Tony Martin, the former singer of BLACK SABBATH, was asked if he would be interested in working with Tony Iommi once more in the future in a recent interview with Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige. In response, he replied, “I would and I’ve previously stated that I’d be up for it if he felt like doing something.
Tony doesn’t seem to be truly What’s the word? I believe he has outlived his need to accomplish things. This is not necessary for him to perform. He’s not really interested in touring, as you get older and he had that issue with the cancer stuff. I’m not sure whether he needs to, but he could make the strange appearance. Though it’s one of these things, I’d like to
As long as people are still living, anything can happen. In theory, they could theoretically start over by getting Bill Ward back into the band. That’s not something you can sort of do after people start passing along. I already expressed my willingness to participate if they showed interest. We’ll observe the outcome.
Regarding his involvement in the compilation of the Rhino box set “Anno Domini 1989-1995” featuring SABBATH tracks from the Martin era, which was released on May 31, the vocalist said, “No.” It was put together without my involvement at all.
They did inform me that they would carry it out, and I offered some ideas for possible inclusions. They couldn’t really have anything considered “new BLACK SABBATH,” so they had to focus on what they already had. Some of the missing stuff that I have that hadn’t been utilized before, but they couldn’t do that because of the contract thing.
They did tell me, but Iommi and his engineers handled everything themselves, and they did a great job. A few months back, I went to his place and, as I sat there listening, I thought, “Holy crap, this sounds really good.” Even “Forbidden,” which they remixed, sounds like it’s matured and grown into an adult. They have the current SABBATH sound to them. It sounds more like Sabbath, but with a little less keyboard influence.
The albums “The Eternal Idol” (1987), “Headless Cross” (1989), “Tyr” (1990), “Cross Purposes” (1994), “Cross Purposes Live” (1995), and “Forbidden” (1995) were released by BLACK SABBATH including Martin on vocals. Martin and his “Forbidden” era comrades were eventually kicked out when Iommi got back together with the other founding members of SABBATH.
For the “Anno Domini 1989-1995” box set, which comes with either CDs or LPs, Iommi has remastered the albums “Headless Cross”, “Tyr” and “Cross Purposes” and even remixed “Forbidden”.
“There’s some great stuff with Tony Martin,” Iommi told DPA in a recent interview. “The funny thing is, though, when we had that lineup together, it was difficult because people wouldn’t quite all accept it at the time.
“I financed that whole project, the touring and buses and everything else. I paid for it personally,” he said. “I really enjoyed the band, I enjoyed the stuff we were doing.”
The narrative of BLACK SABBATH is taken up in “Anno Domini” in 1989, two decades and numerous lineup changes into the band’s revolutionary career as the forerunners of metal. The group’s core consisted of founding member and riffmaster Tony Iommi and renowned drummer Cozy Powell (JEFF BECK, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE),singer Tony Martin, and longtime BLACK SABBATH collaborator and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (QUARTZ, BANDY LEGS).
The group originally released “Headless Cross” in 1989 on I.R.S. Records, the first of four albums SABBATH recorded for the label. Praised by fans and critics alike, the band’s 14th studio release produced three singles: “Devil And Daughter”, “Call Of The Wild” and the title track. Bassist Neil Murray (WHITESNAKE, GARY MOORE) joined for the “Headless Cross” tour and stayed to record SABBATH‘s next album, 1990’s “Tyr”. Named for the Norse god of war, the album explores similar mythological themes in songs like “The Battle Of Tyr” and “Valhalla”. On “The Sabbath Stones”, the band channels Old Testament fire and brimstone into a classic bruiser.
When Powell and Murray came back to record “Forbidden” in 1995, the BLACK SABBATH lineup from the “Tyr” era came back together. It was the group’s 18th studio album and their last release in almost two decades. (Black Sabbath’s last studio album, “13,” was released by Iommi, Osbourne, and Butler in 2013.) Produced by Ernie C of BODY COUNT, a hard rock group led by rapper, actor, and SABBATH enthusiast Ice-T, “Forbidden”
He clarified, saying, “Cozy was never happy with the percussion sound, and I was never happy with the guitar sound. I therefore reasoned that, in a manner, it would be wonderful to do it for him.” He continues, “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.”
