The Eternal Idol (2025 Remaster) Black Sabbath

• 1 The Shining (2025 Remaster) 05:57
• 2 Ancient Warrior (2025 Remaster) 05:32
• 3 Hard Life to Love (2025 Remaster) 04:58
• 4 Glory Ride (2025 Remaster) 04:48
• 5 Born to Lose (2025 Remaster) 03:43
• 6 Nightmare (2025 Remaster) 05:19
• 7 Scarlet Pimpernel (2025 Remaster) 02:06
• 8 Lost Forever (2025 Remaster) 04:05
• 9 Eternal Idol (2025 Remaster) 06:38
• 10 Some Kind of Woman (2025 Remaster) 03:19
• 11 Black Moon (2025 Remaster) 03:39
• Total Runtime 50:04

Info for The Eternal Idol (2025 Remaster)

In the mid-1980s, Black Sabbath seemed to suffer from an acute case of lead singeritis when Glenn Hughes became another (and the second Deep Purple) singer who quickly left the ranks. Hughe's health was poorly evoked at the time by his years of cocaine addiction, which also had a devastating effect on his vocal performance.

Hughe's replacement came in the form of unknown American singer Ray Gillen, who was quickly lifted into the air to fulfill the band's live commitments. So were Gillen's skills that he was brought into the studio to begin recording a new Black Sabbath album already titled "The Eternal Idol." The resulting gestation of the new album, however, was embroiled in problems as not one but three producers went through the studio, leading to changes in the band personnel where two bassists, two drummers, and saw the eventual departure of Ray Gillen, who in turn was replaced by another unknown vocalist Tony Martin. Martin's style was not so dissimilar to Ronnie James Dio and he would re-record all of Gillen vocal recordings for final album release.

The Eternal Idol (Black Sabbath's thirteenth studio album) was issued on November 1, 1987 and was an overall harder sounding record, bringing back a rim that was missing in Seventh Star. While there was plenty to celebrate for the Sabbath fan with tracks such as "The Shining" (also released as a single), "Ancient Warrior", "Born To Lose" and the title track, the album wasn't so well received and settled at number 66" Britain and a disappointing 169" the US.

"After years of playing a dispiriting game of musical chairs with various lead singers during the early '80s, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi finally stumbled upon a dependable frontman when he admitted relative unknown Tony Martin into the fold, thereby initiating the original heavy metal band's long awaited return to respectability -- if not chart-topping success. Martin joined the oft-interrupted sessions for what would become 1987's The Eternal Idol album already in progress, stepping in for an unreliable Ray Gillen when the latter moved on to Jake E. Lee's Badlands, and helping Iommi rescue an astonishingly solid long-player from the jaws of complete and utter chaos. As it turned out, Martin's powerful, muscular voice -- though bearing more than a passing resemblance to former singer Ronnie James Dio -- was ultimately the perfect foil for full-bodied heavy metal anthems like "Hard Life to Love," "Glory Ride," and "Born to Lose," which were built upon some of Iommi's heaviest, most undeniable riffs of the decade. A hodgepodge of temporary backing musicians and short-lived producers somehow manage to fill in the gaps, and make The Eternal Idol sound like a very cohesive LP. If anything, however, it's the ever-reliable Geoff Nicholls who embodies a third pillar of stability, by adding impeccable supporting keyboards throughout -- most notably to "Ancient Warrior" and the fantastically gloomy title track. And above all else, The Eternal Idol contains a bona fide heavy metal classic for the ages in its monumental opener, "The Shining," which Iommi had been kicking around in demo form since 1984, and which, in its final glorious form, is rightfully considered one of Black Sabbath's greatest songs bar none, regardless of singer, era, or album sales. In tandem with the consistently stellar songwriting all around, there's no denying The Eternal Idol's standing as quite possibly Black Sabbath's most underrated opus, and arguably their best without either Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie Dio at the microphone." (Eduardo Rivadavia, AMG)

Black Sabbath

Digitally remastered

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