BLACK SABBATH – Headless Cross [original England pressing] *HQ*

Following the poor commercial performance of BLACK SABBATH 1987’s release The Eternal Idol, the band were dropped by both Vertigo and Warner Bros. The album was musically really good, however, due to subpar marketing efforts from the record label, didn’t sold well.
Tony Iommi opted to produce the band’s next record himself. “It was a completely new start”, Iommi said. Signed with I.R.S. Records, the guitarist rented a “very cheap studio in England”.
The result was the stupendous 1989’s “Headless Cross“. Arguably the finest Black Sabbath album sans Ozzy or Dio, “Headless Cross” also featured one of Black Sabbath’s most formidable lineups ever: impressive vocalist Tony Martin, veteran bassist Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Gary Moore, etc.) and experienced journeyman Cozy Powell on drums.
This is “Headless Cross” first UK pressing, the one with the colorless cover art, only with the band name printed (a collectors item).

It’s Powell – one of the few drummers in possession of an instantly recognizable sound – who leads the Sabs back out to the battlefield when he detonates the reverie of atmospheric intro “The Gates of Hell” with his echoing, pounding war drums, but naturally everything on offer is ultimately bound to, and dependent upon, Iommi’s almighty riffs — from whence all rivers flow.
This includes morbid monster-pieces such as “Kill in the Spirit World” and “Call of the Wild,” which quake with simply massive power chords yet still manage to flow seamlessly into slightly more upbeat radio-friendly numbers like “Devil and Daughter” and “Black Moon.”

Likewise, whereas “When Death Calls” is surely one of Iommi’s most spine-chilling compositions ever in terms of sheer malevolent force, the equally bewitching “Nightwing” flips the coin entirely with its delicate acoustic guitars and (dare it be said) highly romantic lyrics.
In short, for those wise enough to appreciate Black Sabbath’s discography beyond the Osbourne and Dio essentials, there can be no better place to start than “Headless Cross” or its worthy predecessor, The Eternal Idol.

There’s an unofficial release of “Headless Cross” supposedly ‘Japan reissue remastered’. The catalogue number is fake as is the barcode (neither of them belong to the Universal Japan catalog). It’s a Russian creation pretending to be an official Japanese release. A bootleg where somebody tweaked the sound with horrible results.
This original pressing manufactured in England sounds fantastic.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – The Gates Of Hell
02 – Headless Cross
03 – Devil & Daughter
04 – When Death Calls
05 – Kill In The Spirit World
06 – Call Of The Wild
07 – Black Moon
08 – Nightwing

Tony Martin – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitars, production
Geoff Nicholls − keyboards
Cozy Powell – drums, production
Laurence Cottle – bass
with:
Brian May – first guitar solo on “When Death Calls”

out of print