“We’re not trying to prove anything – it rocks”: Tony Iommi announces first solo album in 21 years – hear the new single, World Alone

Tony Iommi - Photo by Ross Halfin
(Image credit: Ross Halfin)

Tony Iommi has finally unveiled the first details of his new album, which will be his first solo record in 21 years.

From The Dark is set for release on October 23 via BMG Records. It arrives after years of teases, with Iommi sporadically revealing he’d been embracing orchestral arrangements and also using amp modeling tech for the first time.

For the album, Iommi has assembled a core band that features Operatic Norwegian vocalist Jørn Lande, Mercyful Fate bass player Becky Baldwin, and Karl Brazil, who has drummed for James Blunt and Robbie Williams.

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The album's lead single – the unsurprisingly riff-heavy, high-octane World Alone – premiered today on Iommi’s YouTube channel. Notably, the two other songs that Iommi has released in recent years – Scent Of Dark and Deified – will be released as part of the deluxe-edition CD.

Iommi has co-produced the record with Mike Exeter, who worked on Black Sabbath’s final album, 13, as well as Iommi’s 1996 album with Glenn Hughes.

Tony Iommi – World Alone (Official Video) - YouTube Tony Iommi – World Alone (Official Video) - YouTube
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“It’s an album we’ve really enjoyed making,” Iommi notes. “We’re not trying to prove anything – it’s a great album, it rocks!”

From The Dark has been a long time coming. The project was first revealed back in 2023, but Iommi has said he wasn’t in a rush to finish the record. Now at last, we’re on the cusp of hearing it.

The full tracklist can be found below.

  1. Over The Violent Sun
  2. Black Times
  3. World Alone
  4. Beyond The Dead
  5. Stormwatcher
  6. Death Wake
  7. Return Of The Arbalist
  8. Legacy
  • From The Dark is available to preorder now ahead of its release on October 23.

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.

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