Forbidden (album)

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Forbidden

Cover art by Paul Sample
Studio album by Black Sabbath
Released 8 June 1995
Recorded Parr Street Studios, Liverpool and Devonshire Studios, Los Angeles, 1994–1995
Genre Heavy metal
Length 42:00
Label I.R.S.
Producer Ernie C
Black Sabbath chronology

Cross Purposes
(1994)		 Forbidden
(1995)		 13
(2013)

Forbidden is the eighteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in June 1995. This recording saw the reunion of Black Sabbath's Tyr-era line-up from 1990, with the return of Neil Murray and Cozy Powell. It was the last album to feature Tony Martin on vocals and the last by the band until 2013 when Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler returned for the album 13. The album sold over 21,000 copies in the U.S in its first week and as of 2013, Forbidden has sold over 191,000 copies in the US.[1]

Album information

The album's opening track, "The Illusion of Power", features Ice-T of the band Body Count in the bridge,[2] delivering a spoken word part. Body Count band member Ernie C also produced, recorded and mixed the album.[2]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [3]

Forbidden was panned by critics upon its release. Allmusic's Bradley Torreano gave the album only one and a half stars, and said "with boring songs, awful production, and uninspired performances, this is easily avoidable for all but the most enthusiastic fan", while Blender magazine called Forbidden "an embarrassment ... the band's worst album".[4]

Band members have since spoken about their mixed opinions of the album. Vocalist Tony Martin made known his feelings in an interview in July 2011, during which he stated: "Well, Forbidden is... I want to say 'crap', but it's actually not", and said that the songs worked in rehearsals, but other factors, such as rumours of a reunion of the original Black Sabbath line-up and the record company wanting to "take [the album] and see what Ice-T wanted to do" gave the album a "distinct ill feeling". Martin also maintains that he never believed a "Run-D.M.C. type"/"Rap Sabbath" album would work.[5]

In regards to the subsequent original line-up reunion, Martin has also said Forbidden was a "filler album that got the band out of the label deal, rid of the singer, and into the reunion", but remarked that he "wasn’t privy to that information at the time".[6]

Guitarist Tony Iommi has also admitted to Sabbath fanzine Southern Cross that he was "not happy" with Forbidden, and elaborated by saying "We brought in Ernie C to do production, which was a bit difficult really, because I had to leave him to it… One of the problems was we weren't all there at the same time, when we were writing it. Cozy and Neil were still contracted to do other stuff, so it ended up with just Tony Martin, Geoff Nicholls and myself just jamming around and putting ideas down. It all came together very quickly and we didn't have time to reflect: make sure it was the right songs and the right way of doing it."[7]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Tony Martin except "The Illusion of Power" by Martin, Ice-T, all music composed by Black Sabbath.
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
Bonus track

The Japanese release added a bonus track, and a sticker of the album sleeve:

No. Title Length
11. "Loser Gets It All"   2:55

Personnel

Band members
Additional musicians
  • Ice-T – vocals on "The Illusion of Power"
Production

See also

Book icon
  • Book: Black Sabbath


References

  1. ↑ "Black Sabbath set for major US debut". Music-News.com. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Torreano, Bradley. "Black Sabbath Forbidden review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  3. ↑ "Black Sabbath: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 June 2012. 
  4. ↑ Mitchell, Ben. "Blender Forbidden review". Blender.com. Retrieved 20 March 2008. 
  5. ↑ Hodgson, Peter. "The Gibson Interview: Black Sabbath’s Tony Martin". Gibson.com. Gibson Guitar Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  6. ↑ "Tony Martin.net Q&A". TonyMartin.net. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2008. 
  7. ↑ Southern Cross No.19, March 1997
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