Tyr (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Tyr is the fifteenth studio album by heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1990 by I.R.S. Records.
This was previously thought to be a concept album dealing with Christianity and Norse Mythology, but bassist Neil Murray dispelled that belief in 2005, stating that while many of the songs may seem loosely related, very little of the album has to do with mythology and it was not intended to be a concept recording[1].
Tyr is the son of Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology. He is the god of single combat and heroic glory, portrayed as a one-handed man. The usage of such analogies and mythology was a great departure from Headless Cross' descent into the Dark Side and the power of Satan.
This album represents possibly the most dramatic departure from Black Sabbath's traditional sound, with only traces of it found in the occasional riff. The production has been criticized by some (who claim Cozy Powell's drums drown out most of the other instruments) and praised by others, who note that this is one of Sabbath's heaviest albums and perhaps the most prominently reliant on keyboards by the perennial 5th member, Geoff Nicholls[2]. As a result, much of the music is a lot darker than previous Sabbath works, closely resembling the previous album Headless Cross in terms of darkness.
The band has stated that while they do not disown or regret the song "Feels Good To Me," it was put on the album solely to be released as a single and doesn't fit in musically with the rest of the record[3].
Track listing
- "Anno Mundi (The Vision)" – 6:12
- "The Law Maker" – 3:47
- "Jerusalem" – 3:53
- "The Sabbath Stones" – 6:35
- "The Battle of Tyr" – 1:08
- "Odin's Court" – 2:21
- "Valhalla" – 4:53
- "Feels Good to Me" – 5:36
- "Heaven in Black" – 3:57
All songs written by Black Sabbath All lyrics were written by Tony Martin.
Credits
- Tony Martin – vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitar
- Geoff Nicholls – keyboard
- Neil Murray – bass guitar
- Cozy Powell – drums
Miscellanea
- Geezer Butler, Ian Gillan and Brian May made guest appearances on the European leg of the Tyr tour; Butler and May appearing during the encore of the show performed on 8th September 1990 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London[4].
- The runes on the cover are taken from the Rök Runestone in Sweden[5].
- The only track to feature on post-Tyr tours was "Anno Mundi", eg on the "Cross Purposes Live" VHS/DVD.
- Tony Martin re-recorded Jerusalem for his 1992 solo album 'Back Where I Belong'.
- The Black Sabbath lineup that recorded Tyr would reunite to record their last studio album (to-date), Forbidden, in 1995.
Notes
