Album
Headless Cross
Headless Cross is Black Sabbath's fourteenth studio album and their first for I.R.S. Records, arriving after the poor sales of The Eternal Idol had seen the band lose their deals with Warner Bros. and Vertigo. Released in April 1989, it is Tony Martin's second record as lead vocalist, and it brought in Cozy Powell on drums. Tony Iommi produced it himself, something he had not done since 1982.
The songs lean into a darker mood, with themes of the occult, satanism and death. Critics responded warmly, and some have called it the finest Sabbath album of the era. It reached number 31 in the UK and 115 in the US, a step up on its predecessor in both countries. It was reissued in 2024 in the Anno Domini 1989–1995 boxset.
Headless Cross: tracklist, credits and charts
8 tracks · 40:28Tracklist
- 1The Gates of HellIommi, Martin, Nicholls, Powell1:07
- 2Headless CrossIommi, Martin, Powell6:29
- 3Devil & DaughterIommi, Martin, Powell4:45
- 4When Death CallsIommi, Martin, Nicholls, Powell6:56
- 5Kill in the Spirit WorldIommi, Martin, Nicholls, Powell5:11
- 6Call of the WildIommi, Martin, Nicholls, Powell5:19
- 7Black MoonIommi, Martin, Nicholls, Powell4:06
- 8NightwingIommi, Martin, Powell6:35
- Produced by
- Tony Iommi, Cozy Powell, Jeremy Lewis
- Recorded at
- Amazon Studios (Liverpool, England), The Soundmill (Leeds, England), Woodcray Studios (Berkshire, England)
- Recorded
- August–November 1988
- Mixed by
- Sean Lynch
- Engineered by
- Sean Lynch
- Artwork
- Kevin Wimlett
- Label
- I.R.S. Records
- Length
- 40:28
Line-up
- Laurence Cottle · bass guitar
- Tony Iommi · guitar
- Geoff Nicholls · keyboard
- Cozy Powell · drums (drum set)
- Tony Martin · lead vocals, vocals
- Brian May · guitar · guest
Singles
- “Headless Cross” · 3 April 1989
- “Devil & Daughter” · 26 June 1989 (UK)
- “Call of the Wild” · 1989 (EU)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1989 | 31 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1989 | 115 |
| German Albums · 1989 | 18 |
| Swedish Albums · 1989 | 22 |
| Swiss Albums · 1989 | 23 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1989 | 28 |
| European Albums Chart · 1989 | 46 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) · 2025–2026 | 62 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1989 | 66 |
| Dutch Albums · 1989 | 71 |
All 12 charts
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1989 | 132 |
| French Physical Albums (SNEP) · 2025–2026 | 189 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
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Also released on 17 April
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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
TYR
1990
The Ozzy Osbourne Years
1991
Dehumanizer
1992
Cross Purposes
1994
Cross Purposes – Live
1995
Forbidden
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 1989
All of 1989 →
Bleach
Nirvana · 1989
Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails · 1989
The Miracle
Queen · 1989
The Real Thing
Faith No More · 1989
Blew
Nirvana · 1989
At the Beeb
Queen · 1989
Beneath the Remains
Sepultura · 1989
Louder Than Love
Soundgarden · 1989
1,000 Hours
Green Day · 1989
Moon
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1989
Jed
Goo Goo Dolls · 1989
Best of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne · 1989
More on I.R.S. Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1989-04-17 vs 1989-06-07 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 7 June 1989 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 17 April 1989 | |
| Wikidata | 1 April 1989 | |
| US release | 1989 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1989 | earliest UK or European date |
13 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5015557002020 | other |
| 1989 | US | I.R.S. Metal | 076731290249 | other |
| 1989 | US | I.R.S. Metal | 076731290218 | other |
| 1989 | US | I.R.S. Metal | 076731290225 | other |
| 1989 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5015557002105 | other |
| 1989 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5015557002013 | other |
| 1989 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5099924100526 | other |
| 7 June 1989 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988002180554 | original |
| 5 September 1999 | XE | EMI | 724352129928 | other |
| 2 April 2001 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724353041427 | other |
| 31 May 2024 | CA | Rhino | 603497824908 | remaster |
| 15 November 2024 | CA | Warner Records | 603497820177 | remaster |
| 15 November 2024 | GB | BMG | 4099964117752 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 4000×4000 | native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |