Huntsman Hill

Just as soon as Ronnie James Dio returned to Black Sabbath for the Dehumanizer record, he just as quickly departed again to make room (also again) for the return of Tony Martin. Given the spottiness (to be generous) of previous Martin led Sabbath albums we were skeptical and not necessarily excited about diving into Cross Purposes however, our concerns were quickly alleviated. From Track One / Side One, "I Witness” on, the might and heaviness of Black Sabbath is back and there is now a seemingly newly discovered restraint in Martin’s vocal performance. Most of it all, Cross Purposes sounds like a capital “S" Sabbath album. While the constant across every album is Tony Iommi, the constant across all the great to good Sabbath albums is Geezer Butler. The Geez is the special Sabbath sauce!