THE ETERNAL IDOL

Sabbath seemed by now to be haunted by personel changes and singers coming and going. Both Gillan and Hughes lasted only for one album and in comes Tony Martin, a Dio-like singer of great power. The new line-up released "Eternal idol", possibly the coldest album Sabbath ever made but by musical standards the best for years.

I struggled a bit to crack it, mainly because of the chilly atmosphere of the album. There's no warmth at all. The fires of Hell were replaced by the winter of Fimbul. After some time I cracked it and what an album it turned out to be. The songs have great energy and power, recalling in some ways songs like "Neon nights" or "Lady evil". I love all songs on the album, except the title track which I'll return to in a moment.

"The shining" is an awesome opener full of power and energy and after that the album just keeps going. The band knocks up one winner after another. "Glory ride" is my favorite, sounding Sabbath but in tune with the times. The title track is a sad affair, I'm afraid. This is where Iommi discovered the downer style of the future and not the doomy playing he invented back in the 70's and refined, but rather a droning, depressing, going nowhere-sound that can be heard on later albums such as "Dehumanizer", "Cross purposes" and the ever depressing "Forbidden". Heavy without movement and the movement that is there lacks energy. Sad.

Anyway, "Eternal idol" is probably the most anonymous of all Sabbath albums. When I talk about it with people there's few who actually have a view on it. It's a shame since it's such a great album. Tony Martin put life back in Sabbath, bringing inspiration and good times with him and Iommi seems so inspired throughout the album. "Eternal idol" marks the beginning of the masterpiece of the post-Ozzy and post-Dio eras and is the precursor of the last true masterpiece (as yet) of Sabbath: "Headless cross". But that's another story.