Tyr (album)

Tyr is the fifteenth studio album by heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1990 by I.R.S. Records.

This was previously thought to be a concept album dealing with Christianity and Norse Mythology, but bassist Neil Murray dispelled that belief in 2005, stating that while many of the songs may seem loosely related, very little of the album has to do with mythology and it was not intended to be a concept recording.

Tyr is the son of Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology. He is the god of single combat and heroic glory, portrayed as a one-handed man. The usage of such analogies and mythology was a great departure from Headless Cross' descent into the Dark Side and the power of Satan.

This album represents possibly the most dramatic departure from Black Sabbath's traditional sound, with only traces of it found in the occasional riff. The production has been criticized by some (who claim Cozy Powell's drums drown out most of the other instruments) and praised by others, who note that this is one of Sabbath's heaviest albums and perhaps the most prominently reliant on keyboards by the perennial 5th member, Geoff Nicholls. As a result, much of the music is a lot darker than previous Sabbath works, closely resembling the previous album Headless Cross in terms of darkness.

The band has stated that while they do not disown or regret the song "Feels Good To Me," it was put on the album solely to be released as a single and doesn't fit in musically with the rest of the record.