Black Sabbath
The Eternal Idol

A bad habit when speaking of a fundamental band like Black Sabbath is to limit their most prolific period to the early Seventies. According to many comments, it seems almost as if after 1976 the band stopped existing or producing anything significant, indeed, according to a comment I read, "no one remembers the singers after Ozzy." As if rock legends like Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes were honest unknowns.

It should also be acknowledged that the historical lineup of the band is the most recognizable, both in style and image, given the long series of albums produced, something that later versions of the band could not accomplish, averaging out to only a few months' lifespan. Among the less favored works of the Birmingham quartet is certainly this "The Eternal Idol", released to general indifference in 1987. From the first listen, one immediately realizes how definitively they move away from the more progressive and experimental style of certain Seventies works (just think of the masterpiece "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" from 1973) to propose a solid heavy metal, at times almost epic.

Enhanced by the always excellent solos of Tony Iommi, now the absolute leader of the band, and the rhythm section, which again sees Eric Singer on drums, the American drummer and future heavy star with Alice Cooper and Kiss, as well as a sought-after session musician, and the newcomer Bob Daisley on bass, boasting a resume featuring stints on records for Ozzy Osbourne and Rainbow. On keyboards, the trusted Geoff Nicholls is reconfirmed, having been with the band since 1979, while on vocals we find another new recruit, Tony Martin, former Alliance, hastily recruited to replace the defector Ray Gillen. Martin had only a week to re-record the vocal lines (the original demo of the album, with Gillen on vocals, is available as a bootleg), quite a challenging task, as he found himself having to sing in a style quite different from his own and re-sing songs designed for another voice, but the result was remarkable nonetheless, so much so that Martin was confirmed by Iommi on subsequent records of the band, "Headless Cross" (1989) and "Tyr" (1990).

To understand this album, we must also understand the context in which it was conceived. After Ian Gillan's departure in 1984, the lineup literally exploded, with veteran members Bill Ward and Geezer Butler quickly abandoning, but not before recruiting Ron Keel on vocals first and Dave Donato later, and also finding time for a reunion concert with Ozzy in 1985 at Live Aid. With Black Sabbath now disbanded, Iommi begins working on what was to become his first solo album, managing to enlist former Deep Purple and Trapeze singer Glenn Hughes. With a solid lineup, also featuring Geoff Nicholls on keyboards, Eric Singer on drums, and Dave Spitz on bass, "Seventh Star" (1986) is recorded, an album with strong blues influences, which, due solely to pressure from record labels, is decided to be released under the name "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi".

The tour turns into a disaster, with Hughes devastated from years of excess and unable, according to official statements, to effectively perform the classic Black Sabbath songs. The former Purple member is then replaced by the young Ray Gillen, delivering a convincing performance (several bootlegs are available, including "Hammersmith 1986", quite easy to find) that gives him the opportunity to secure the microphone. With the new album ready to be released, however, Gillen decides to leave, uncertain about the future of the Birmingham band; at this point, since when one pope dies they elect another, Iommi recruits yet another singer in the band's history (the ninth in ten years!), re-records the album, releases it, and finally sets off for the tour. The album turns out to be one of the least sold among those released under the Black Sabbath name, but at the same time, it is, in my opinion, one of the best in their discography, as well as the best of the Eighties, even better than the acclaimed "Heaven And Hell" (1980).

The opening track is "The Shining", a song that begins with a beautiful arpeggio and is a reworking of a 1984 track, "No Way Out", recorded with Dave Donato on vocals and never released. It continues with "Ancient Warrior" and "Glory Ride", one of the standout tracks of the lot and is not coincidentally performed also in subsequent tours promoting the album. Among the tracks on the album, special mention should definitely go to "Scarlet Pimpernel", a short instrumental track featuring Bev Bevan on percussion, a drummer who accompanied the band during the "Born Again" tour and who would shortly rejoin the lineup, and "Nightmare", a track that stands out not only for its qualities but also for a "cameo" by Ray Gillen: the laugh heard towards the middle of the track is his own and is all that remains, at least according to the official discography, of his stint in Black Sabbath.

The album closes with the pair "Lost Forever"/"Eternal Idol", two standout tracks that today would make the fortune of any heavy band and in which the doom Sabs from the early Seventies echo: too bad that at the time a record of such level went unnoticed. The album, beyond its actual value, also had the merit of bringing Tony Martin into the lineup, a singer with whom Tony Iommi would bring to life a new and prolific course for Black Sabbath in the Eighties and Nineties.

PS: despite Dave Spitz being credited for bass, all bass lines were recorded by Bob Daisley.

Tracklist: 

1. The Shining 
2. Ancient Warrior 
3. Hard Life To Love 
4. Glory Ride 
5. Born To Lose 
6. Nightmare 
7. Scarlet Pimpernel 
8. Lost Forever 
9. Eternal Idol 

Musicians: 

Tony Martin: vocals 
Tony Iommi: guitars 
Dave Spitz: bass (credited, but did not record the album) 
Bob Daisley: bass 
Geoff Nicholls: keyboards 
Eric Singer: drums 
Bev Bevan: percussion