Black Sabbath Album: “Cross Purposes”

After the 1992-3 "Dehumanizer" period that ended with the debacle of Ronnie James Dio refusing (rightly) to perform with Black Sabbath at Ozzy Osbourne's "farewell" show, I really did wonder if it was the end for the band. Much to my surprise when a friend informed me that they had got Tony Martin back and would soon be releasing a new album!

This came out in the early part of 1994. I'd just got a new apartment and I'm sure my new neighbours will remember the music on "Cross Purposes" quite well!

In contrast with the "raw" feeling of "Dehumanizer", "Cross Purposes" seems very (but not overly) well-crafted, though still quite heavy. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are always good together, though I understand that Geezer did not want this to be a Sabbath album. New drummer Bobby Rondinelli is solid, if lacking in the distinctiveness of Bill Ward, the cannoning power of Cozy Powell or the complexity of Vinnie Appice (though he looks a bit like Vin). However, he does fine here, as he did with Rainbow (where he also replaced Cozy Powell!). Geoff Nicholls plays a bigger part here than on "Dehumanizer", if not as prominently as on "TYR".

And Tony Martin? He has been cast unfairly as the "whipping boy" Sabbath vocalist, seemingly brought in only when one of the "big names" (Ozzy, Dio) wouldn't sing. This is a shame, because he is an excellent vocalist - yes, much like Dio, but also a bit more soulful - and songwriter.

But, as with any Sabbath album, it stands or falls on Tony Iommi's guitar playing, and he doesn't disappoint here. He really shows his versatility, switching between his trademark heavy riffs, fluid solos and the odd dash of classical/acoustic guitar here and there.

"I Witness" - An enthusiastic opener and very good live. Supposedly this is about the Amish and their isolation from the outside world.

"Cross Of Thorns" - Not a million miles removed from "Children of the Sea", it has a similar acoustic/electric interplay. Tony Martin sings very well here (as always) with lyrics about the political/religious situation in Northern Ireland.

"Psychophobia" - Again Martin continues his religious commentary with a heavy, driving song about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. I had originally thought it was a subtle dig at Dio "it's time to kiss the rainbow goodbye"! My above-mentioned friend said that the music sounds like Cheech and Chong's "Earache My Eye" (which I haven't heard)!

"Virtual Death" - Creepy, heavy vintage Sabs. Geezer's moody bass intro leads into a grinding Iommi riff and Martin's angriest vocals on the album. Lyrically could be about depression and/or drug addiction.

"Immaculate Deception" - Possibly about how some misuse religion to their own ends? An excellent song with good time changes, especially in the sped-up ending.

"Dying For Love" - This is about the refugees from the war in the former Yugoslavia. One of the lighter songs on the album musically but has some fine Iommi blues-based soloing. This song has my favourite vocals on the album as Martin really sings his heart out.

"Back To Eden" - Slightly less quality-wise than the rest of the songs but still doesn't disappoint as the singing and playing are still to a high standard. Sounds like Tony Iommi backing up his electric guitar with acoustic 12-string. Good in headphones.

"The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" - If this was intended to be a "single", it surely didn't turn the trick, not in the U.S. anyway. Starts out gentle and melodic and gets heavy. Good song with good scalar guitar/bass/keyboard work.

"Cardinal Sin" - More religious commentary, this time about the abuse of children by some Catholic priests. Tony Martin has a Catholic background so one wonders where he got his information on this, especially given that this was 1994 and this problem has only come to prominence in the past few years. Martin acts as a good advocate for the children in this song. A very majestic song not far removed from Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" or Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers".

"Evil Eye" - Not the best song lyrically (typical "bad woman" lyrics best left to other bands) but SO HEAVY! I would call this Tony Iommi's shining moment on the album - he slips effortlessly between the concrete-hard riff and some wild soloing. There's also an almost-swinging Geezer bass riff toward the outro. Eddie Van Halen is the uncredited co-author of this song. I would have liked to have heard EVH play on it, as it may have brought him back to the hard rock sensibilities he seems to have lost over the past few years.

This album was criminally ignored, in America anyway, simply because Ozzy (or Dio) wasn't on it. At a friend's record store, a customer brought it back the day after he bought it wanting a refund saying he couldn't get into it because "it isn't Ozzy, man." I just don't get it.

I was fortunate enough to see them on this tour and they didn't at all disappoint. However, very few people at the gig seemed to know who Tony Martin was or respond to any of the newer songs...quite unlike the British crowd reaction on the "Cross Purposes Live" video.

