Tyr (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Tyr
Type = studio
Artist = Black Sabbath


Released = August 20, 1990 flagicon|UK
August 31, 1990 flagicon|US
Recorded = February 1990 – June 1990
Genre = Heavy metal
Length = 39:58
Label = I.R.S.|
Producer = Black Sabbath
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|1|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4x6cmpc39fco link]
Last album = "Headless Cross"
(1989)
This album = "Tyr"
(1990)
Next album = "Dehumanizer"
(1992)

"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 [ [http://www.black-sabbath.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=18870&Searchpage=1&Main=2127&Words=%2Btyr+%2Bconcept+%2Bmurray&topic=0&Search=true#Post18870 Black Sabbath Online Forums: Tyr] ] .

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 [ [http://www.black-sabbath.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=83417&an=&page= Black Sabbath Online Forums: TYR] ] . 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 [ [http://tonymartin.net/qanda.html TonyMartin.net Q&A (#20)] ] .

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 [ [http://www.black-sabbath.com/tourdates/1990.html Black Sabbath Online: Tyr - Tour Dates 1990] ] .

The runes on the cover are taken from the Rök Runestone in Sweden [ [http://www.black-sabbath.com/discog/tyr.html Black Sabbath Online: Tyr] ] .

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

Personnel

*Tony Martin – vocals
*Tony Iommi – guitar
*Geoff Nicholls – keyboard
*Neil Murray – bass guitar
*Cozy Powell – drums

References