Cross Purposes
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Dehumanizer1992Forbidden1995AlbumCross PurposesSabbathPurposes.jpgBlack Sabbath31 January 1994<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>1993Monnow Valley Studios (Rockfield, Wales)Heavy metal47:27I.R.S.Leif Mases, Black Sabbathx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Cross Purposes is the seventeenth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released through I.R.S. Records on 31 January 1994. The album marked the return of Tony Martin as the band's lead vocalist, after the second departure of Ronnie James Dio.
A live album Cross Purposes Live, which was recorded during the tour for the album, was released in 1995. 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. The CD edition of the album contains the Japanese bonus track "What's the Use?".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A stand alone remastered CD with bonus track was released on 15 November 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Background and recordingEdit
Dehumanizer saw the reunion of Mob Rules-era Black Sabbath, but, after the tour, Ronnie James Dio (vocals) and Vinny Appice (drums) departed. They were replaced by former Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin and former Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli. Geezer Butler remained with the group, although he would depart later in the year again before the recording of the Forbidden album. Rondinelli left the recording sessions for Quiet Riot's album Terrified to join Black Sabbath. The album was recorded at Monnow Valley Studio, in Wales.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
SongsEdit
Tony Martin explained during the show at Roseland in NYC on 12 February 1995, that "Psychophobia" was about David Koresh, and the Waco, Texas, incident.<ref>Live recording February 15, 1994, Youtube.</ref>
A promo video in black-and-white was shot for the song "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle". Tony Martin explained in a 2011 interview with Martin Popoff that he wrote this song about Beverly Allitt, a children's hospital nurse in England who was convicted of serial infanticide in 1993. The video features a young girl, assumably in reference to this.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The song "Cardinal Sin" was originally intended to be titled "Sin Cardinal Sin" (or "Sin, Cardinal Sin") but a printing error on the album sleeve caused the first word to be removed. Sabbath simply adopted the title "Cardinal Sin" as the name of the song.
"What's the Use?" was released only on the Japanese edition of Cross Purposes, which also contained a free sticker of the artwork. A nearly identical version of the "burning angel" image was featured on the Scorpions single Send Me an Angel three years earlier.
ReceptionEdit
Critical receptionEdit
Template:Music ratings Bradley Torreano of AllMusic rated the album 3 stars out of 5, praising it for bridging various aspects of the band's different eras. He said it was "the first album since Born Again that actually sounds like a real Sabbath record" and "probably the best thing they'd released since The Mob Rules, even with the filler tracks and keyboards."<ref name="AMG"/> In July 2014, Guitar World magazine ranked Cross Purposes at number six in the "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SalesEdit
The album peaked at number 122 on the US Billboard 200 charts but made it to number 41 on the UK album charts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In both Finland and Sweden, the album hit #9.
Track listingEdit
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
PersonnelEdit
- Black Sabbath
- Tony Martin – vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitars
- Geezer Butler – bass
- Bobby Rondinelli – drums
- Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
- Technical personnel
- Leif Mases – producer, engineer, mixing
- Darren Galer – assistant engineer
- Dave Somers – assistant engineer
- Tony Cousins – mastering
ChartsEdit
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)<ref name=FINI>Template:Cite book</ref> | 9 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="JPN">Template:Cite book</ref> | 32 |
| Chart (2025) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
64 |
NotesEdit
The angel artwork depicted on the cover originally appeared on the 1990 single Send Me An Angel by the German hard rock band Scorpions.