Albums

Album Review : Tony Iommi – ‘From The Dark’

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Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM

At a recent event in London a fearsome battle of the bands was held in a league table of rock, The Beatles pitted against Metallica, AC/DC going toe to toe with Queen.

Decided in a vote by a room full of friends, fans and music press, the hard-fought contest was eventually won in a bloody battle by the mighty Black Sabbath, the Birmingham legends crowned as the very top of the tree. Given that no-one had done more that shape the world of rock and metal than the quartet who invented the genre we know and love it was the right outcome. Whilst Sabbath may have said their goodbyes last year and Ozzy is sadly no longer with us, the return of Tony Iommi back into the fray with this, his latest solo album, is cause for wild celebrations.

Of course, the weight of expectation is huge and with anticipation through the roof, the big question was: would this deliver? Needless to say, it does, and then some. Blending classic Dio era Sabbath riffage and imagery with a thrilling brutal modern feel, this is at once comforting in its quality and class whilst having the sort of cross generational appeal and toughness that promises it will become timeless. As well as the gleaming production by previous collaborator Mike Exeter, a lot of the success of the album is down to Iommi’s choice of Jørn Lande as a vocal foil, the Norwegian very much in the mould of RJD in his impressive pipes. With hometown rhythm section Becky Baldwin on bass and the drums of Karl Brazil completing the quartet and Exeter adding keyboards and orchestration, this is a ferocious outfit and one that brings each song to roaring life.

With a taut eight tracks, and two instrumentals added to the deluxe version, there is zero fat on the bones here and each number does exactly as intended, the temptation to fill the release with another few tracks never a question as quality triumphs over quantity. From the huge opening punch of ‘Over The Violent Sun’ it’s impossible not to smile at the sound of that guitar and taps into the very reason that so many experienced that nascent visceral reaction and excitement when hearing metal for the first time. A master at his craft, no-one quite writes a riff like Iommi and the doom filled and somewhat languid start of ‘Black Times’ morphs into a gentler section that touches on the sort of sonic textures so beloved by Pink Floyd and fellow Brummies E.L.O.. In anyone else’s hands this may have seemed an odd juxtaposition but with Iommi and Exeter steering the ship it all makes perfect sense.

‘World Alone’ is like being hit with a wrecking ball, the sheer power behind it could make Metallica run home to hide and the epic and Gothic touches on ‘Beyond The Dead’ capture everything of the atmosphere that was an essential part of Sabbath’ success in the first place. And so it continues, ‘Stormwatcher’ sees Lande holding back a little, his voice inflected with more of a bluesy feel whilst previously it had brought to mind windswept moors and ancient chieftains going into battle, the whole bundle world class. Brian May joins the fun, adding his distinctive Red Special sound to the titanic ‘Death Wake’ before the heads down charge of ‘Return Of The Arbalist’ crushes all in its path.

Saving the best until last, ‘Legacy’ is a true monster, the scale and intent overwhelming as it twists and turns along its seven-minute running time. Filled with incident but never over-stuffed, it’s the closer that ‘From The Dark’ deserves and manages to reach the heights of some of the guitarists very best work throughout his storied career. We may not see Sabbath again, but their legacy is very much intact and Iommi shows just why he is so revered amongst his peers, his playing like nothing else on earth and his ability to put so much into his solo material highlighting his extraordinary powers.