Tyr (album)

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Tyr
Studio album by Black Sabbath
Released	1990
Recorded	February 1990 - June 1990
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	39:58
Label	I.R.S. EMI
Producer(s)	Black Sabbath
Professional reviews
All Music Guide (1/5) link
Black Sabbath chronology
Headless Cross (1989)	Tyr (1990)	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^[1].

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 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].

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Credits 3 Miscellanea 4 Notes

[edit] Track listing

1. "Anno Mundi (The Vision)" – 6:02
2. "The Law Maker" – 3:47
3. "Jerusalem" – 3:53
4. "The Sabbath Stones" – 6:35
5. "The Battle of Tyr" – 1:08
6. "Odin's Court" – 2:21
7. "Valhalla" – 4:53
8. "Feels Good to Me" – 5:36
9. "Heaven in Black" – 3:57

All songs written by Black Sabbath All lyrics were written by Tony Martin.

[edit] Credits

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

[edit] Miscellanea

• The runes on the cover are taken from the Rök Runestone in Sweden^[4].
• 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 (to-date), Forbidden, in 1995.

[edit] Notes

v • d • e Black Sabbath

Ozzy Osbourne • Tony Iommi • Geezer Butler • Bill Ward Dave Walker • Ronnie James Dio • Vinny Appice • Ian Gillan • Bev Bevan • David Donato • Glenn Hughes • Dave Spitz • Eric Singer • Ray Gillen • Tony Martin • Bob Daisley • Jo Burt • Terry Chimes • Laurence Cottle • Cozy Powell • Neil Murray • Bobby Rondinelli • Mike Bordin • Geoff Nicholls Discography Studio albums: Black Sabbath • Paranoid • Master of Reality • Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 • Sabbath Bloody Sabbath • Sabotage • Technical Ecstasy • Never Say Die! • Heaven and Hell • Mob Rules • Born Again • Seventh Star • The Eternal Idol • Headless Cross • Tyr • Dehumanizer • Cross Purposes • Forbidden Live albums: Live Evil • Cross Purposes Live • Reunion • Past Lives Compilations: We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll • Under Wheels of Confusion • The Sabbath Stones • Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 • Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) • Greatest Hits 1970-1978 • Black Sabbath: The Dio Years