TONY MARTIN RETURNS!
Right off the bat, I want to admit to being a fan of the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath. I realize that there are a lot of people that pan his era because he’s not Ozzy or Dio. But Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes, and Forbidden are all-important albums in my record collection.
Yes, there are people out there that will instantly say “but they’re not better than Volume 4, or Heaven And Hell or (insert any other classic Sabbath album).” And my reply is always the same, do they have to be? I always make the food analogies, you don’t say “no way I’m not eating a burger because it comes with a side of fries.” You can enjoy the main course with a complimentary side, why can’t people do the same with music?
I’ll also admit, that when I heard the first single “As The World Burns” I was kind of turned off. I felt as if there was too much going on in the song. The drumming especially felt kind of busy to me. Getting back to what Lemmy once said “Just cos you got the power, that don’t mean you’ve got the right.” Just because you can play a million notes, that doesn’t mean you should! In my opinion, it felt like they were trying too hard.
After hearing the track, I instantly thought about last year’s KK’s Priest album, which to me had either great tracks or songs that did absolutely nothing for me. I tried to get into the album several times. It shows promise for the future but shows that as great of a songwriter KK is, he needs others to help get him over the top.
Back to Thorns, I went into the album with an open mind. I go into every album I listen to wanting to enjoy it, not crap on it. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Thorns is a great mix of various hard rock and metal styles. As much as I didn’t get “As The World Burns” initially, it works in the context of the album. The other thing that caught me off guard is how the acoustic guitar was used on the album. Yes, you have Iommi-like passages, but you also have songs built around non-distorted guitars that just work. You also have a keyboard solo in the middle of a track instead of your standard guitar solo.
If you’re a fan of Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime, the title track “Thorns” features Pamela Moore.
The album is great top to bottom, if you’re a fan of Tony Martin’s work in Black Sabbath, then you’ll more than likely love the album. It leaves me with the question, are these tracks so good because he’s had them in the can all these years? Or are the tracks all fairly new?
It is a January album, hopefully people will remember it when it comes to their end of 2022 lists!
Here is Tony Martin with the track "As The World Burns" off of his latest album Thorns.
Interested in checking out Thorns by Tony Martin before picking the album up?
Pick your poison, check out the album on either Spotify or Apple Music here.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER NEW RELEASES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU
Maule – Maule
Toundra – Hex
Underøath – Voyeurist
Fit For An Autopsy – Oh What the Future Holds
Magnum – The Monster Roars
Out Of This World – Out Of This World
Lee McKinney – In The Light Of Knowledge
Crawl Below – Its Ministers On Earth
Electromancy – Technopagan
Luca Di Gennaro – The Second Coming
Slowbleed – A Blazing Sun, The Fiery Dawn
Enterprise Earth – The Chosen
Aethereus – Leiden
Goreskincoffin – Release My Suffering
Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road
Oceans – Hell Is Where The Heart Is – Part I: Love
EPs
Your Mom – The EP
REISSUES
Fake Names – Fake Names
Belphegor – Blutsabbath
Belphegor – The Last Supper
Earthless – From The Ages
Earthless – Rhythm From A Cosmic Sky
Earthless – Sonic Prayer
LIVE ALBUMS
Your Mom – The 68 Comeback Special
COMPILATIONS
Various Artists – Dominance And Submission: A Tribute To Blue Oyster Cult
Support the site and the bands you love by picking up any of the albums listed above.
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TUESDAYS ON SIGNALS FROM MARS
Signals From Mars Trivia Tuesday on Twitch is a new show where, as you might suspect, I throw out a bunch of hard rock and metal trivia questions to the audience.
Last week’s game came down to the very last question, with the winner taking away a $5 discount from the Mars Attacks Podcast Merch store. Will tonight bring a new champ?
Not only do you need to know the correct answer, but you also need to be the quickest to answer correctly. The faster you answer, the more points you obtain. But answer wrong, and you’ll lose points.
What to join in on the action, or watch and hang out in the chat? Go here to do so.
Signals From Mars Trivia Tuesday 5 PM EST / 2 PM PST / 10 PM UK / 11 PM CET
FRIDAYS ON SIGNALS FROM MARS
SIGNALS FROM MARS ON FIRESIDE
Fireside is a relatively new social audio platform. It allows me to interact with guests and you the listener. It is a unique way to participate, and have your voice heard.
The pre-show covers that week’s new releases, as well as recent hard rock and metal news.
Fridays at 5 PM EST / 2 PM PST / 10 PM UK / 11 PM CET
Go here to find out how you can sign up and become part of Fireside for free!
SIGNALS FROM MARS LIVESTREAM
Check out Signals From Mars Livestream Fridays at 6:00 PM EST / 3:00 PM PST / 11:00 PM in the UK / 12:00 AM Saturday CET.
The show broadcasts simultaneously on 14 different platforms. You can watch on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, MixCloud, dlive, Trovo, NimoTV, afreecaTV, Mobcrush, Vaughn Live, Picarto, OK.ru, and FC2 Live.
On the road? No problem, you listen live via the MixCloud app on your phone. Alternately, the podcast version of the Livestream will be available next week.
If you haven’t already subscribed to the podcast, it is available on all of the major podcasting platforms.