-- Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol | (Audio CD) MSRP $ 11.98 Amazon Price $ 11.98 Savings $ 0.00 | |  Release Date: 25 October, 1990, Warner Bros / Wea
TRACK LISTING - The Shining
- Ancient Warrior
- Hard Life To Love
- Glory Ride
- Born To Lose
- Nightmare
- Scarlet Pimpernel
- Lost Forever
- Eternal Idol
Usually ships in 6 to 9 days | | | Okay but glossy | Lets face it, if you want the best Sabbath albums get Black Sabbath, then Paranoid, then maybe Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Masters Of Reality. Granted Dio did a great job with Mob Rules, but the fact is Ozzy is the only vocalist who didnt come off as a complete poser for this band. That insane, whining voice was just right for the band.
I can tolerate the later stuff, but after Mob Rules they might as well have quit. You can`t call yourself a Black Sabbath fan without owning the first record. I`m sorry, but you`re just a punk if you think this nonsense is anywhere near as good as the first few albums. This is gay commercial trash in comparision to their early work and if you don`t agree your spandex must be cutting off cirulation to your brain. | | | | Sabbath - ...."positive"....? I must be crazy! | I bought the cassette tape back in the day, and wore it the f**k out. Tony Martin`s vocals (Dio-ish to say the least) was perfect for this lineup. There is a special energy I get from this record, and dare I say, a "positive" energy at that. Sounds crazy, but I feel like I could take on the world by the the time "The Shining" ends...!
All the tracks are awesome - I just wish I went to the show when they toured that year. I could just imagine the Ozzy and Dio cuts.
A real Sabbath fan appreciates the choices Tony has had to make, year after year, after year... like it, or not.
... you know what I mean?
| | | | Highly underrated classic and the best from the Tony Martin era! | While the mid-eighties were a bit scattershot for Sabbath, considering they had uncountable line-up changes, mixed feelings about continuing the band, and several hardhips surrounding the band, Sabbath managed to pull through by `87 and make an enjoyable and above-average relese, (even though I loved previous 80s releases like "Heaven and Hell", "Mob Rules", "Born Again", and "Seventh Star").
>This album, however, gets overlooked by several Black Sabbath fans, die-hard and casual listeners alike, for basically the same reasons. One is that "Ozzy (or even Dio) didn`t sing on Eternal Idol, so it`s not acceptable or capable of being respected." The answer to that one is Who gives a flyin` f***! Broaden your horizons, open up that mind, and give it a chance. Don`t let one member of a band, whether it be a guitarist or a vocalist or anyone else have that kind of a hold on you, to the point where you won`t accept anyone else when the time comes for a line-up change. Of course Ozzy and Dio have better voices than Martin; it doesn`t mean that he`s a terrible singer. Another reason that I see popping up here and there is that a lot of people don`t like Tony Martin, or at least think he`s a carbon-copy wanna-be of Ronnie James. Yes, at times he does sound similiar to Dio, but when it comes down to it, Martin has an extraordinary and overall EXTREMELY unique voice, that has power, range, emotion, and great strength; probably one of the most underrated voices in metal history.
>With those complaints I have outta the way, let`s talik about the musicianship. Tony Iommi couldn`t be better than on Eternal Idol. His riffs (i.e. "Shining", "Hard Life to Love", "Glory Ride", and "Born to Lose") are catchy-as-hell and phenomenol, not necessarily in talent, but in musicianship and in songwriting abilities as well. His solos, my favorites being on "Born to Lose" and "Lost Forever", are of course talented, fret-burning, and at times very emotional. In short, you get all Tony has to offer on this record, meaning he doesn`t slump. Martin`s skills, in my opinion, are in perfect form here. This was his debut with the band, so how was he gonna make a good impression if he didn`t sing his soul out?