An excellent album. Cheesy cover, but that's nothing to do with the music.

Cross Purposes is an interesting album by Black Sabbath, and it is certainly better than the album that followed it, Forbidden.

Much maligned Sabbath vocalist Tony "The Cat" Martin returned for this album, following the acrimonious final departure of Ronnie James Dio. As always, Tony Iommi is on lead guitar. He is accomanied by Geezer Butler on bass, Bobby Rondinelli on drums and Geoff Nichols on keyboards. Most of the songs on this album have a religious theme, but don't let that put you off- this is an artistically accessible album.

The first three tracks, "I Witness", "Cross of Thorns" and "Psychophobia" are emotive melodic rockers, filled with intriguing lyrics. In particular, "Cross of Thorns" possesses a rousing chorus which rises from some subtle lead up work from Martin. The album falters somewhat at the fourth track, the sludge-like "Virtual Death". Geezer Butler most likely had a great deal to do with this song, but it falls below his usually high standard of work. The song just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the album.

The next track, "Immaculate Deception" reestablishes the mood with some energetic work from the whole band. After that comes "Dying for Love", a somewhat melodramatic track which benefits from some soaring vocals from Martin and a neat solo from Iommi. The album begins to slow from there on- "Back to Eden" and "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" are unsubtle lyrically and instrumentally; they are the cheesiest songs on this CD.

The last two tracks, "Cardinal Sin" and "Evil Eye", prove to be winners. The former is a criticism against the self-righteous, the latter a "bad girl" song co-written by Eddie Van Halen!

Overall, this album is well worth getting if you are a fan of post-Ozzy Osbourne Sabbath. Even if you don't like Tony Martin's vocal style, you can enjoy Tony Iommi's constantly inventive guitar work. However, if you are an Ozzy fanatic, I advise you to steer clear of this one.

Black Sabbath at it's finest. The entire cd is fantastic. The songs rock, the vocals rock, the lyrics rock and the quality of the recording is excellent. A must have for any Sabbath fan.

I'm not a big fan of the Tony Martin-era of Black Sabbath and wasn't a fan of Dehumanizer, also, so I went into listening to this album (which I got on cassette this past year) with low expectations. I was working at a classic rock station when it came out and I remember the only song that stood out was 'Back To Eden'. Still wasn't too impressed when hearing it again over 15 years later, but I do admit that is a very well recorded album. I really like the sound of it....all the instruments sound great and there is far less keyboards, as well...or at least they are lower in the mix and/or less obtrusive. Musically, I would call this a definitive improvement over Dehumanizer, as Sabbath started to make music that I could almost enjoy again, or at least not hate.

After all of that nice stuff, what makes me still not want to give the album a sparkling, two thumbs up and positive review is Tony Martin. My apologies to those who like him, but I have never really loved Tony Martin as a singer. Don't care for his somewhat Dio-esque vocal style, don't care for his phrasing and most importantly, don't care for his vocal melodies, either. Okay, I don't mind his upper vocal range, just wished he stayed there more often. His lyrics have improved here...at least he's not trying to sound scary or write about Vikings and Norse Gods, etc... Still, I don't think his vocals add much to these songs...if anything, I think they subtract, which is a shame, really, since I do like some of the music here, more than I thought I would.

I'm giving it 2 and a half stars....while I can't completely recommend it, due to all the reasons I gave above, it is at least respectable and has some very good music on it, a good loud but clear mix and some outstanding playing by Iommi, Butler and Rondinelli.

Jesus H. Christ I LOVE this CD...one of my fav Black Sabbath cds ever...which now I own nearly the entire catalogue spanning all "3 Periods". Wonderfully produced with the right balance of voice, drum, guitar, keyboard that fills and layers but doesn't overwhelm; melodic yet powerful, ripping solos and each song has its own distinct sound and vibe. And yet still soft and subtle when it needed...every song a winner...I just don't see the filler others do but hey, thats just me.

Over the years I've become the big Tony Martin fan and IMHO is the best vocalist for The Sabs (I love ALL the Tony Martin BS recordings and this is THE BEST of the bunch), then comes Dio's expressive voice and his traveling ego and schtick which is a lot of fun but gets a bit tiring after a while. After owning the Dio and Martin releases for a long time, and JUST having purchasing the Ozzy period the differences are stark and in your face...the best thing Ozzy did was get the heck out and unbridle Tony Iommi...gosh I can't stand that tinny one dimensional Ozzy voice and its no wonder I never got into Black Sabbath back then.