Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)
Black Sabbath's 1995 album, panned by critics and fans.
Forbidden is the eighteenth studio album by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 5 June 1995 through I.R.S. Records. It reunited the Tyr-era line-up from 1990 and was the last album to feature vocalist Tony Martin and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls. The album sold 21,000 copies in the US in its first week and 191,000 copies as of 2013.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Black Sabbath
- Released
- 5 June 1995
- Recorded
- 4 December 1994 – March 1995
- Studio
- Parr Street (Liverpool, England), Devonshire Sound (Los Angeles, California)
- Genre
- Heavy metal
- Length
- 44:10
- Label
- I.R.S.
- Producer
- Ernie C
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Illusion of Power (featuring Ice-T) | 4:51 |
| 2 | Get a Grip | 3:58 |
| 3 | Can't Get Close Enough | 4:27 |
| 4 | Shaking Off the Chains | 4:02 |
| 5 | I Won't Cry for You | 4:47 |
| 6 | Guilty as Hell | 3:27 |
| 7 | Sick and Tired | 3:29 |
| 8 | Rusty Angels | 5:00 |
| 9 | Forbidden | 3:47 |
| 10 | Kiss of Death | 6:06 |
Track listing from the source article.
Background and recording
Following the Cross Purposes tour, Geezer Butler was replaced by Neil Murray and Cozy Powell returned. Writing and rehearsals occurred at Bluestone Farm in Wales, with recording at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, in December 1994. Tony Iommi stated the album took ten days to record. Ernie C of Body Count produced, recorded, and mixed the album. The opening track features Ice-T delivering a spoken word part. Iommi later said the record company suggested working with Ice-T, and that Ernie C's production was a mistake, as he tried to get Cozy Powell to play hip-hop-style drum parts.
Reception and legacy
Forbidden received a generally negative response from critics and fans. AllMusic's Bradley Torreano gave it one and a half stars, calling it easily avoidable. Blender magazine called it an embarrassment and the band's worst album. Tony Martin stated in 2011 that the songs worked in rehearsals but other factors, including rumours of an original line-up reunion and the record company's involvement with Ice-T, gave the album a distinct ill feeling; he also said he never believed a rap-style Sabbath album would work.
Rob Zombie offered lighter praise at the launch. Tony Iommi admitted to Sabbath fanzine Southern Cross that he was not happy with the album, citing the rushed writing process and the absence of Cozy Powell and Neil Murray during much of it. Martin later described Forbidden as a filler album that got the band out of its label deal and into the reunion, though he was not aware of that at the time.
Remix
In 2016, Tony Iommi discussed future re-releases of the Tony Martin-era catalogue, stating he would like to work on Forbidden. By 2019, he was working on a remix with Mike Exeter. In May 2020, Iommi revealed the remix was complete and he was waiting for the right time to re-release it. The box set Anno Domini 1989–1995, announced in March 2024 and released on 31 May 2024, includes a full remix of Forbidden by Iommi. The CD edition includes the Japanese bonus track 'Loser Gets It All', which also appears on the individual CD version released on 15 November 2024.
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