Black Sabbath Forbidden CD

Black Sabbath includes: Tony Martin (vocals); Tony Iommi, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Geoff Nicholls.
Recorded at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, England.
Personnel: Washburn, Gibson, Jaydee (guitar); Bella (strings); Ernie C., Bobby Brooks (recorder).
Audio Mixers: Ernie C.; Bobby Brooks.
Recording information: Devonshire Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Parr Street Studios, Liverpool.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Cozy Powell; Geoff Nicholls ; Neil Murray; Tony Iommi; Tony Martin.
Forbidden is a standard latter-day Black Sabbath album. Dominated by Tony Iomii's increasingly pedestrian guitar work, the album consists of tired riffs and an overly clean production. Furthermore, nobody in the band has come up with a hook to match anything on Born Again, much less Paranoid. Even longtime, diehard Sabbath fans will be hard-pressed to find something of interest on Forbidden. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
When the most influential heavy metal band ever to have roamed the earth teams up with Body Count's Ernie C to try and inject new life into their sound, it should have been the signal to give up the ghost. But poor Black Sabbath named an album Never Say Die because they meant it, and this sad album is a reminder of how dim even the brightest lights can get. Where their last album was an uneven but pleasant return to form, this is just the band going through the motions. "Get a Grip" takes its riff from Iommi's own "Zero the Hero" and totally wrecks it; "Can't Get Close Enough" is an awful power metal ballad; and "Shaking Off the Chains" might be the worst Tony Martin-fronted Sabbath song. And that is a bold claim considering how awful Tyr was. "Illusion of Power" is the weirdest song, with Martin dueting with Ice T on a song that sounds much more like Body Count than anything Sabbath-related. "Sick and Tired" is the only standout track; with its bluesy tempo and decent vocals, it sounds like Helloween performing a Cream song. But considering the vast legacy behind the band, it is truly a sad state of affairs when their best material sounds like a mid-level power metal band. It is hard to pinpoint the worst Sabbath album, but this could be it. With boring songs, awful production (from Ernie C), and uninspired performances, this is easily avoidable for all but the most enthusiastic fan. As a side note, the reception to this album was so poor that Iommi cleared out the lineup, gave in, and finally reconciled with Ozzy Osbourne for their spectacular reunion tour. ~ Bradley Torreano