A Black Sabbath gem that was close to perfection.

edgeofthorns

24 Hours Ago...
Jan 2, 2005
6,584
4
38
City beneath the surface
Overall, I consider myself a casual Black Sabbath fan, but a loyal fan of the Dio years. With that said, the Tony Martin years has some good stuff to offer as well. The Eternal Idol marked Tony's debut with the band, but I've discovered that most young fans don't know that The Eternal Idol was actually written with Ray Gillen in mind. Have you ever had the opportunity to listen to The Eternal Idol Demos?

If not, do yourself a favor and track them down! The Eternal Idol, material wise, is every bit as strong as anything from the Dio years in my opinion. With that in mind, if we had been able to hear the finished product with Ray on vox, I believe it would've been the best Black Sabbath release ever and the song "Glory Ride" being the best Sabbath song ever, hands down!

What say you?

~Brian~
 
I didn't know this. I love The Eternal Idol and need to track the demos down.

They were never actually released, but over the years have became available via the internet. I've had them for awhile and revisited them this week due to a conversation I had with a guy in a CD store. The demos are stellar featuring Ray on vox. The guy was an absolute god! He was very young and hungry to prove himself during these recording sessions too.

~Brian~
 
I've always thought that Tony Martin was Sabbath's best vocalist, and with the exception of "Forbidden," the albums he recorded with them are my favorites in the catalog. "Tyr" is at the top of my list, followed closely by "Cross Purposes." I love Ray Gillen's vocals, but I have yet to hear his versions of the songs from "The Eternal Idol." I'm going to have to check those out.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Met-Al
 
Although I see this available via download, does anybody know if this is (was) available as a legal release? Not trying to get into a big debate here, just wondering if I can buy these through the normal channels.

A great album, would really be interested in hearing the Ray versions...
 
Never released through "legal" means. So this is as legal as you're going to get.

Ray Gillen fucking rocks those songs, plus he kicks ass live (well... kicked. RIP Ray) which Tony Martin just could NOT do. Track down some live Ray Gillen era vids on you tube. You'll be glad you did.