First up is "The Shining". The lead single from the album, it is certainly catchy and attention-getting. Featuring a very heavy Tony Iommi riff, I really enjoy the song. Top-notch drumming (the metallic-sounding drums have been fixed from Seventh Star), and great vocals from the very under-rated Tony Martin. A tad too long-winded, but still a great song. "Ancient Warrior" is a great song, featuring one of the heaviest riffs ever created by Tony Iommi. Concerning what seems to be the legend of a dead warrior, the song is a bit on the silly side lyrically, but the great riff, hard-hitting drumming from Eric Singer, and technically brilliant vocals from Martin round out a nice package, one of the strongest songs on the album.
"Hard Life To Love" continues Iommi bringing out all the aces, a phenomenal verse riff. It seems to be about someone living life without reservations and morals, burning out quickly. A little "Whitesnake-ish" in terms of production, a bit too sheen and polished, again bearing the hand of famous "over-producer" Jeff Glixman. A decent song. "Glory Ride" is my favorite song on the album. Concerning the Battle of Britain, I love the imagery painted by the lyrics, similar to "Aces High" by Iron Maiden, lyrically speaking. A side note, I actually prefer the version of the song sung by Sabbath's previous singer, the late "Ray Gillen". The deluxe edition contains the album mixed with Ray Gillen's vocals, so you can decide whose vocals you like better. Overall, I prefer Tony Martin as a singer, but this is one of the tracks where Gillen just did it better.
"Born to Lose" is another bluesy-metal song. Definitely over-processed, I really don't like Eric Singer's drum sound here, far too busy and high in the mix. Also, Martin's vocals need not be covered in so many effects, especially considering his raw talent. The "evil woman" type lyrics are decent enough, but Martin sounds a little green for this type of song,too young and bright-eyed to truly bellyache about this lyrical topic. Like a fine wine, I believe that Martin's vocals and lyrics only got better as Sabbath went on (except Forbidden, stay tuned for that review in a few weeks). A decent song, but not a stand-out for me. "Nightmare" shows the coming direction the band would take for their next album, Headless Cross. The song again reminds me musically of Whitesnake, featuring a very bluesy riff. The song concerns the trickery of Satan, a common theme explored by the band during the Martin years. I like the catchy chorus, and the riff is certainly enjoyable, but something doesn't work for me about the song. I believe it is the production of the song, a glossy 1980s "knob-job" that just sounds too slick and processed, miles away from the 1970s and even early 1980s rawness of Sabbath.
"Scarlet Pimpernel" is gorgeous. A classical-sounding guitar piece, I find the song relaxing and delicately beautiful. A little too heavy on keyboards and effects, but it is my pick for my favorite of Tony Iommi's many guitar instrumentals. Sadly, the song is very short. "Lost Forever" is a very heavy tune, featuring one of Iommi's driving riffs. I like the bass work of Ozzy/Rainbow bassist/songwriter Bob Daisley,much more prominent in the mix than the previous album. The song seems to concern damnation, someone who has become pure evil. Iommi's solo smokes here, the best lead on the album. Martin sounds very good, over-singing a bit, but quite an enjoyable vocal performance. Last up is the title track. "Eternal Idol" is a very slow and long song. Like the song "Black Sabbath", a plodding riff drives along the song. A little keyboard-heavy, but it sounds pretty good, the best-produced track on the album, very atmospheric and creepy. The cryptic lyrics perfectly accompany the unsettling music. I like the track, and it is actually quite similar both lyrically and musically to "God is Dead?" from the new album "13".
"the Eternal Idol" is a decent album, but certainly not my pick for the best album of the Martin years. A little too slick in terms of production, it also seems to me that Martin was a little over-whelmed by being thrust into Sabbath so quickly upon the departure of Ray Gillen. While he sounds very good, I believe that he would come into his own later in the band's discography. Leaps and bounds better than Seventh Star, but only the start of bringing back the reputation of Black Sabbath.
Rating-7/10
Question, why do you have Ray Gillen's name in quotation marks, lol. It makes it seem as if he's a fictional character. Nice review, by the way!
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