Cross Purposes

Cross Purposes is a fulfilling work on which the Tony Martin–period Black Sabbath honed both the weight of gloomy riffs and the sure outline of vocal melody at once. A record from the period when Geezer Butler, once departed, returned. Tony Iommi’s guitar undulates low and powerfully, and the rhythm section firmly keeps a sharp tension even at slow tempos. Tony Martin’s soaring voice powerfully passes a human, deep sorrow through the gaps of the heavy chords. From the powerful opener “I Witness” and the drama of “Cross of Thorns” to the aggressive “Psychophobia,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “Virtual Death” and “Dying for Love” convey the work’s fullness. Tony Martin’s powerful singing is in sharp form throughout. A record that, while firmly keeping the old blues-derived roughness, became one showing another mature period of the band by powerfully stepping into a hard sound particular to the 1990s. One wants to carefully turn an ear not only to the heaviness but to the deft handoff of riff and singing and the sure tension remaining in quiet passages. An engaging record showing the fullness of the Tony Martin period — a record where the band’s steady ability shines.