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Like I said earlier, he`s got great power and range-hitting those high notes when the music calls for it, and on songs like the title track and "Ancient Warrior", touching the low and deep notes for the gloomy moments on this record. Geoff adds nice atmosphere to the record with his keyboarding abilities, though not overbearing. The rhythm section is very solid, considering you have Bob Daisley and/or Spitz bobbin` the bass, and Eric Singer pounding away at the drums, also doing his finest performance (in my opinion) of his years with Sabbath. Now that I`ve covered the great musicianship and the talented members of Sabbath, here`s a review of the songs:
Shining: Easily the best song on the album, though the rest are very well-done also. There are few words that can describe the mastery of this beauty. All I know is that when I first heard this song (before I had the album), I was blown away and completely mezmerized during the whole song. From the great combination of acoustic and electric guitar on the intro and the hard-hitting and catchy opening riff, to the amazing verses, sing-along chorus, and emotional interlude, this song does not disapoint. 10/10
Ancient Warrior: Though not as good as the opener, this mid-tempo and catchy song is not in the least bit disapointing. Staring off with a little keyboard effect, going into another catchy riff and great verses, and then sliding into the sing-along and great-ranged chorus performance, this enjoyable listen should not be skipped. 9/10
Hard Life To Love: This faster-paced rocker is also one that is a pleasure to the ears. The catchy riff bursts through the speakers and then is shortly accomponied by a great rhythm section and hard-rockin vocals from Tony "the cat" Martin. Another highlight is the short, but very cool solo by Iommi. Don`t skip it! 9.5/10
Glory Ride: Probably my second favorite song on the album mostly due to the catchy opening riff, the somewhat gallopping verse riff, and the most powerful, emotional, and catchy vocals from Martin on this whole cd! Also, containing a sing-along chorus, another memorable and fiery solo, and solid drumming, this will be in your head whether you like it or not! 10/10
Born to Lose: Another fast-paced rocker with a great riff, great vocals from Martin. Nothing much missing from this solid rocker, but it does contain one of my favorite solos off the album. Another 9.5/10
Nightmare: Creepy and haunting keyboard intro that turns into a mid-tempo, well paced gem. Especially good chorus is heard on here-just really catchy and anthem-like. Martin hits those high notes beautifully and takes you into a "Dream within a dream, lost and lonely, but not wanting you to get fooled by the Devil." Contains some maniacal laughter from Ray Gillen. After the laughter, this mid-tempo song flows into a faster-paced head-banger! Well-deserved 10/10!
Scarlet Pimpernel: I know what I`m about to say won`t sit to well with some Sabbath fans, but I really believe that this instrumental is the best instrumental in all of Sabbath`s career! I know, I know it`s a stretch, considering Tony has written such gems as "Orchid", "Laguna Sunrise", and "Supertzar", but this two-minute or so song is just so powerful, mezmerizing, and simply perfect. Easily a 10/10!
Lost Forever: Easily the fastest rocker on the album and also most likely the heaviest! Just an amazing riff to head-bang to, with pounding drums, and screamin` vocals from Tony. This beaut also has my favorite solo off the album, so it`s very guitar oriented! "It`s time you`re lost forever-ha, ha! 10/10
Eternal Idol: You want a haunting and creeping, dark and mysterious, and heavy and brooding song, wou`ve come to the right place. This song really makes you think as it deals with topics like religion, the end times, and the world. Martin`s voice is just mezmerizing and very mysterious. He hits the high notes at the chorus and really makes you think about what the song is talking about. The main riff is so haunting, it just chills you, and his voice is so dark and mysterious, it takes you into all sorts of places. Great way to end this masterpeice! 9.5/10
So, my question to you is why don`t already have this ablum? If you`re open minded, not a slave to routine, and ready for a change just press "BUY NOW" and get this reasonably-priced cd. Sure you might not particularily like this Sabbath album, for many reasons I have not yet listed, but hey, what`s the harm in tryin` new things? Also, if you have other Tony Martin releses such as Cross Purposes, TYR, or Headless Cross, you will probably like this album. Stop reading this review now, scroll up the page...there you go.. and hit "Add to Shopping Cart". I think you can take it from there. | | |
-- zzzz
 |
