Black Sabbath - Headless Cross (2024 Remaster)

Black Sabbath's Headless Cross returns in a 2024 remaster, shining fresh light on one of the strongest and most overlooked records from the band's Tony Martin era.

Released in 1989, the band's fourteenth studio album was their first for I.R.S. Records, made after Tony Iommi rebuilt the group around vocalist Tony Martin and powerhouse drummer Cozy Powell. Iommi and Powell produced it themselves, with Laurence Cottle on bass and longtime keyboardist Geoff Nicholls adding gothic atmosphere to the darker, occult-leaning material. It was Martin's second album with the band, and many fans rate it the high point of their partnership.

After the brooding instrumental "The Gates of Hell," the title track "Headless Cross" thunders in on Powell's drums and a classic Iommi riff, with Martin's soaring voice carrying the dark storytelling. "When Death Calls" features a guest guitar solo from Queen's Brian May, while "Devil & Daughter" keeps the menace tight, melodic and gloriously heavy.

Fans who know the band's later catalog have championed this album for years, and the new remaster gives its huge drums and layered guitars real punch. For anyone who stopped at the classic line-up, this is a strong argument to keep listening, preferably loud and late at night. This is heavy metal with drama to spare.