Imagine that you are Tony Iommi. The father of heavy metal, the man whose riffs became the foundation of an entire genre; the creator of records that still define what heavy music is supposed to sound like. You are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for everyone who has ever picked up a guitar – and probably everyone who ever will. On top of that, your main band, the one in which you remained the only constant member for decades, played a show last year that was hailed as one of the most important events in metal history. And then came what broke everyone’s heart… Expectations for your new album are therefore enormous. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that „From the Dark” has absolutely no chance of avoiding comparisons with Black Sabbath – with Ozzy, without Ozzy, all of it. And this is where the sentence you have probably heard a thousand times should appear: „You don’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore.” As clichéd as that may sound, it remains 100 percent true. I imagine that making this album at this particular point in his life must still have been a considerable challenge for Tony Iommi. Nor am I surprised that work on the record was surrounded by such deep secrecy. If we take all of that into account and try to put ourselves in his position, our perception of „From the Dark” may turn out to be completely different. So let us try to set aside everything that might get in the way. All that baggage of expectation and emotion. Then let us sink into these sounds and try to draw out the very best of what „From the Dark” has to offer.
Even at 78, Iommi remains surprisingly active. I have written about releases bearing his name several times for SztukMix (here and here) – although genuinely new material has been in painfully short supply in recent years. More than two decades have passed since his last solo album, and thirteen years since the final Black Sabbath studio record – and I have to admit, that number made me smile as I typed it. In the meantime, Tony has regularly revisited some of the less celebrated corners of his catalog, giving them a second life through new mixes. I am obviously not talking about the records with Ozzy or Dio – those stand perfectly well on their own, even the ones commonly regarded as weaker entries, though whether they actually deserve that label is another matter entirely. The histories of Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi – which have always been inseparable – amount to far more than that. And although „From the Dark” draws heavily from Tony’s entire sixty-year career, it fits most naturally into that alternate path he explored both on his solo records and on the Black Sabbath albums made with Glenn Hughes or Tony Martin on vocals. „From the Dark” is not trying to be some desperate return to classic Black Sabbath. Instead, it continues, in a very natural way, the many-layered story Tony Iommi has been telling us for six decades.
If Ronnie James Dio appears in your mind while listening to „From the Dark”, that is no accident. Jørn Lande, whom Iommi chose as the album’s vocalist, has long been regarded as one of the more gifted singers on the modern heavy-metal scene and, in a sense, as a spiritual heir to Ronnie’s legacy. That impression only grew stronger in 2010, when he joined Heaven & Hell at the High Voltage Festival to pay tribute to Dio, who had died only a few months earlier. Interestingly, that performance was shared by two vocalists: Lande and Glenn Hughes. Looking at it from today’s perspective, it is hard not to see a certain continuity there. Hughes recorded several strong albums with Iommi, and bringing Lande into „From the Dark” feels like a natural continuation of that history. More importantly, though, the choice simply makes sense musically, because Jørn is phenomenal throughout the album and proves it at virtually every turn. The sense of drama in „Beyond the Dead”, the bluesy grime sharpened by his distinctive rasp in „Black Times” – both fit the concept of the record perfectly.
>Lande played another important role on „From the Dark”, because he also wrote the lyrics. As Iommi himself explained, he wanted the words to come from the vocalist so that Lande could fully identify with what he was singing. The lyrics fit the atmosphere of the album neatly. This may not be songwriting of extraordinary literary ambition, but it does what it needs to do and reinforces the music’s message. There is plenty of dark symbolism here, along with themes that have been part of heavy metal for decades – the grandiose „Return of the Arbalist” or the crushing vision of nuclear annihilation in „Black Times”. At the same time, Lande does not limit himself entirely to genre clichés, also working in more personal reflections on mortality and legacy in „Legacy”.
