4 out of 5 Stars!

Sadly enough, the “Tony Martin era” of Black Sabbath seems either generally forgotten or summarily dismissed by many fans of the group, usually overshadowed by Ozzy’s tenure with the band, no matter its inconsistency through the years. But in truth, I find Tony Martin’s time with Black Sabbath quite enjoyable—Headless Cross, The Eternal Idol, Cross Purposes, Tyr, and, sure, the less-than-wonderful Forbidden—nearly equaling the “Ronnie James Dio era” (my favorite era) with the band.

Therefore, I was thrilled to locate Tony Martin’s 2005 solo effort, Scream, many years ago. It’s a crying shame Martin hasn’t released more material on his own, since this album, from the opening track “Raising Hell” through the closing song “Field of Lies,” shows his firm dedication to the “Sabbath sound,” or at least music not too dissimilar.

But thankfully, Martin eventually joined up with several other “projects” and bands throughout the years since leaving Sabbath, so at least his vocal contributions to the world of Heavy Metal continue to appear at semi-regular intervals.

The bottom line is this—Martin is a gifted vocalist who never got the recognition he truly deserved, but has me (at least) as a true-blue fan of his work.

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