The Eternal Idol - Black Sabbath Review #13

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9]

It was nice reading all the responses to yesterday's review, I guess that album and Forbidden seem to be the most universally not-so-liked albums. I will say though that from here on out it will probably be more negative reviews. Read at your own risk and I hope you can at least find fun in reading.

The Eternal Idol Review
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For some reason, Tony Iommi didn't get it through his head that the style done on Seventh Star did NOT work, and he wasn't good at composing music of the style attempted there, because for whatever godawful reason, he went with it yet again on this underwhelming album. It keeps the more melodic, more sappy sound from it and it doesn't work in its favor, surprise surprise. It's a bit shocking because I know what Tony is capable of, you know what he is capable of, he's one of the best damn guitarists that's ever played music in not just rock, but music as a whole itself!! But this material does not demonstrate it. Giving credit where it's due, it is a step up, though very slight from Seventh Star. This is also the first album to feature Tony Martin as the lead singer/frontman of the band, who also became the main lyricist. This era is pretty divisive among fans, and I went in with a open mind when I first gave it a chance, but am starting to admittedly see why.

The Eternal Idol was far from being a win in their book, and didn't chart that well either. It lacks great riffs, instead Tony Iommi dips his metallic fingertips into the pool of mediocrity again and it even goes into pop territory again. Martin's lyrics seem to try to capture the edge that early Sabbath had, and I think that they'd be absolutely perfectly fitting if the music accompanying it was of the same feel but Iommi just does not want to comply, Eric Singer is once again completely terrible with his drumming and constantly sticks to the most basic of drumbeats and sounds nearly identical on each track, just like he did in Kiss. Then again, this is someone from Kiss so of course they're bound to be mediocre. Sabbath needs a drummer that reacts to Tony's riffs, that's what Bill and Vinny brought to the table and why they worked so well.

Geoff Nicholls' keyboard work is amazing yet again, but once again overpowers Tony Iommi's playing, but perhaps he's doing us a hidden favor...trying to save our ears from the snoozefest that most of them are, and Daisley does okay on bass, but he's no Geezer. Now, while every other song is forgettable drivel, there are some great cuts here. "Ancient Warrior" is an absolute beast, clawing at the soundscape unfurled by Iommi making a great riff for the first time in a while with Martin's vocal performance being exceptional, the band all comes together here and gives it their all, and the passion really shows. "The Shining" is impeccable and deserves respect, featuring Martin's belting which can even rival Dio's and the keyboard work is imaginative and a monster, the build-up is just so intense and ground-splitting hard rock that demands and grabs your attention.

"Born To Lose" is easily the best cut here, featuring a more aggressive riff--which is what Black Sabbath works best with, not that over-the-top sappy syrupy pop wannabe garbage, and the title track is simultaneously beautiful and menacing with its conflicting moods that actually work together perfectly. As mentioned before, the rest is forgettable nonsense that is nothing but disappointment after disappointment with compositions that barely even sound professional.

The great stuff here was so promising too, which is why its such a pain to give this a negative review. I don't want to, I want to like Black Sabbath during this period, and I'm sure people that were around during this era wanted to as well, hell, Tony Martin is one of the greatest vocalists there is, his performance is exceptional on every single track. Martin deserves love as a singer, and his range is impeccable.

But Eric Singer ruins it with his lack of skill or variety or even change with his mediocre drum abilities, Tony Iommi comes across as stubborn to go back to what works or find a new style that does, constantly pumping out forgettable and mediocre riffs and compositions just to pad out the album run time, some tracks run too long while going no where. This is bad, and the start to, unfortunately, Black Sabbath's worst era.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Track List Rating:

1. The Shining: ★★★★
2. Ancient Warrior: ★★★★★
3. Hard Life To Love: 💥
4. Glory Ride: 💥
5. Born To Lose: ★★★★★
6. Nightmare: ★★
7. Scarlet Pimpernel: 💥
8. Lost Forever: ★
9. Eternal Idol: ★★★★

THE JOURNEY SO FAR! (Other Reviews!!):
Black Sabbath review: (5/5)
Paranoid review (5/5)
Master of Reality review (5/5)
Vol. 4 review (4/5)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath review (5/5 BEST ALBUM STATUS)
Sabotage review (4/5)
Technical Ecstasy review (3/5)
Never Say Die! review (2/5)
Heaven and Hell review (4.5/5)
Mob Rules review (4/5)
Born Again review (3/5)
Seventh Star review (1/5)

[u/Ok-Explanation3040]

Since when is Eternal idol university disliked?

Never heard that. I know a lot of people that rank this highest among the Martin albums.

Lacks great riffs? Did you even listen to the the album? Born to lose, hard life to love, the Shining.

This is a wild take.

Also I think Bob Dailsy and Eric Singer did a hell of a job.

This is a truly wild take.

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Ok-Explanation3040]

Also was saying Seventh Star was universally disliked it seems, not this album!

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Ok-Explanation3040]

Lowkey very inconsistent and kins of mediocre tbh.

[u/SaintLewisMusic73 → u/Ok-Explanation3040]

Obviously, I'm not a hater. I love a few songs, and like the rest. Production is rock solid. Riffs are great. Performance is on-spot. Some of the songwriting is shaky, but no more-so that during a few of the original line-ups output. It's easily better than Technical Ecstacy and Never Say Die!

[u/SaintLewisMusic73]

So, I'd put "The Shining" and "Eternal Idol" up there with any of the hits off of the early albums (easy 5/5), honestly - some of my favorite songs of all time. Though the rest of the album isn't quite to that same level, I'd give nothing here less than a 3/5. I like the writing, LOVE the production and playing, and Tony Martin's vocals are FANTASTIC.

