The Eternal Idol

After years of playing musical chairs with various singers during the early '80s, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi finally found a dependable frontman with unknown Tony Martin, who made his debut on 1987's underrated The Eternal Idol. Despite a slight resemblance to former singer Ronnie James Dio, Martin's powerful voice added new fire to songs like "Hard Life to Love," "Glory Ride," and "Born to Lose," which also feature some of Iommi's heaviest riffs in years. The ever-reliable Geoff Nicholls adds impeccable supporting keyboards throughout, but most notably on "Ancient Warrior" and the fantastically gloomy title track. Finally, even the most skeptical of Sabbath fans will be amazed at the undeniably brilliant riffing of massive opener "The Shining." — Ed Rivadavia.