Live fill-ins notwithstanding, 10 men have fronted Black Sabbath since their 1968 founding, in stints of wildly varying length. The assortment of songs sung by Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio traditionally hog the glory among fans – at the expense of some first-class material from less fashionable and commercially successful line-ups. Here, Metal Hammer salutes the best of the rest from heavy metal’s godfathers.
Disturbing The Priest (Born Again, 1983)
It may be infamous for its dogshit cover, but there’s a gleefully devilish abandon to Ian Gillan’s sole Sabbath album. Side-two opener Disturbing The Priest makes artful use of both loudness and ambience, the feeling of madness and evil remaining thick throughout. The spooky mid-section and Tony Iommi’s pinch harmonic squeals sound a decade ahead of their time, while Bill Ward’s polyrhythmic beats and Ian’s OTT screams add to the derangement.
Zero The Hero (Born Again, 1983)
Arguably Tony’s most flat-out hypnotic riff, Zero The Hero is all about delirious circularity, the experience akin to doing doughnuts in a massage chair. Cannibal Corpse and Godflesh’s covers made prime use of its marauding motif – so did Guns N’ Roses, who took influence from it when writing the verses of Paradise City if ex-member Tracii Guns is to be believed. Geezer Butler’s ominous bass chimes also warrant mention.
The Shining (The Eternal Idol, 1987)
This single introduced fans to the heroic pipes of Tony ‘The Cat’ Martin. The Shining had already clinched him the job at his audition, and he couldn’t ask for a stronger showcase. The solemn chords, iron-hard riffing, bluesy doom passages, mystical lyrics, infectious hooks and even Bob Daisley’s fretless bass wanderings are upstaged by the power and class of this gifted unknown, steadying the ship after several uncertain years.
Ancient Warrior (The Eternal Idol, 1987)
Tony Martin howls about a “king of all kings” who “holds eternity’s wings” during The Eternal Idol’s second song. Even more bombastic is the music, as Geoff Nicholls’ spacey synths give way to Tony Iommi’s crunching guitar, which plays a grand, pseudo-Egyptian melody. It may be just a bit overblown, but there’s no denying the god-like power that the mixture lends the listener, capped off by some truly thunderous drum mixing.
Headless Cross (Headless Cross, 1989)
Hammered into life with a dead-simple drum beat, announcing the arrival of heavy-hitter Cozy Powell to Sabbath’s ranks, this hulking, pulsing anthem is overloaded with gothic drama and high harmonies. Reaching for a slick structural simplicity but finessed to elegant perfection, this was the Tony Martin song that really made everyone sit up and take notice, confirming Sabbath’s creative resurgence at the end of a tricky decade.
Kill In The Spirit World (Headless Cross, 1989)
Suffused in that synth-glazed, hair-sprayed 80s production that proved so divisive to Sabbath purists, these upbeat verses nail the air-punching euphoria of classic AOR as hard as Journey or Survivor. However, the dreamy chorus is true epic doom with a mystical tinge, and the exuberant gloss falls away in the middle for a wave of ambient atmospherics, cueing a bluesy solo of rare grace and sensitivity.
The Law Maker (Tyr, 1990)
It says much about Sabbath’s creative prowess that a song as strong as this ended up falling through the cracks of a monumental discography. For many well-known power metal bands, The Law Maker would be the best song of their career. Cozy hammers down the propulsive momentum, even the bridge has a diamond hook, and Tony Martin’s voice again possesses the song with expressive conviction.
Jerusalem (Tyr, 1990)
Stately grandeur with a rugged swagger, Jerusalem is another under-celebrated Sabbath banger. It should be a daily mainstay of rock radio, its simple but mighty riff borne aloft on an armour-plated marching rhythm. Tony Martin’s dramatic harmonies and Geoff Nicholls’ icy synth textures further ennoble the tune to majestic proportions, while its “whoa-oh-oh” chorus is surely the best of its kind not written by Steve Harris.
Cross Of Thorns (Cross Purposes, 1994)
Arguably Sabbath’s mightiest power ballad, this Cross Purposes highlight sees Tony Martin continuing to explore his versatility while the band voice the breadth of their light and shade dynamics. The quiet parts brood with gothic gloom just as oppressively as the thunderous doom passages, and the core of Sabbathian darkness remains hard as iron on a song that in lesser hands would be a girlfriend-baiting lighter-waver.
