You're God, But You Never Had Control,
Think You're Loved But There's No One There At All...
Chorus:
My Colours All Ran Dry, And Now I See The World In
Black And White,
It's Too Late Now, It's Time To Kiss The Rainbow
Goodbye.
Poison Tears Running From A Palsied Face,
Satan Nears, Descending On The Human Race.
Think You're God, Don't You Wish You Had Control,
Think You're Loved But There's No One There At All...
Chorus
Listen To The Wind, Hear The Gospel Blow.
Tell Me That You Don't Hear What I'm Hearing
And I Will Let You Go.
Look Up To The Sky, Put Your Trust In Me,
Tell Me That You Ain't Feelin What I'm Feelin And I
Will Set You Free.
Look Into The Flame, See The Embers Glow,
Tell Me That You Don't See What I'm Seein And I
Will Let You Go
Look Up To The Sky, Put Your Trust In Me,
Tell Me That You Ain't Feelin What I'm Feelin And I
Will Set You Free.
Look Into The Flame, See The Embers Glow,
Tell Me That You Don't See What I'm Seein And I
Will Let You Go
Taste The Holy Blood, Running From My Veins
Tell Me That You Ain't Feelin What I'm Feelin And
I'll Take Away The Pain
Yes I Will Now, Oh Yes I Will, It's Time To Kiss The
Rainbow Goodbye.
05 Immaculate Deception (04:15)
In The Daylight, Comes Darkness, On The Verge Of
Night A Fear Is Born,
Sweeter Than The Dream, The Reality Of You,
Immaculate, Deception.
From The Spirit Runs Poison, And The Wheel Of
Fortune Is Ever Still,
Sweeter Than The Light, The Darkness Of Your Soul,
Immaculate, Deception.
Something Has Touched, The Spirit Inside,
Once There Was Love Now There's A Void.
Night Of Deception, Ghost In My Mind,
Am I Bewitched, Slave To Desire.
It's Knowing That Time Keeps Rolling On, Night After
Day, Day After Night,
It's Knowing That Feeling Of Coming Home, To Where
My Spirit Lies.
It's Knowing That Feeling Of Coming Home, To Where
My Spirit Lies.
09 Cardinal Sin (04:21)
Where Do You Go When Your Conscience Takes Over
Do You Crawl To Your Corner And Cry.
Did You Imagine, That No One Would Notice
Just A Secret To Take When You Die.
All The World Is Watching You,
Every Tongue Is Screaming, Sinner.
How Are Your Dreams, Do They Claw At Your Sleep
Making Darkness A Place You Despise,
Where Is The God, That Once Was Your Strength
Are You Sure He Was There From The Start.
All The World Is Watching You, Nowhere You Can Hide,
Every Tongue Is Screaming, Only Satan Hears Your Cries.
When You Sin Cardinal Sin,
You Make Your Bed And On It You Must Lie, You Must Lie.
And Your Futures Looking Grim, But Did You Ever Give A Damn About The Child,
He's Running Wild.
When You Sin Cardinal Sin, Don't Expect The World Will Treat You Well.
Do You Think That God Will Forgive You Of Your Sins,
Now Will You Need To Sell Your Soul?
We Point The Finger, Sin Cardinal Sin, Laugh In Your Face, Sin
Cardinal Sin,
We Point The Finger, Laugh In Your Face,
Cos You're No Better Than The Rest Of The Human Race.
Oh Sin Cardinal Sin, Oh Sin Cardinal Sin.
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Other reviews
By Damned Soul
It’s a good album that perhaps lacks something, that ‘hand’ of God—Ronnie James, to be clear.
Black Sabbath has never just thrown together four notes and lyrics, and therefore on this front, we can’t help but achieve a certain quality: texts almost always sensible and coherent and an excellent record production.
