Black Sabbath have announced details of the long-awaited box set celebrating Tony Martin's double stint as their singer. Martin joined the band in 1987 and recorded three albums with the band – The Eternal Idol, Headless Cross and Tyr – before Ronnie James Dio returned for 1992's Dehumanizer. Martin then rejoined Tony Iommi & Co. for a second bite at the Black Sabbath cherry, recording Cross Purposes in 1994 and Forbidden the following year.
Black Sabbath: Anno Domini 1989-1995 doesn't include The Eternal Idol, presumably due to licensing issues (it came out on Vertigo, while I.R.S. released the others). The other four albums have been remastered, and Forbidden, which was originally produced by Body Count's Ice-T, is the beneficiary of a new mix from Tony Iommi.
“I was never happy with the guitar sound and Cozy [Powell, drummer] was definitely never happy with the drum sound," says Iommi. "So, I thought it would be nice to do it for him in a way. I just felt that, without changing any of the songs, there was an opportunity to go back and bring out some of the sounds and make it more what people would expect Sabbath to sound like."
The collection has been a long time coming. As long ago as 2015 Iommi was talking about remixing Forbidden, while he revealed that the set had been held up by "paperwork and legal stuff" in a video message posted early this year.
“It's unfortunate that over the years Tony Martin has got buried in all this Ozzy and Dio stuff and everything," Iommi said in 2021. "There will be a period now where we'll be able to release the box set with the Tony Martin albums with some good outtakes as well. I've already mixed [it] here at home, so that's all ready to go, but we have to wait until the time is right. We can't put all these things out together – it would cause confusion."
The outtakes in question are nowhere to be found in the new set, but there are three bonus tracks included in the CD version: Cloak & Dagger was originally the b-side of the Headless Cross single in 1989, while What’s The Use and Loser Gets It All were originally released as bonus tracks with the Japanese editions of Cross Purposes and Forbidden.
Black Sabbath: Anno Domini 1989-1995 will be released as 4CD and 4LP sets on May 31, and includes photos, artwork and liner notes from archivist Hugh Gilmour, a Headless Cross poster, and a replica concert programme from the Headless Cross tour. Full tracklist below.
Black Sabbath: Anno Domini 1989-1995: LP tracklist
Headless Cross (1989)
Side One
The Gates Of Hell
Headless Cross
Devil & Daughter
When Death Calls
Side Two
Kill In The Spirit World
Call Of The Wild
Black Moon
Nightwing
Tyr (1990)
Side One
Anno Mundi
The Law Maker
Jerusalem
The Sabbath Stones
Side Two
The Battle Of Tyr
Odin’s Court
Valhalla
Feels Good To Me
Heaven In Black
Cross Purposes (1994)
Side One
I Witness
Cross Of Thorns
Psychophobia
Virtual Death
Immaculate Deception
Side Two
Dying For Love
Back To Eden
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Cardinal Sin
Evil Eye
Forbidden (1995)
Side One
The Illusion Of Power – featuring Ice-T
Get A Grip
Can’t Get Close Enough
Shaking Off The Chains
I Won’t Cry For You
Side Two
Guilty As Hell
Sick And Tired
Rusty Angels
Forbidden
Kiss Of Death
Black Sabbath: Anno Domini 1989-1995 CD tracklist
Headless Cross (1989)
The Gates Of Hell
Headless Cross
Devil & Daughter
When Death Calls
Kill In The Spirit World
Call Of The Wild
Black Moon
Nightwing
Cloak And Dagger (Bonus Track)
Tyr (1990)
Anno Mundi
The Law Maker
Jerusalem
The Sabbath Stones
The Battle Of Tyr
Odin’s Court
Valhalla
Feels Good To Me
Heaven In Black
Cross Purposes (1994)
I Witness
Cross Of Thorns
Psychophobia|
Virtual Death
Immaculate Deception
Dying For Love
Back To Eden
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Cardinal Sin
Evil Eye
What’s The Use (Bonus Track)
Forbidden (1995)
The Illusion Of Power – featuring Ice-T
Get A Grip
Can’t Get Close Enough
Shaking Off The Chains
I Won’t Cry For You
Guilty As Hell
Sick And Tired
Rusty Angels
Forbidden
Kiss Of Death
Loser Gets It All (Bonus Track)
