𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…
August 20, 1990 — Black Sabbath released their fifteenth studio album, ᛏᛉᚱ via I.R.S. Records. (Listen)
Background:
The album title, and several song titles, allude to Norse mythology, which led many to call ᛏᛉᚱ a concept album, although bassist Neil Murray dispelled that 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.
Recorded and mixed February - June 1990 at Rockfield and Woodcray Studios, Berkshire.
Pre-production at Rich Bitch Studios.
Mastered at the Townhouse.
More About ᛏᛉᚱ:
The album's departure from the darker lyrics of Headless Cross was discussed by Tony Iommi in his 2012 autobiography Iron Man;
"𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚋𝚞𝚖, ᛏᛉᚱ, 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚢 𝚂𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟷𝟿𝟿𝟶, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚣𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗. 𝙾𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜, 𝚃𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚘𝚑, 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚂𝚊𝚋𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝚒𝚝‘𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕, 𝚜𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚢𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝚆𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝, 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛 ᛏᛉᚱ 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚢𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚌 𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚗𝚘𝚝. 𝙸𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝."
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 criticised 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 fifth member, Geoff Nicholls.
As a result, much of the music is a lot darker than previous Sabbath works, closely resembling the previous album Headless Cross.
The band have 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 does not fit in musically with the rest of the record.
A music video was also filmed to promote the single. (Watch video)
In Norse mythology, ᛏᛉᚱ is the god of single combat and heroic glory, and the son of Odin. The runes on the cover, ᛏ, ᛉ, and ᚱ are taken from the Rök runestone in Sweden. The middle rune, algiz, is transcribed as the modern letter x or z, not y.
ᛏᛉᚱ Tour:
The first show of the tour had several songs that were never played again live – Feels Good to Me, Sign of the Southern Cross, Heart Like a Wheel, Odin’s Court.
Touring Personnel:
Tony Martin – Vocals
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Neil Murray – Bass
Cozy Powell – Drums
Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards
Geezer Butler, Ian Gillan and Brian May made guest appearances on the European leg of the ᛏᛉᚱ Tour; Butler and May appearing during the encore of the show performed on September 8, 1990 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
Typical Set List:
Anno Mundi (The Vision)
Neon Knights
Headless Cross
When Death Calls
War Pigs
The Shining
Guitar Solo
The Law Maker
The Sabbath Stones
1812 Drum Solo
Die Young
Heaven And Hell
Iron Man
Children Of The Grave
Bass Solo
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Instrumental)
Black Sabbath
Electric Funeral (guitar version)
Scarlet Pimpernel
Die Young (intro)
N.I.B. (bass version)
Strangers In The Night (bass solo)
Supernaut (Inc. in a guitar solo)
Alternate Set List (Sep 10, 1990):
Intro – The Omen (tape)
The Gates of Hell
Neon Knights
Iron Man
Anno Mundi
Children of the grave
Headless Cross
When death calls
War Pigs
The Shining
Lawmaker
Neil Murray bass solo
Tony Iommi guitar solo (inc excerpts from Sabbath bloody Sabbath & Sign of the southern cross)
Cozy Powell drum solo (to backing track of Holst’s Mars from the planets suite)
Tony Iommi guitar solo
Heart like a wheel
Black Sabbath
Die young
Heaven and Hell
Paranoid & Heaven and Hell reprise
Fluff (tape)
The only track to feature on post-ᛏᛉᚱ tours was Anno Mundi, e.g. on the Cross Purposes Live VHS/DVD.
Tony Martin re-recorded Jerusalem for his 1992 solo album Back Where I Belong. The Black Sabbath line-up that recorded ᛏᛉᚱ would reunite to record their eighteenth studio album, Forbidden, in 1995.
Frontman Heri Joensen of Viking Metal band Týr claims to have been influenced by the album cover when designing his own band's logo.
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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