Tony Iommi

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“Deified is a heavier, more medieval track”: Tony Iommi has dropped his first new single in three years – and it’s accompanied by a signature fragrance

By Phil Weller published 29 July 24

Iommi's second single/fragrance combo release sees the heavy metal godfather return with a darker and heavier sound

Tony Iommi of Heaven and Hell live on stage at High Voltage on July 24, 2010.

“There's no pressure. It's been fun putting it together, and that's what it's all about”: Tony Iommi says his long-awaited solo album is coming along nicely – but he’s in no rush to finish it

By Phil Weller published 17 June 24

The Black Sabbath legend says his new solo record “might use some orchestration”, and he's enjoying taking his time with its creation

“That record is such a wonderful thing for a beginner guitar player. The riffs are cool as hell and they're easy to figure out”: Tim Henson names the album that all aspiring guitarists should learn

By Phil Weller published 14 June 24

The Polyphia virtuoso says learning to play this iconic record by ear had a huge impact on his riff-writing abilities

L-Tony Iommi performs with Black Sabbath onstage at Madison Square Garden on February 25, 2016 in New York City;R-Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen performs at Music Midtown at Piedmont Park on September 19, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia

“That was a riff that I really liked, and that was Eddie Van Halen’s favorite”: Tony Iommi reveals the Black Sabbath riff EVH was always asking him to play

By Janelle Borg published 6 June 24

Eddie Van Halen compared his favorite Tony Iommi riff to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

“I picked him up and we drove by a music shop. I said, 'Do you want to pick a guitar up?' and we did – one of his Eddie Van Halen ones”: Tony Iommi on that time Eddie Van Halen helped co-write a Black Sabbath song – but didn’t get a credit

By Phil Weller published 28 May 24

Van Halen joined the band for a rehearsal in Birmingham, England, and ended up contributing a solo to a track

Left - Brian May of Queen performs at Chase Center on November 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California;Right - Dexter Holland of The Offspring performs live on stage during day on of Lollapalooza Brazil at Autodromo de Interlagos on March 22, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil

“I put this riff on it, which people are telling me is the birth of thrash metal or something”: Queen’s Stone Cold Crazy comes full circle with a live punk rendition by The Offspring and Brian May

By Janelle Borg published 21 May 24

Brian May also joined The Offspring on stage and put his own spin on their 1997 hit Gone Away

“There’s the Ozzy thing and the Ronnie thing, and then there’s this”: Black Sabbath’s “lost era” didn’t have Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie James Dio – but it featured some of Tony Iommi’s best guitar playing

By Rich Davenport published 13 May 24

The Anno Domini 1989-1995 box set highlights the metal progenitor’s striking development as a soloist and master of crushing riffs

Musician Ozzy Osbourne signs copies of his album "Patient Number 9" at Fingerprints Music on September 10, 2022 in Long Beach, California

“He was and is the best guitar player I've ever played with”: Ozzy Osbourne reveals the name he rates above all his other guitarist collaborators

By Janelle Borg published 9 May 24

Ozzy Osbourne says he has played with many guitarists, but none of them could quite capture the energy of one of his former bandmates

Tony Martin and Tommy Iommi sitting next to each

“He’d got it down to a tee. He wore one of my jackets, a wig, a mustache and I’m playing behind him”: Tony Iommi once dressed his guitar tech up as himself and sent him onstage as a prank on Sabbath singer Tony Martin

By Janelle Borg published 25 April 24

The real Tony Iommi played while hiding behind a stack, and the fake Iommi nearly got away with it

The late John Diggins with Tony Iommi: the Black Sabbath guitarist was one of Diggins' clients

“John was constantly seeking better solutions, which manifested as astonishing woodwork and innovative electronics”: Remembering John Diggins – the luthier who built guitars for Tony Iommi and the first Red Special replica

By Paul Balmer published 2 April 24

Diggins was the mastermind behind Jaydee Custom Guitars and had over five decades of experience in making top-quality instruments

Tony Iommi gave birth to heavy metal – and learning his techniques will make you a better riff writer

By Jamie Hunt published 5 February 24

In this metal rhythm lesson, we take the art form back to the source, the Black Sabbath guitarist who launched a thousand riffs

Tony Iommi performs with Black Sabbath at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California on September 24, 2016

“He was a superb craftsman who loved what he did”: Tony Iommi pays tribute to ‘Old Boy’ SG luthier John Diggins, who has died

By Jackson Maxwell published 4 January 24

Diggins began his career working for John Birch – the Birmingham, UK-based luthier who partnered with Iommi early in the Black Sabbath legend's career – and later struck out on his own, founding Jaydee Custom Guitars

“People think his playing is all about the big riffs, but I always loved his jazzy playing – listen to Planet Caravan. You can hear a lot of passing tones”: Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt says there’s way more to Tony Iommi’s guitar style than riffs alone

By Amit Sharma published 4 January 24

The Swedish progressive metal icon pays homage to the dark lord of rock

Brian May and Tony Iommi jamming Black Sabbath's Paranoid

“I’m going to commit sacrilege by joining in!” Footage of Brian May and Tony Iommi jamming together finally surfaces as the Queen legend solos over Black Sabbath’s Paranoid in this exclusive clip

By Matt Owen published 3 January 24

While filming a new documentary titled Great Guitar Riffs, the two guitar titans took the opportunity to jam the Black Sabbath classic – and discuss its humble origins

“I've been working in the studio, writing and doing plenty of stuff”: Tony Iommi reveals he is cooking up some “really good” new music for 2024

By Phil Weller published 2 January 24

In his New Year message, the metal legend talks about everything from the Black Sabbath ballet to working in the studio and the status of the delayed Tony Martin-era Sabbath boxset

“People romanticize the old sound, but you want your sound brought into the 21st century”: Billy Corgan reveals how Tony Iommi inspired his approach to signature gear

By Phil Weller published 20 December 23

Black Sabbath’s metal icon taught the Smashing Pumpkins leader the importance of updating past tonal glories for the future

Axl Rose (left) and Slash perform onstage with Guns N' Roses

Three “God-like guitarists” join forces and stadium-conquering rockers channel their inner spy: This week's essential guitar tracks

By Michael Astley-Brown published 8 December 23

Must-listen-to tunes from Guns N' Roses, Architects, IDLES, The Libertines, Devon Ross, Ryujin and many more

(from left) Cesar Gueikian, Serj Tankian and Tony Iommi

“A revolving collective of Gibson artists”: Guitar brand becomes a guitar band, as the Gibson Band debuts its first single, featuring CEO Cesar Gueikian, Serj Tankian, and a solo from Tony Iommi

By Matt Parker published 8 December 23

The original new song, Deconstruction, is being released as part a new fundraising initiative, accompanied by Tankian’s original artwork and what else? A Les Paul with a custom finish

Tony Iommi makes a surprise appearance onstage at the Black Sabbath Ballet in Birmingham, UK

“I’m honored”: Tony Iommi walks onstage to play Paranoid at the Black Sabbath ballet – and the entire ensemble bows at his feet

By Matt Parker published 25 September 23

The father of metal guitar was given a humbling tribute during a surprise appearance at the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s new Sabbath-themed show

Black Sabbath perform in concert, New York, New York, October 29, 1983.

“I don't know whether we played it properly, but the audience loved it”: When Black Sabbath regularly covered Smoke on the Water – and unwittingly inspired Spinal Tap's Stonehenge

By Jackson Maxwell published 7 August 23

Sabbath's ill-fated Born Again tour featured comically oversized props “as big as the real Stonehenge”, onstage spills, and a crowd-pleasing hard-rock crossover

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