My review is based upon the original US cd which came out on IRS in 1994. I was amazed. I was so disheartened by Sabbath's '92 reunion with Dio and the uninspired resulting album that when I heard that Tony Martin was back as frontman I rushed out to get "Cross Purposes". It really is excellent. The material is Sabbath at their most driving; 'I Witness', 'Dying For Love', 'Virtual Death' and 'Hand That Rocks The Cradle' easily rank among the greatest tracks of the band's long career. Martin is top-notch as always, Iommi is sharp and concise and Butler is pretty good if not always as impressive as you'd likely expect. Nicholls is at his sideman-best, not as involved as on "TYR" but still engaged. Cozy Powell does not appear on this album, but Bobby Rondinelli (Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow) is superb. In fact, he ranks behind Cozy and Bill Ward only as Sabbath's greatest three drummers. (Sorry Eric, Bev, Terry and Vinnie... you guys were awesome as well!) "Cross Purposes" isn't at all like the other four Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath albums. It falls in between the prog-metal of "TYR", the straight metal of "Eternal Idol", the occult-metal of "Headless Cross" and the back-to-basics of "Forbidden" to remain one of Sabbath's most vital and inventive outings. I love all Sabbath, but the Tony Martin era of 1987- 1996 was the most satisfying, and "Cross Purposes" is a crucial part of it.