Headless Cross - Song By Song

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

We come to the second Martin album, Headless Cross. For the longest time this has been a contender for my least favourite Sabbath album. The thing is I always really liked three of the songs, but in recent years I've grown to really like a fourth track. So I'm now in a position where I like more than half the album, it's not going to challenge as one of my favourites, but I suspect it won't be close to my least favoutrite when all is said and done.

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We start the album with The Gates of Hell / Headless Cross. These two are not among the 4 I really like! I think Gates of Hell is the last ambient intro that Sabbath have done, and again I don't really see the point of it, it adds nothing. Then we get onto the title track Headless Cross. This is the "best of the rest", not actually bad, but it has some flaws not least of which are the corny lyrics. Musically it has a traditional Sabbath sound, but that doesn't save it from mediocraty.

[Jack the Stripper]

So we move onto what I would call Sabbaths lamest and leanest years packed with stale & generic cheesy songs

Speaking of, “The Gates of Hell/Headless Cross” begins the album and straight off we’re eased in with some spooky cartoonish keyboard sounds before a generic slow tempo 4/4 drum beat loaded up with 80”s reverb kicks in. Iommi then launches into an equally generic but still kinda powerful and catchy riff. But any hopes of the opening being rescued by Iommi is soon dashed when Tony Martin begins to sing the opening verses. This is where the song fully nose dives into an all out bland & predictable affair which it never recovers from. The lyrics throughout are corny, more accentuated by Martin’s delivery, while the main repeating chorus “ at the headless cross, at the headless cross” is just flat out unimaginative, and what’s the go with those cheesy backing vocals? Very unSabbath like...

Usually I could say at least Iommi’s guitar solo is great but I can’t, it’s not bad or anything but its kinda just lacklustre by his standards and doesn’t seem to flow well with the song. 

Besides Iommi’s somewhat catchy riff there’s nothing I find good in this song and along with “The Illusion of Power” is  hands down the worst opening song to any Sabbath album and by far the worst title track.

[Charger]

Headless Cross is an absolute classic. Right up there with Heaven And Hell or The Mob Rules and most certainly the best and most known track of the most underrated era of any band in history.

The drum beat from the late great Cozy Powell sets the tone for the song and is followed by the heavy and doomy main riff from Tony which leads into the quieter yet sinister main verse.

The song has gone through it's fair share of Sabbath-like tempo changes even before it hits the first verse.

Tony Martin's brilliance in vocal melodies comes evident right off the bat. As well his uncanny vocal abilities. He tuned down his vocals somewhat from what they were on the Eternal Idol where he was just copying Ray Gillen which is a great thing as this delivery fits better for Sabbath's style anyways.

Headless Cross might very well be one of the most underrated songs in history....

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I think what this shows is it splits opinion... BIG TIME!

I have seen elsewhere a lot of praise for the title track though.

[Vyn]

This album gives me a "sellout" vibe. But looking beyond that, the opener does a good job setting the tone for what's to come. If this set had been released by anyone else other than Black Sabbath I don't think anyone would be talking about it today.

[Zzzptm]

It has been so long since I last gave this album a play, I might as well be listening to it for the first time.

Instrumentally, it's very much the same tone as a Judas Priest track from around the same time, Iommi's solo excepted. And then Cottle hits some runs that remind me of another jazz player, Tony Franklin, who played in The Firm. Odd mix there.

Anyway, I'm not moved by the opening tracks. They're competent, but I'm lacking the fire that I felt from Eternal Idol.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Next up is Devil & Daughter. I don't know what it is about this song but it really is the worst track on the album IMO. I've never liked it. It's not Changes bad, but it doesn't match the rest of the album.

This album doesn't start well...

[Charger]

Devil & Daughter is another one of my favourites.

Got a nice riff and good vocal melody...Tony said once that this is the highest vocals he's ever done and that's probably very true and honestly that is the one thing that I don't like about the song. I think he goes bit too high for this one.

Other than that I have no complaints. Good Sabbathy lyrics...

[Jack the Stripper]

I like Devil & Daughter quite a bit. Has a good uptempo rockin feel to it with a killer riff by Iommi and great catchy vocal melody which gets back to what I’ve previously stated about Martin, that this is the sort of stuff that he’s really good at and suits him over trying to be scary doomy sinister guy. It still has a little sprinkling of cheese here and there with Martins lyrics and delivery and not a big fan of the Aaaahhhaaa Aaaahhhaaa backing vocals but it’s only a minor nitpick in an otherwise really good song which wouldn’t sound out of place on Seventh Star. Should also make mention of Iommi’s smokin solo on this track.

[Zzzptm]

Devil and Daughter is easily dateable to the late 80s straight metal sound, a la Blue Oyster Cult or Armored Saint plus a synth.

I was a little meh at first, but Iommi's solo is winning me over. Solid track, I might visit it more frequently in my days and years ahead.

[Zzzptm]

On to When Death Calls...

This one moves slowly. I do enjoy the main riff for the chorus, but it seems to take forever to get there. There's a faster part in the middle, yes, but it's also very formulaic. Brian May does a fun solo, sure, but I'm still not impressed with the overall results in the song. Others are going to like it, but I'm going to be one of those who passes on it.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

After the frankly lacklustre start to the album (IMO! ), we now hit a string of good songs, starting with When Death Calls.

This is the best song on the album, a great doomy sound, great guitar work, great vocals (and better lyrics than is the norm for a Martin album), speed change. Actually this isn't just the best song on the album it's up there with the best ever Sabbath tracks.

[Zzzptm]

Looks like you and I are of different minds on this album, KDC.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Looks like you and I are of different minds on this album, KDC.

 

[Jack the Stripper]

I have mixed feelings on When Death Calls. On the one side it sounds like a cheesy 80’s metal power ballad but it also has this touch of epicness about it when it moves into the heavier parts and faster tempo changes. The lyrics are corny and Martin just couldn’t resist the temptation to reference “Satan” again, even on a ballad

There’s a good lift in the chorus and I love the riff during that part but Martin unfortunately walks on it a bit with his annoying repeating & unimaginative gang style backing vocals which is a bug bearer of mine throughout this album. I would’ve particularly preferred they dropped them on this track. Otherwise I think it’s a pretty good and well constructed track with a strong vocal performance, a quite memorable solo from Brian May and great drumming from Cozy. I also think the overtly 80’s production hurts the heaviness of this song...It would’ve sounded much better and heavier live.