Nuclear Blast レコード& CD

Review: When people think Black Sabbath, they're most likely thinking of their initial tenure with the incomparable Ozzy Osbourne, while then there's the other camp who recognise the greatness of the Oz-Man but opt to worship at the shrine of Ronnie James Dio. Unfairly forgotten to time, however, is the 90s tenure of the metal giants' third vocalist Tony Martin, who would ultimately serve as their second-longest running frontman across 1989's Headless Cross, 1990's Tyr, 1994's Cross Purposes and 1995's Forbidden. Now, for the first time, this entire era comes home to vinyl via Anno Domini: 1989-1995, with remasters of the entire collection, and a fully remixed version of Forbidden handled by nine-fingered guitar hero Tony Iommi himself. Also included are a thick booklet, previously unseen photos, a poster from the Headless Cross tour as well as a replica concert book. For the often forgotten third subset of Sabbath diehards, Tony Martin finally has his flowers.

Review: Dutch symphonic metal icons, Epica, deliver the ultimate fan service with the epic (excuse the pun) compilation box set,'We Still Take You With Us: The Early Years. Consisting of the band's first three, long out of print, full-lengths; 'The Phantom Agony', 'Consign To Oblivion', and, 'The Score', as well as the long sought after, 'Live At Paradiso' performance, recorded at the legendary Paradiso theatre in Amsterdam during the touring cycle of these early albums, there's no denying the care and attention to detail the band have poured into this expansive collection. Including b-sides, demos, as well as recordings from their first appearance on live Dutch television, this 11xLP beast is a vital puzzle piece/holy grail compiling of long sought-after physicals, collectively priced at a far lesser amount than any flipped singular, earlier editions.