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Rating:
I got to know Black Sabbath through Paranoid, Master Of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and my first impression wasn't entirely positive: certainly, I appreciated the value of songs like War Pigs, Children Of The Grave, or Spiral Architect, but that doom and slow style, and especially the monotonous screeching (or meowing, depending on the occasion) of the singer, I never quite liked. Then this 1990 album came into my hands, and my love for Black Sabbath skyrocketed. Tony Martin has a wonderful voice (personally, I consider him a notch above even the legendary Ronnie James Dio), writes wonderful lyrics, and is, alas, not a very media-friendly character. He focuses on singing and composing rather than acting foolish on eMpTy tV. (in practice, he is everything Ozzy is not).
With this prologue out of the way, let's move on to the review: the album opens with the marvelous Anno Mundi, marked by a superb performance from all four Sabs, with a truly extraordinary Tony Martin who gives this song an epic and grandeur that even the most renowned Dio, Gillan, and Hughes could not have achieved. The Law Maker is perhaps the least inspired track on the album. Bad? Absolutely not, on the contrary, it's a great fast track that is always a pleasure to listen to. Jerusalem would have been a perfect first single, as it is fast, direct, and at the same time epic and grandiose, especially due to the choir in the chorus. It is also worth highlighting the skill of songwriter Tony Martin, who uses the imagery of the Crusades to write lyrics about achieving one's goals in life. The Sabbath Stones is another masterpiece, slow, rhythmic, and doomy with Tony Martin creating a state of rarefied tension that preludes to the atmospheres of Cross Purposes. Then begins the wonderful Nordic trilogy: first The Battle Of Tyr, a one-minute fragment where keyboardist Geoff Nichols recreates solemn and Wagnerian atmospheres, then Odin's Court, where Iommi's melancholic acoustic guitar and Martin's wonderful voice are enough to create a splendid and atmospheric song, followed by Valhalla, where everything speeds up and the rebellious Viking paradise sung by Manowar in Gods Of War reappears. The album closes with the melancholy and intense ballad Feels Good To Me and the fast and dark Heaven In Black, with an excellent stadium chorus. Wonderful album, one of the pinnacle expressions of Black Sabbath
Anno Mundi
Can you wonder
Truth of thunder
Life or Blame... simply poetry
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Jerusalem (03:59)
The highway's screamin', callin' out your name
Cause every road that you travel on
There's a price to pay
A thousand eyes are starin'
But the blind still lead the blind
CHORUS:
Where will you turn if it all goes wrong
And you're on the run
jerusalem?
You say you walked through the valley
You say you've seen the signs
Echoes call you from a distant age
Or is it in your mind?
Then a thousand souls rise form the sea
Holding up the sun
And an angel cries 'beware your lies'
It could be the end of it all
CHORUS
Everybody knows your name, every road leads to anger
Will it always be the same, is there reason to return?
CHORUS
When an angel cries-Jerusalem
Better watch your lies-Jerusalem
When an angel cries-Jerusalem
06 Odin's Court (02:42)
As you walk alone the night surrounds you like a shroud
The dreams you had were once of love and being proud
Misty horizons block your vision of the world
But the raven's eyes will show you all you need to know
The land you loved is now so barren and so cold
The name of God rings out so high in your soul
This time the masters will lead us by the sword
And should we fail then all prevails in Odin's court
07 Valhalla (04:42)
Leading us on, to the land of eternity
Riding the cold cold winds of Valhalla
The Kingdom of Odin is the Kingdom of Gods
Where only souls of the brave may rest in peace
But someone among them had the skill of deceit
And raised the hand that would open the road to Hel
CHORUS:
When the winds of Valhalla run cold
Be sure that the blood will start to flow
When the winds of Valhalla run cold
Valhalla
The ring has been broken and a soul must be saved
Among the bravest of men, who rides to Hel
The longships are sailing and the chariots ride
And yes the anger of Thor will serve you well
CHORUS
Raise your hands
reach and Valhalla will save your soul
Raise your eyes
and Odin will lead us on
They say that history repeats itself
upon the year of the seventh century
Well nobody knows, no you never can tell
So you'd better run now and hide away
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Other reviews
By stargazer
An album unjustly left in the shadows just because it wasn’t played by the most representative line-ups of this band with a long and glorious career.
"Anno Mundi" opens with a sweet arpeggio and a Latin choir, featuring a beautiful chorus where Martin exclaims: As the wind in the night blows cold, your eyes are burning.
By Rainbow Rising
"Anno Mundi (The Vision) is one of the best pieces ever written by Black Sabbath."
Tony Martin, here the singer of icy lands and battles with a mythical flavor, remains a great mystery in rock: how such a singer is not counted among the best is inexplicable.
