Album
Forbidden
Forbidden is Black Sabbath's eighteenth studio album, released on 5 June 1995 through I.R.S. Records, with a US release following on 20 June. It brought back the line-up from 1990's Tyr, with bassist Neil Murray and drummer Cozy Powell returning to the fold. Tony Martin remained on vocals and Geoff Nicholls on keyboards.
Its place in the story matters more than its reception, which was generally negative among critics and fans alike. This was the last record from Martin and Nicholls, and the band's final studio album until 13 in 2013, when Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler came back. Powell left for the last time part way through the tour, replaced by Bobby Rondinelli. A new remix appeared in 2024 in the Anno Domini 1989–1995 box set, giving the record another hearing.
Forbidden: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 44:16Tracklist
- 1The Illusion of PowerSabbath, Ice‐T, Martin4:54
- 2Get a GripBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin4:00
- 3Can't Get Close EnoughBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin4:29
- 4Shaking Off the ChainsBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin4:04
- 5I Won't Cry for YouBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin4:48
- 6Guilty as HellBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin3:29
- 7Sick and TiredBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin3:32
- 8Rusty AngelsBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin5:01
- 9ForbiddenBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin3:49
- 10Kiss of DeathBlack Sabbath and Tony Martin6:09
- Produced by
- Ernie C
- Recorded at
- Parr Street (Liverpool, England), Devonshire Sound (Los Angeles, California)
- Recorded
- 4 December 1994 – March 1995
- Mixed by
- Ernie C
- Mixed at
- Ridge Farm Studios
- Engineered by
- Bobby Brooks
- Label
- I.R.S. Records
- Length
- 44:16
Line-up
- Tony Iommi · guitar
- Neil Murray · bass guitar
- Geoff Nicholls · keyboard
- Cozy Powell · drums (drum set)
- Ice‐T · vocals · guest
- Tony Martin · lead vocals
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1995 | 71 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1995 | 6 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1995 | 12 |
| Swedish Albums · 1995 | 19 |
| German Albums · 1995 | 35 |
| Austrian Albums · 1995 | 40 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1995 | 45 |
| Swiss Albums · 1995 | 48 |
| European Albums Chart · 1995 | 62 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) · 2026 | 64 |
All 13 charts
| Dutch Albums · 1995 | 86 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1995 | 154 |
| French Physical Albums (SNEP) · 2026 | 168 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
56.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
882
ListenBrainz listeners
77k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
—
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 5 June
Every year →
More from Black Sabbath
Full discography →
Black Sabbath
1970
Paranoid
1970
Master of Reality
1971
Vol 4
1972
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
1973
We Sold Our Soul for Rock ’n’ Roll
1975
Sabotage
1975
Technical Ecstasy
1976
Never Say Die!
1978
Heaven and Hell
1980
Live at Last
1980
Mob Rules
1981
Live Evil
1982
Born Again
1983
The Sabbath Collection
1985
Seventh Star
1986
The Eternal Idol
1987
Headless Cross
1989
TYR
1990
The Ozzy Osbourne Years
1991
Dehumanizer
1992
Cross Purposes
1994
Cross Purposes – Live
1995
The Sabbath Stones
1996
Under Wheels of Confusion: 1970–1987
1996
Reunion
1998
The Collection
1999
Black Mass
1999
The Best of Black Sabbath
2000
Past Lives
2002
Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978
2002
Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978
2004
Greatest Hits 1970–1978
2006
The Dio Years
2007
Live at Hammersmith Odeon
2007
The Rules of Hell
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
13
2013
Live… Gathered in Their Masses
2013
The End
2016
The Ultimate Collection
2016
The End
2017
Anno Domini: 1989–1995
2024
The best of 1995
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More on I.R.S. Records
The label →How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1995-06-07 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 7 June 1995 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 5 June 1995 | |
| Wikidata | 5 June 1995 | |
| US release | 20 June 1995 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1995 | earliest UK or European date |
10 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | CA | I.R.S. Records | 724383062027 | other |
| 1995 | BR | I.R.S. Records | 724383062010 | other |
| 1995 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 724383062027 | other |
| 1995 | KR | I.R.S. Records | 724383062027 | other |
| 7 June 1995 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988006708945 | original |
| 20 June 1995 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724349885226 | other |
| 20 June 1995 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724383062027 | other |
| 17 August 1999 | US | — | other | |
| 2024 | XE | BMG | 4099964117950 | other |
| 31 May 2024 | — | BMG Rights Management | 4050538972627 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 1078×1078 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |