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].
Album information
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 is due to the direction of the lyrics by singer Tony Martin, who is an avid fan of history and joked that people "could get history degrees by listening to Black Sabbath!"
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].
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 8 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, Forbidden, in 1995.
Track listing
Side one
| Lyrics |
Music |
| 1. |
"Anno Mundi (The Vision)" |
Tony Martin |
Black Sabbath |
6:12 |
| 2. |
"The Law Maker" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
3:47 |
| 3. |
"Jerusalem" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
3:53 |
| 4. |
"The Sabbath Stones" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
6:35 |
Side two
| Lyrics |
Music |
| 5. |
"The Battle of Tyr" |
(instrumental) |
Black Sabbath |
1:08 |
| 6. |
"Odin's Court" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
2:21 |
| 7. |
"Valhalla" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
4:53 |
| 8. |
"Feels Good to Me" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
5:36 |
| 9. |
"Heaven in Black" |
Martin |
Black Sabbath |
3:57 |
Personnel
References
