While appearing at a fan Q&A during the 2025 Steel City Con in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (December 5–7), Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler was asked about the chances of working on new music again with surviving original members Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. Addressing the question directly, Butler responded: “I was actually gonna do some… Tony‘s got this great album that he is doing right at the moment. He’s just in the process — I think he’s in the process of mixing it right now, so it should be out sometime [in 2026]. He’s got this great singer from Sweden on it. And he wanted me to do three bass tracks, but he wanted me to do them in England, and I can’t go to England until June [of 2026]. So if he can hang on that long, I might collaborate with him back in June, if he can wait that long.”
In late December, 2025, Iommi shared a video message in which he said that he will “definitely, definitely” release new album in 2026. “I’m really looking forward to that,” he said. “I’m enjoying doing it, and it’s been great fun, and I really hope you enjoy it. But I’ll keep you more up to date as we go on, what’s happening with that and when it’s gonna be released.”
Tony had earlier addressed the status of his long-anticipated solo album during a July 2025 interview on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” where he explained at the time: “ I was doing my own album until [the ‘Back To The Beginning’ event] came up, and then, of course, I had to stop and concentrate on [preparing for] the Sabbath [performance]. But I’m continuing next week on trying to finish off what I started with this album. And then who knows what I’m gonna do then? It’s great, really, ’cause if something pops up, I’ll do it, if I want to do it. So it’s a good thing.”
He also shared new details about the album’s direction, suggesting it will be quite different from his 2000 solo effort Iommi, which relied heavily on guest vocalists.
“I’ve got one singer on it at the moment, which I originally thought of different singers. But it started off as it’s gonna be an instrumental album, and it’s gone from I’ve got some instrumental stuff, but then I thought, ‘Oh, I wanna try it with a singer.’ And so that’s what I’ve been doing.”
