Customer Reviews

Cross Purposes

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The best Sabbath album with Tony Martin, along with ETERNAL IDOL. THis album was a pleasant surprise. Geezer Butker proved that he has a lot of chemisty with Tony Iommi, and the result here are better riffs, better songs, well, a much better album than DEHUMANIZER, even this last one featuring Ronnie James Dio!

CROSS PURPOSES has a magnetic charm to it, all the songs are from good to great, the production is flawless, Geezer bass lines are very good, Bobby Rondinellis's only appearance in a Sabbath album (playing drums) is smooth and inspired. The lyrics are smartly crafted by Tony Martin, and his vocals are flying high in this album, spetacular. Tony Iommi's riffs are also srong and they will leave you wanting more.

This an excellent classic hevay metal album, and only recently I began to understand how it is possible (I don't mean that I agree) that some fans think that Sabbath featuring Tony Martin is the best Sabbath...

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.

I was lucky enough to see this tour in spring of 1994 when I was a senior in high school. This album and tours line-up included Tony "The Cat" Martin at vocals, Iommi on the guitars, Geezer Butler on Bass Guitar, Geoff Nicholls on the keyboards, and powerhouse Bobby Rondinelli (ex-Rainbow, ex-Sun Red Sun, ex-Quiet Riot, now with BOC) on the drums. Unfortunately, Tony Martin was sick most of this tour so many of the live shows did slighly suffer and take some "overhyped flack"; and unfairly further pushed the notion for Ozzy or Dio purists that "Tony Martin just stunk". I can gaurantee you -- this is NOT SO.

The Tony Martin-led Sabbath put out some great albums (Headless Cross and Tyr -- Production and a "stand in" bass player slighly tarnished Headless Cross, whearas Tyr was perfectly produced but had some filler). Cross Purposes is VERY GOOD and I would rank side by side with Headless Cross, and definetly better than The Eternal Idol and without a doubt Forbidden.

The first four tracks alone, and then track 8 (The Hand That Rocks The Cradle) are worth the cost of the album. Newcomer Rondinelli on drums just shines on this album, with some songs these things sounding like echoing cannons. The songs are well-written and very solid (minus a few torwards the end which are just kinda average). The only difference in this album is Tony Martin sings in a much lower register and doesnt hit many high notes as he did in the Tyr and Headless Cross days, but nontheless this was one of the best Martin-led Sabbath releases.

This album rocked, the tour was great and I'll fondly remember being 17 and seeing the many topless women dancing during Bobby Rondinelli's drum solo. I would definetly recommend this album, especially over Forbidden and even Eternal Idol.

Every bit of 4 out of 5 stars!

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.

A perfect example of how the vocalist affects the music you write. "Dehumanizer" saw DIO return to the mic and subsequently was full of aggression, which suits his gruff voice just fine. "Cross Purposes", on the other hand, turns down the aggression level a little while retaining its' predecessor's heaviness in an attempt to simultaneously follow-up "Dehumanizer" adequately yet give Tony Martin some melody to work with.
This is definitely the best and heaviest of the Tony Martin-fronted albums, full of unrelenting metal with little in the way of radio fodder, yet not without its catchy moments. That's the perfect recipe for a classic metal experience.
Still, in some places it gets a little TOO heavy for Martin's voice to match up to, but overall this is a near perfect blend of "Dehumanizer" and "TYR".
And from the way things look, this was their last essential album.

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.

Cross Purposes had a lot to follow from Dehumanizer with Dio. Tony Martin comes back into the picture and records one of Sabbath's finest albums. Cross Purposes starts out fast and heavy with I Witness and goes into a slower Cross of Thorns and back into a faster paced Psychophobia. The first three tracks really give you and idea of how the entire album sounded. There are a lot of tempo changes in the songs. Most notably on probably the most overlooked track in my view, Immacualte Deception. Iommi's guitar playing of course never ceases to amaze and he really shines on the track the Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Thoes are just somt of the standouts but overall Cross Purposes is another must-have for any Sabbath fan or any metal fan for that matter.

This CD deserves a high rating just for the first track alone - "I Witness" is one of my favorite Sabbath songs. Another song I like on here a lot is "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle." I think that is the only song on here release as a single.

I've seen Bobby Rondinelli in concert before, when he played for Blue Oyster Cult. Also played drums for Rainbow and several other high-profile miscians. He is a great drummer and plays very well on here.

Check out the video CROSS PURPOSES - you can see several songs from this CD performed live on that. Geezer Butler returns for this CD and that DVD.

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.

well I really love all Sabbath records,this is one of those that you really would love, Mr martin is a great singer,songwriter, there is some influence on this record from the 90s to me, some of the songs have this "alice in chains" vibe"just my opinion"and I like it but,anyway I recommend this record.