Cross Purposes - Song By Song

[Zzzptm]

Instrumentally, it's like a demo guide track - not a lot to it outside of the basic stuff. And, yeah, Rondinelli comes alive in the chorus, which is just too short and we're back to the drone. I'm not happy with the dragging going on in the first part.

And I'm sorry, but "another great Iommi solo" really doesn't save the track when it returns to the dragging riff.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Dying For Love

I like this song, yes it has a power ballad feel to it, yes the lyrics are a little "worthy", but it's got a nice gentle intro solo from Iommi, and Martin puts all his emotion into it. My slight gripe is it just ends too quickly.

[Jack the Stripper]

This has got too far ahead or me too far behind to bother caring. Maybe I’ll just put in my ratings at the end. I knew the Martin era would become a chore 

[Zzzptm]

This has got too far ahead or me too far behind to bother caring. Maybe I’ll just put in my ratings at the end. I knew the Martin era would become a chore 

And Forbidden is next...

[Zzzptm]

Dying For Love

I like this song, yes it has a power ballad feel to it, yes the lyrics are a little "worthy", but it's got a nice gentle intro solo from Iommi, and Martin puts all his emotion into it. My slight gripe is it just ends too quickly.

The opening is more bluesy than ballad, and I like that very much. The opening picks up where Over and Over left off. But after the opening, the power ballad string picking and synths of a power ballad start up. Gone is the bluesiness, which is a shame. But the vocals are very well done on this, so I'm not enduring some commercial dreck: I'm enjoying a good tune. The part at 3:30 puts a heavier touch on the piece and we keep that going, even as it reverts to the power ballad formula. Not a bad song at all.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

A "chore"... I dunno, kids today!


Back To Eden

This is one of my favourites on the album, a mid tempo rocker, a nice riff (perhaps a little commercial), and an unusual little solo for Iommi. The lyrics are a little wierd "We are the Star Demons, reaching out, yeah!" for starters, but I like them. The only draw back really is the title is now associated with a certain knob stain we all know!

[Zzzptm]

I love this track, my favorite from the album. Tony Iommi takes a page from Leslie West's playbook and scores big on this one. But that big, chunky, jaunty, Mountain-esque rock guitar on this track is great stuff.

[Jack the Stripper]

Back To Eden

The only draw back really is the title is now associated with a certain knob stain we all know!

Yeah I use to like this song but it only reminds me of that deranged fake Christian shit stain toss pot now so don’t like it anymore.

[Zzzptm]

It's always a shame when a song loses its magic.

[Zzzptm]

And now for The Hand That Rocks the Cradle... This one gets a really heavy, catchy groove.  Lyrics are edgy, not really what you want to be singing as you stroll past co-workers, but the tune does rock out pretty hard.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

I love this song, it starts quietly, but that's just a ruse before the heavy section gets going. Nice guitar work throughout, a great solo. The vocals are what make this though, one of the best vocal performances by anyone standing by a Sabbath microphone!

[Zzzptm]

Cardinal Sin - After the child abuse song, how about one targeting clerical sex scandals in the Catholic Church? Another tune I don't sing as I walk the halls at work, but which does have a good rocking feel to it, taking repetitive trios like in Kashmir and Gates of Babylon, good references to borrow from.  And then we get the fast part for the bridge intro that becomes a solo after the verse, keeps the speed and power going to the end. Good track, this one.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Cardinal Sin

I think this was originally called Sin, Cardinal Sin but the printers messed up.

This starts slowly, and I'm not a fan of that section, but once it speeds up it comes alive. Not much else to say about this, except overall it's ok.

[Zzzptm]

Evil Eye - got a good stoner beat driving this one. This is a track that's grown on me over the years. Nice solo from Eddie Van Halen, too! The double-tracked guitar groove sounds something like "A National Acrobat", a fun little touch.

[Zzzptm]

Never heard the Japanese edition bonus track "What's the Use" until today. It's a very fast rocker, with Martin clearly doing a Ronnie James Dio impersonation... and Iommi doing a Ritchie Blackmore impersonation!