Tyr (/ˈtɪər/)[5] (stylized as ᛏᛉᚱ) is the fifteenth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released on 20 August 1990 by I.R.S. Records.

The album title, and several song titles, allude to Norse mythology, which led many to call Tyr a concept album, although bassist Neil Murray dispelled that in 2005, stating that while many of the songs may seem loosely related, very little of the album has to do with mythology and it was not intended to be a concept recording.[6]

In 2024, a remaster of the album was announced as part of the box set Anno Domini 1989–1995, marking the first time the album has been officially reissued.[7]

Album information

The album’s departure from the darker lyrics of Headless Cross was discussed by Tony Iommi in his 2012 autobiography Iron Man: “For our next album, Tyr, we went back to the Woodcray Studios in February 1990, with me and Cozy producing it again. On Headless Cross, Tony Martin had just come into the band and he assumed, oh, Black Sabbath, it’s all about the Devil, so his lyrics were full of the Devil and Satan. It was too much in your face. We told him to be a bit more subtle about it, so for Tyr he did all these lyrics about Nordic gods and whatnot. It took me a while to get my head around that.”[8] The album was originally intended to be titled Satanic Verses but Tyr was chosen instead to disassociate it from the dark themes of the previous album.

This album represents possibly the most dramatic departure from Black Sabbath’s traditional sound, with only traces of it found in the occasional riff. The production has been criticised by some (who claim Cozy Powell’s drums drown out most of the other instruments) and praised by others, who note that this is one of Sabbath’s heaviest albums and perhaps the most prominently reliant on keyboards by the perennial fifth member, Geoff Nicholls.[9]

The band have stated that while they do not disown or regret the song “Feels Good to Me”, it was put on the album solely to be released as a single and does not fit in musically with the rest of the record.[10] The Tyr tour never made it beyond UK & Europe and consisted of around 50 shows total.[11]

Geezer Butler, Ian Gillan and Brian May made guest appearances on the European leg of the Tyr tour; Butler and May appearing during the encore of the show performed on 8 September 1990 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.[12]

In Norse mythology, Týr is the god of single combat and heroic glory, and the son of Odin. The runes on the cover, ᛏ, ᛉ, and ᚱ are taken from the Rök runestone in Sweden.[13] The middle rune, algiz, is transcribed as the modern letter x or z, not y.

Legacy

The only track to feature on post-Tyr tours was “Anno Mundi”, e.g. on the Cross Purposes Live VHS/DVD. Tony Martin re-recorded “Jerusalem” for his 1992 solo album Back Where I Belong. The Black Sabbath line-up that recorded Tyr would reunite to record their eighteenth studio album, Forbidden, in 1995. Frontman Heri Joensen of Viking metal band Týr claims to have been influenced by the album cover when designing his own band’s logo.

Track listing

All music is composed by Tony Iommi, Tony Martin, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Geoff Nicholls

The live tracks on this single were recorded at the Olimpiski Hall in Moscow, Soviet Union, in November 1989.[14]

Personnel

Black Sabbath

• Tony Iommi – guitars, production
• Cozy Powell – drums, production
• Tony Martin – vocals
• Neil Murray – bass

Additional musician

• Geoff Nicholls – keyboards

Technical personnel

• Sean Lynch – engineering
• Leif Mases – mixing
• Tony Cousins – mastering

Release history

1990: IRS EIRSA-1038, UK, vinyl

1990: IRS EIRSACV1038, UK, picture disc

1990: IRS 1C-064-24-1070-1, EU, vinyl

1990: IRS 24-1070-2, UK / EU, CD

1990: IRS X2-13049, US, CD

1999: EMI 07243-5-21298-2-9, EU, CD

Charts