IOMMI – From The Dark
BMG
Well now. Is it the second coming? Don’t be stupid. Despite the frothing over there on the internet, this isn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread. What it is, is a very, very good Tony Iommi / Heaven & Hell LP.
Yes, indeed. If you’re looking for its nearest relation, then it’s very much a sequel to “The Devil You Know”. Which was a very, very good LP. And despite health issues, an even better tour. The clue was there when Jorn Lande was unveiled as the singer. Not only did he step into the ickle shoes of Ronnie James Dio for a Heaven & Hell tribute show, but he also released an entire Dio covers album the same year. So there it is. I still, sometimes, play his ‘Dracula’ concept album. For fun. Jorn is also not hanging around as he’s punting out a ‘Best Of’ album, “Return of the Jorniverse”, before the year is out. Smart move.
It is, however, the first Tony Iommi album in 21 years, so he’s had plenty of time to stockpile riffs. And there are some absolute crackers here. He teased us with ‘World Alone’, which isn’t actually one of the better songs, but once he’s cranking out ‘Beyond The Dead’, ‘Stormwatcher’ and, especially, ‘Legacy’, then the years just roll away.
The rhythm section. Yes. Well. Becky Baldwin on bass and Karl Brazil on drums do a fine job, but the thing that made Sabbath different was the jazzy, what the hell is going on here, stylings of Bill Ward and Geezer Butler. Here, it’s straightforward metal, with a modern sounding production and, yes, I do miss what used to be.
Is it worth buying the deluxe CD with the two perfume commercials (FFS)! Actually, yes. They’re instrumentals but in ‘Deified’ he’s probably written the best riff of all those on offer. It’s probably already sold out now, but I’m sure someone is charging over the odds for a copy, in places where people charge over the odds.
The regular CD is on the Evil Empire. You can get a vinyl copy from Townsend Music.
Video is below but musophobes should NOT click play.
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