It is very good that Iommi did not once again return to the formula of his 2000 solo album. That record, despite being packed with stars – Ozzy included – occasionally felt more like a compilation of loosely connected songs than a truly cohesive album. With „From the Dark”, we get almost the exact opposite. This material is cohesive to the point of obsession. Apart from a guest appearance by Queen’s Brian May on the excellent „Death Wake” – the real cherry on top for me – „From the Dark” was recorded by a relatively small circle of musicians, which only strengthens that sense of unity. As a result, every element fits together naturally, and from the first minute to the last, the album sounds like the product of one clearly defined artistic vision.
There had been rumors that Iommi also wanted Geezer Butler involved in the project, but the collaboration ultimately never happened. The bass role instead went to the still relatively little-known Becky Baldwin, a choice that, in my view, turned out to be an excellent one. She sounds equally at home in traditional Black Sabbath-style doom and in more classic heavy-metal territory. Add the experience she gained playing with Mercyful Fate, and you get exactly what Iommi needed on this album. Just listen to the instantly memorable „World Alone” or the unmistakably Sabbath-like „Stormwatcher” and „Beyond the Dead” to hear how confidently and naturally she moves through this material. Her parts may not dominate the compositions, but they form an exceptionally solid foundation beneath Iommi’s enormous riffs, adding weight, depth, and exactly the right amount of groove.
Karl Brazil was an equally interesting choice behind the drums. He is an excellent session player, more commonly associated with pop and soft rock than with full-on metal punishment. Yet the experience he gained touring with James Blunt and Robbie Williams certainly did not go to waste. Brazil adapts his style brilliantly to the needs of „From the Dark”. He does not play like a typical metal drummer, which gives the drums a more modern character, while still preserving the kind of weight associated with Sabbath. The final piece of the puzzle is producer and longtime Tony collaborator Mike Exeter – co-writer of all eight tracks and co-producer of the album. The production on „From the Dark” combines heavy-metal rawness with a clear, modern sense of space, creating a record that is dark, heavy, and remarkably easy to read sonically at the same time – the orchestral arrangements in „Beyond the Dead” are especially impressive. What caught my attention most in Exeter’s case, however, were the moments when his keyboard parts emerge. They add extra depth and darkness to the songs, enriching the overall sound – particularly the cinematic sweep of „Stormwatcher”.
You have to give Iommi credit for choosing exactly these musicians to work on „From the Dark”. Each of them brings something valuable to the album, but regardless of how well they perform, from the first minute to the last, Iommi remains the central figure. His riffs and solos are exactly what you would expect from the man who introduced so many of us to the world of metal in the first place. I do, however, have to admit something. When news of a new Tony Iommi album first broke and the single „World Alone” was released, my enthusiasm was not quite as overwhelming as I had expected. Sure, the song had a massive, catchy riff and several moments that genuinely impressed me, but at first I felt something was missing. Today, I can say without hesitation that despite its obvious potential as a single, I found it difficult to shake the feeling that it did not reveal the full range of what this project could do. Everything changed once I heard the entire album. Only in the context of the full record did „World Alone” fall properly into place. Surrounded by songs dominated by darkness and weight, the single becomes an excellent change of pace. If I had to point to the moment when Iommi impresses me most, though, I would choose the monumental album closer „Legacy”, which runs for more than seven minutes and even finds room for an acoustic passage. This is where you hear most clearly a composer and guitarist who, after decades in the business, can still build tension, manipulate emotion, and leave the listener with the sense of having experienced something genuinely special.
The greatest strength of „From the Dark” is that it sounds like an honest, unforced continuation of everything Iommi has spent the past six decades building. You can hear a level of experience here that simply cannot be faked. There are massive riffs, great melodies, darkness, emotion, and musicians who clearly understand the leader’s vision. Above all, there is Tony Iommi himself, who at 78 still impresses with his creativity and musical instinct. „From the Dark” may not be the most important album of his career, but it is unquestionably an essence of what has made his music distinctive for the past six decades. And that is precisely why it is such a pleasure to listen to.