Forbidden

Forbidden is an ambitious work on which, around Tony Iommi’s heavy riffs, the melodic side of the Tony Martin–period Black Sabbath and a 1990s hardness coexist. Welcoming an outside producer, it is a record with experimental elements too, challenging a more modern sound. While its sound has experimental elements, at its base the band’s own uneasy gravity always firmly exists. A record that became one dividing point of the Martin period. From the opener “The Illusion of Power” and the drama of “Get a Grip” to a cut like “Can’t Get Close Enough,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “Guilty as Hell” and “Rusty Angels” convey the work’s fullness. Tony Martin’s soaring singing powerfully keeps beautiful, outlined melody even within the dark riffs. A record on which Martin’s singing is soaring and firmly keeps the sure outline of memorable melody even within the dark riffs. Including the sway of a transitional period, it can be carefully heard as a record vividly documenting the band of this era. An engaging record adorning the end of the Tony Martin period — a record where one dividing point of the band shines.