Black Sabbath Feat. Tony Iommi
Seventh Star

In 1986, Black Sabbath seemed to have reached the end of the line: the only remaining member of the original lineup was the legendary Tony Iommi, and the much-anticipated reunion with Ozzy (rumored after their sole performance at Live Aid '85) did not happen, as the latter was preoccupied with the success of his latest work "The Ultimate Sin" and the world tour that followed.

At that point, Iommi began writing and recording material for an album that was supposed to be released under his name, but in reality, it was released under the bizarre moniker "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi" (??), probably due to obvious pressure from the record label that wanted a strong name to somehow attract the public's attention. With Eric Singer on drums, Dave Spitz on bass, and Geoff Nichols on keyboards, the lineup was completed by none other than the legendary Glenn Hughes, former singer-bassist of Trapeze/Deep Purple MK 3, who was about to deliver one of his most beautiful vocal performances on this "Seventh Star."

From the first tracks, the album highlights one thing: there's little to nothing left of the old Sabbath sound, with the doom cadence of the previous "Born Again" replaced by a classic heavy metal style. Examples of this are the energetic opener "In For The Kill" and the fast-paced "Turn to Stone", even with an "American" flavor featuring a ballad in pure Journey style or something similar, which, however, is not synonymous with rubbish, quite the opposite, especially because with a singer like Hughes, you can transition from frenzied rhythms to pure "sentimental" incursions that know how to move without much difficulty; Glenn Hughes stands out on the title track as well, introduced by keyboard echoes and incessant wind gusts that transport us to distant and mysterious eras: a song with Egyptian and dreamlike atmospheres, with a monolithic riff that follows the narration of the "narrator," culminating in its epic chorus and ending just as it began, carried away by the wind's echo. A masterpiece.

The album continues with the metallic riff of "Danger Zone" (a riff that vaguely reminds me of the opening of "Heading Out To The Highway" by Judas Priest), but there's also room for blues reminiscences with "Heart like a Wheel" with the drums and guitar gradually joining in to give life to a show where Iommi gives his best, momentarily setting aside the singer: truly convincing here, Iommi with stunning riffs and solos (yeah, but what's new?); it's just a shame that the song ends almost abruptly, which leaves you a bit bewildered at first since the next song "Angry Heart" completely changes the sound, going back to strictly metal tracks. The disc ends in the best possible way with what is the highest point of the album along with "Seventh Star": "In Memory...", this time closely linked to the previous track; here Hughes is simply beyond measure, with that singing halfway between despair and resignation in remembering the passing of a loved one (beautiful lyrics in their simplicity); a song of incredible pathos that leaves a trail of melancholy and a sense of sad resignation: almost tear-jerking, if you listen to it with your heart.

What more can be said other than that we are witnessing yet another masterpiece by "Black Sabbath" (though here it would be more correct to talk about Iommi alone): an album that fully convinces in all its parts and which we can undoubtedly elevate as one of the best albums, in its genre, of the '80s. The only regret is that good Glenn will leave the ship after only a few concerts, also due to his well-known dependency issues: a shame, because if the collaboration between him and Iommi (which will be resumed many years later, but that's another story) had continued, interesting works would surely have emerged, even more so than what the Sabbath will offer later on.