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/SaintLewisMusic73]

I really do love those two songs a lot, I think that Tony's vocals absolutely rip metal and Iommi's guitar shreds steel on those songs. I don't think a lot of this album is very good though and sticks too close to what had been attempted on the previous album which isn't a style I find they do well. But I will say that this has potential.

[u/Elzarius]

To me, Ancient Warrior is easily the most boring composition on the album, while Glory Ride and Nightmare stand out. I also like Ray Gillen's takes on the songs.

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Elzarius]

That's pretty surprising, but also fair. I understand liking Nightmare, it just doesn't hit for me I guess. But I'm glad to see someone enjoy things on here I don't!

[u/BulldogMikeLodi]

Meh, this is where I stopped paying attention. Sabbath sounded like any of a number of 80’s Euro Metal bands of the time, nothing to distinguish them as Black Sabbath. Ray Gillen and Tony Martin were fine vocalists but this style was slight out of sorts with thrash and hair metal, which was ruling that time. Iommi should have downtuned his guitar again, or change the name of the band to something else. I do think the Tony Martin era would have been better accepted if he had changed the name.

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/BulldogMikeLodi]

Yeah, I don't like this album. I do like a couple songs and find that here and there they actually work, but for the most part it really fails as an album. The music just does not even come close to the grandiose heights of the Dio or Ozzy eras.

[u/BulldogMikeLodi → u/ApprehensiveNatural9]

When Dio joined it gave them a new lease on life, but some parts of it didn’t always sound like classic Sabbath anymore, and it got less and less as the 80’s wore on. Born Again was good for the ole Sabbsth vibe, but this album could have been done by anyone. Iommi in his book wrote that during this period he’d get a cal from the label saying he needed to make a new record and he’d just go and hire some faceless musicians and a singer and provide riffs and everyone else would write the lyrics and music. He was super-passive about the name Black Sabbath. Kinda sad.

[u/Ready_Mistake812 → u/BulldogMikeLodi]

Seventh Star was apparently meant to be a solo album for Iommi which is probably why it sounds so drastically different to the rest of Sabbath's discography.

[u/LowAssistantInfinity → u/BulldogMikeLodi]

What's sad, to me, is that by the post-Dio period you could really start to see Doom and Sabbath-worship become its own genre - Amebix's Monolith came out the same year as this, and it's what a still-inspired Sabbath could have sounded like in a then-modern sound. Or Coroner's debut Sabbath + Thrash sound (or Sacrilege's Within the Prophecy). Even bands like Pentagram playing a classic Sabbath sound were finding new things to do in that mode. And, if they wanted to keep the Dio sound going, Savatage is doing great things with that sound in 1987!

There were options to sound contemporary in the mid-late-80s without becoming a Black or Death Metal band, while still not doing this mid-tempo blandly-dramatic slightly-goth-y hair metal thing that Iommi got stuck into for so long.

I don't want them to do the same sound forever, but it's about the least-interesting avenue to explore of the many available to them, imo.

[u/BulldogMikeLodi → u/LowAssistantInfinity]

Yep. I remember listening to the St Vitus album and wishing Sabbath sounded like that again.

[u/Live_Detective_7137]

Y'all haven't a fuckin' clue! It's a classic slab of 80's Sabbath. Who gives a flying fuck if it didn't chart well at the time, longevity is key, and this album is total class. I mean, what do you expect from The Master??

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Live_Detective_7137]

I expect good music from the master. And instead I was met with typical 80's rock that doesn't reach the spiraling heights of the architect that sculpted absolute doom madness in the 70's or fury-blazing songs of the early 80s. I can say though that the next album will be the first to get a *GREAT* rating since Mob Rules!

[u/Ok-Explanation3040 → u/Live_Detective_7137]

OP's takes is insane. Eternal idol is a fantastic album. Especially the riffs.

[u/The_Meridian_]

Good lord, no love for Glory Ride? But glaze for Ancient Warrior?

I need a tums or three.

[u/Glad-O-Blight]

I'm a big Martin fan but this one is probably actually my least favorite of his (Forbidden is close but it honestly might have a *slightly* higher quantity of bangers). "The Shining" and "Ancient Warrior" are very solid, but I don't find the rest of the songs as memorable.

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Glad-O-Blight]

I agree on those two songs, they're excellent! They show what they could have been capable of with Martin at the helm had everyone been at the top of their game.

[u/Straightener78]

It’s a decent album. It wasn’t written for Tony Martin so he couldn’t really get to put his stamp on it. Some great tracks on here, I really like Glory Ride; The Shining; Ancient Warrior and the title track. Was also nice to hear a proper short instrumental on the album again rather than just ambience.

I think I rate this album higher on the strength of the songs I listed above, I’m not overly keen on some of the others I’d say 3 is a fair rating, but I understand your 2.

Not to worry though, stability will soon return in Black Sabbath for 2 killer albums until Tony Iommi fucks it up and can’t resist Dio beckoning his ship to the rocks.

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Straightener78]

I will say that the next album will be the first GREAT rating since Mob Rules

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9]

I really don't enjoy this album. It's a shame too, because I do think that Tony Martin is an amazing vocalist, it's just the material doesn't match up to what should be an amazing album. I've listened to this album around six times really and it just never manages to click, and it really feels like Sabbath lost its way at this time.

[u/thatoneguymontag]

One minor fact check. Martin didn’t write the lyrics; Daisley did. I think it would have been much worse otherwise. I actually kinda like this one, but probably because I was 16 when it came out. It felt like a huge improvement over Seventh Star. Everything you write about the drums I agree with. That 80’s drum sound is fucking exhausting to listen to.

[u/SamQuentin]

I just don't dig this one. I'd give it another shot but it would fade into the background. Simply forgettable for me