A little love letter to one of the most beloved voices in heavy metal
In the history of big bands, there have been all sorts of singers. The first, the transient, the classic, the misfits. The mediocre and the great. But none of those who come to mind can be described as more overlooked than Antony Philip Harford, more widely known as simply Tony Martin.
You see, the British musician who turned 67 last year has been the second longest-serving singer in Black Sabbath history, having toured with them and released some great albums that were little appreciated in their time.
He was in the band not once, but on two separate occasions, the first being to immediately replace Ray Gillen, who left before the release of Eternal Idol, and the second to return to the band after Ronnie James Dio left. Small detail: during the recordings for Dehumanizer, Tony Iommi asked the other Tony to return, since the collaboration with Dio was not progressing as expected.
His wonderful voice, somewhere between the epicness of Dio and the blues feeling of Coverdale, has not seen its equal in all the years that have passed. Deep, expressive, unique, it is one of the main reasons why the Black Sabbath albums of that period have some fanatical supporters. The rest have probably not discovered them yet, since it is impossible for anyone to have heard one of Headless Cross or Tyr and not love them.
With the back catalogue of Black Sabbath from the Tony Martin era having been re-released within the past year, we do not miss the opportunity to play some of the great works that this collaboration offered us once again. Nightwing has stirred, and taken to flight - The silence is over, he's shattered the night...
The Sinner