Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has said the band’s belief in their own music is what held them together for decades, at a time when there was no MTV or internet to spread the word.
Iommi was speaking with Full Metal Jackie on her weekend radio show ahead of the release of his new solo album, From The Dark, on October 23. Regarding how it feels when other musicians tell him Black Sabbath inspired their careers, he said (via Loudwire): “It’s lovely to hear that to me because what we’ve believed in and done, we’d done it because it was natural. We loved doing it. When we started playing more what we played and came up with the sort of music we did play, or we do play, was different. We did it because we loved it.”
“Not for any money and this and that and the other. It was because we loved it and enjoyed it. And it took a long time before it broke through to the world ’cause there was no MTV, There was no internet or anything. So you had to physically go and play these places.”
“It was word of mouth and it took a long time. But it was belief that we had in our music and that’s the thing that’s kept it together all these years and people have respected that and sort of will come up and say, you know, ‘Without you, we wouldn’t be here,’ which is fantastic to hear, you know?”
He also spoke about the number of artists who took part in Black Sabbath‘s final concert, “Back To The Beginning“, held at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5, 2025: “Oh, it’s been incredible, really. The whole thing has spanned out over the years and bands covering Sabbath stuff and more and more people getting influenced by Sabbath. It’s been just remarkable, really. And doing the Back to the Beginning, the amount of bands that turned up to support Sabbath and and pay their respects was just fantastic.
“I was blown away with it, seeing such major bands coming forward to play on that show.. It was just amazing.”
Iommi confirmed that the recently recovered live recordings of Earth, the name Black Sabbath used before changing it in 1969, will eventually come out. Sharon Osbourne had earlier revealed the band now have the tapes. Describing the first time he heard them, Iommi said: “When I first heard them, it took me right back to when we actually was at these gigs and what we used to do. I actually forgot some of the things we used to do. So being able to hear them again, I thought, ‘Wow, blimey.’ Obviously the sound quality was very iffy ’cause they were done in a club and, at gigs. And of course the recording facilities in them days weren’t very good.”
“But it was good to hear them. Yeah, there are plans to release it. It’s gonna come out at some point. I don’t know. I’ve not been in control of that. But they will be coming out.”
“But it was interesting to hear the band as we were when we started all them years ago.”
He added:: “Yeah, it certainly did. As soon as you start hearing them, and I sat there listening to them, remembering the things we did. We’d do long jams and guitar, lots of guitar solos and drum solos and all sorts of stuff. It was interesting.”
Asked about the Osbourne family’s plans for an AI avatar of Ozzy Osbourne that fans could talk to, Iommi said: “I’m on the fence with that, to be honest. I don’t really know. It’s probably good for some people and not for others. I’ll stay out of that one, if you don’t mind.”
He then added: “I think it’s great. His legacy’s not gonna disappear. It’s there. Regardless of the AI or whatever. He’s gonna live on forever.”
When asked what part of the music industry he was least prepared for, Iommi answered: “Probably AI.” He went on: “No. To me, I love the natural, getting onstage, playing and it’s a natural sound. There’s no tapes and it’s just you playing. I’ve always been about that. Whatever floats your boat.
“Some people really like it and rely on it, you know? It’s not my cup of tea. I’d like to actually physically get on and play and have a band that plays. But that’s me. That’s my catch on it.”
From The Dark features singer Jorn Lande, drummer Karl Brazil, best known for his work with Robbie Williams, and bassist Becky Baldwin. Iommi recalled how Baldwin joined after being recommended by his long-time engineer and producer Mike Exeter: “And Becky [Baldwin], I wasn’t familiar with Becky. I met her again through Mike Exeter, who’s worked with me and he’s playing bits of keyboards on the album as well. And he mentioned about Becky and I went, ‘I don’t know Becky.’ And he said, ‘Well, watch some of the videos. She’s done instructional videos and whatnot.’ So I did, and I thought, ‘Oh yeah, she’s really, really good.’ So we got in touch with her, well my office, and we got her over to my house. And we went in the studio and she played one of the tracks.”
“And then afterwards she said, ‘Can I have a photo?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ And she went, ”Cause I might not see you again.’ ‘Cause she didn’t think I was gonna [pick her], she didn’t think she was good enough. I said, ‘You will see me again. You’re gonna see me again next week.’ So it was quite, quite funny really. And he’s worked out great.”
“She’s a really lovely person. She loves what she does. That’s the thing on this album, the attitude for everybody has been really positive. They really enjoyed it. It makes it great when everybody loves doing it instead of having to do, ‘Oh God, here’s another album.’ Everybody was so into it, it just made it really happy.”
Queen guitarist Brian May appears as a guest on the album track “Death Wake“. Speaking about their friendship, Iommi said: “It’s been great. We’ve known each other so long, well, 56 or 58 years. He’s a great friend and a real true friend. We can be ourselves with each other. We can say what we feel and we’re always there for each other.”
“If I ever needed him, I’d say, ‘Well, I’ve got this problem,’ he’d be there. And the same goes for me. We’ve been that close. When we do get together, he comes over to the house and we sit in the studio and play for a bit. And it’s just fun, you know. We talk about music, we talk about guitars or our life. It’s very special.”
“I had two people who I always stayed in contact with and Eddie Van Halen was the other one and that’s it really. They’ve always been close friends.”
Looking ahead, Iommi said he has no plans to stop writing: “I’m always gonna write and try and create. That’s what I do. I don’t know anything else. I love to do it. I enjoy it. And I’ve enjoyed making this album and I shall enjoy still going on playing.”
“I’ll go and sit in the studio and I’ll come up with another riff and another riff and that’s what I do. And I’ve been asked to go and play on certain shows with other bands, which is nice, you know? It’s nice to hear that they still want you to come and play.”
“So the whole thing is expanding for me. I’ve got no pressure. I can just say yes or no. I can do that or I can’t and that’s the way I live now.”
From The Dark was introduced with the single “World Alone“. Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025, less than three weeks after the “Back To The Beginning” concert.
