Black Sabbath: [1989] Headless in Russia

Headless Cross is the fourteenth studio album by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath through I.R.S. Records, released on 17 April 1989 internationally, and on 7 June in Japan. This was their first I.R.S release, after having being dropped from both Warner Bros. and Vertigo labels as the commercial popularity of the band continued to decline at that time, in response to the poor sales of their previous release, The Eternal Idol (1987). The group took a break in 1988 to record their upcoming project and hired new members of Black Sabbath. Guitarist Tony Iommi self-produced the album for first time since 1982, siding with newly recruited drummer Cozy Powell. It is the band's second album with lead vocalist Tony Martin. The album received a rave response from music critics, which was often regarded the "finest Black Sabbath album". Headless Cross continues to feature a darker approach of their sound, referring to elements such as satanism, the occult, and mentions of death. It peaked at number 31 in the group's native UK, but charted at number 115 in the US. It made a chart improvement in both positions unlike The Eternal Idol, which had failed to reach within the top 40 in the UK. Headless Cross received a reissue in 2024, being featured in the Anno Domini 1989–1995 boxset, which contained recordings that featured Martin on vocals.