TONY IOMMI
"From the Dark" (BMG; 2026)
Reviewed by Snidermann
With the passing of the late great Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler's retirement from music. it is up to Bill Ward (still rockin', confined to a wheelchair, but says he will play until he is dead. You go Bill!) and Tony Iommi to keep up the metal tradition of the original Black Sabbath music.
Tony has teamed up with Norwegian heavy metal singer Jorn Lande to supply the vocals on his latest project, "From the Dark." The recording is typical Iommi, full of heavy and dark riffs that have become synonymous with the guitarist throughout his career. This is Tony Iommi’s first solo release sing 2005's Fused. It is a pleasure to witness one of my favorite musicians release new material. One of this things I like best is the way he plays both rhythm guitar and overdubs the lead. You observe the master playing both parts.
I did find Jorn Lande’s lyrics to be dark for the sake of being dark and that is okay, just kinda depressing. I read an interview with Tony and the interviewer asked if he contributed to the lyrics and his answer was classic: “Why would I? That would be like him trying to tell how to play guitar.”
It took me a minute to get my head around this recording but, once I did it was like a light bulb going off and I saw the majesty and scope to be found here. Another thing I like about Tony Iommi’s guitar work is that it’s beautifully simplistic. Brian May from Queen said (I paraphrase here) "It is not always what you play that is effective, but what you don’t play.” He and Iommi are both masters at just that.
Tommy Iommi, Jorn Lande and their release "From the Dark" is one kickass metal release.
For more information, check out https://www.iommi.com/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
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