Had the Black Sabbath name been available to him, Tony Iommi could conceivably have released From the Dark under that banner. Certainly, much of the music would have fitted seamlessly alongside the band's catalogue, particularly the Dio and Tony Martin years. Unlike some of his previous solo albums, built around an assortment of guest singers and musicians, Iommi has opted for a fixed lineup, with Norwegian vocalist Jørn Lande sharing the songwriting duties throughout. The result sounds less like a guitarist's solo project than a fully functioning band, and one with a remarkably familiar musical identity.
That familiarity is both From The Dark's greatest attraction and its principal limitation. At seventy-eight, Iommi is hardly expected to reinvent the musical language he helped establish more than half a century ago. Yet across these eight compositions, one encounters so many recognisable figures from his past that the distinction between revisiting a style and revisiting particular songs occasionally becomes difficult to maintain. Echoes of "Die Young", "Time Machine" or any number of compositions from the Martin era abound. For devotees of the less celebrated chapters of Sabbath's history, the effect is immediately gratifying, although the pleasure of recognition comes at the expense of genuine surprise.
None of this would matter quite so much if the compositions were uniformly irresistible. They are not, despite the abundance of formidable guitar playing. "Over The Violent Sun" opens with an effective but rather generic riff, and initially struggles to develop into something particularly memorable. Its anthemic chorus, reminiscent of Dehumanizer, brings the necessary melodic resolution, but the most compelling passage arrives when the pace slows and Iommi takes his solo. It is a reminder that, for all the attention lavished on his riffs, his lead playing is an equally important part of his musical identity. His phrasing is economical and expressive, his sense of melodic development impeccable, and he has an instinctive understanding of how to build tension without resorting to technical exhibitionism.
"World Alone", a muscular mid-tempo rocker, finds him indulging in some of his most fiercely rock 'n' roll-inflected licks, followed by one of the album's finest solos. "Black Times", meanwhile, is built around a crawling, sludgy groove that briefly gives way to an unexpectedly luminous middle section and a beautifully restrained lead passage. Iommi subsequently becomes more animated, although the persistent bass-drum figure underneath the closing section gives the music an unnecessarily ponderous character.
Indeed, the rhythm section is perhaps the album's least distinctive element. Bassist Becky Baldwin and drummer Karl Brazil provide a powerful, disciplined foundation, but their playing favours the rigidity and emphatic attack of contemporary metal over the suppleness of seventies heavy rock. The contrast with Geezer Butler and Bill Ward's extraordinary rhythmic interplay is difficult to ignore. Admittedly, these are different musicians working within a different aesthetic, and their primary function here is to provide a formidable platform for Iommi's guitar. They accomplish that without difficulty. Still, a little more rhythmic imagination and a greater willingness to leave space in the arrangements might have introduced some welcome variety.
The production itself is massive, with Iommi's unmistakable guitar tone occupying the foreground without completely overwhelming the other instruments. Particularly effective are the discreet, choir-like keyboards that accompany much of the material, lending depth and a faintly ecclesiastical atmosphere to the heavier passages. They also provide a degree of continuity between compositions that might otherwise seem almost relentlessly aggressive.
Jørn Lande, meanwhile, emerges as the album's other major attraction. Frequently described as a Ronnie James Dio imitator, the Norwegian singer has evidently gained considerable emotional range with maturity. The influence remains unmistakable, of course, particularly when the material ventures into the ominous, melodically expansive territory Iommi cultivated after Born Again. But Lande's voice has acquired a depth and individuality that distinguish him from his illustrious predecessor, without sacrificing any of its power or grit.
He is particularly convincing on "Beyond The Dead", whose atmosphere and melodic contours recall "Cross Of Thorns" from Cross Purposes. His ferocious performance supplies much of the song's menace, while "Stormwatcher" allows him to explore a more solemn, dramatic register against another suitably expansive Iommi solo. There is a natural affinity between singer and guitarist, one that makes the decision to dispense with guest vocalists seem especially judicious.
The collaboration reaches its fullest expression on "Death Wake", easily the album's outstanding composition. Introduced by a dark, twisted riff, the song subsequently slows, allowing Lande to adopt an almost narrative delivery before the arrangement expands into a monumental, Viking-metal-style chorus. The contrast between the near-whispered passages and the full-throated refrain gives the music a dramatic progression that some of the other compositions lack. Here, the changes in dynamics are integral to the songwriting rather than merely ornamental, and the resulting tension makes the song considerably more memorable than its neighbours.
This is ultimately the standard against which the rest of From The Dark struggles. "Return Of The Arbalist" delivers a straightforward, fist-pumping rocker, while the more atmospheric compositions offer ample opportunities to savour Iommi's unmistakable tone and phrasing. Yet despite the impressive musicianship, too many passages seem content to reproduce familiar Sabbath gestures without developing them into equally distinctive songs. There is no shortage of memorable riffs or exciting solos, but there are fewer melodic hooks than one might have hoped for. Indeed, when a composition so readily suggests an earlier counterpart, the temptation to return to that older recording can be difficult to resist.
The closing "Legacy" brings this question of musical inheritance into particularly sharp focus. A slow, serpentine composition of almost liturgical solemnity, it assembles virtually everything associated with Iommi's writing: the massive riffs, the ominous harmonies, the deliberate pacing and that pervasive sense of impending doom. Its title is hardly incidental, and the lyrics leave little doubt about the subject. It is difficult not to hear Iommi reflecting on Black Sabbath and, by extension, the entire genre that emerged from the band's earliest recordings. There is even something faintly valedictory about the performance, raising the uncomfortable possibility that this could represent a final statement.
Whether or not From The Dark turns out to be Iommi's farewell, it is an impressive demonstration of how completely he continues to command the musical vocabulary he created. The album may have difficulty escaping its own ancestry, but there is considerable pleasure in hearing those gnarly riffs, those expressive solos and that instantly recognisable guitar sound once again. More than anything, one wishes this lineup would take the songs on the road, alongside a selection of Sabbath classics and neglected treasures from the band's later years. With Lande at the microphone and Iommi standing behind his guitar, even the less memorable compositions could acquire a different stature. The album sounds enormous already; one suspects these songs would benefit from being played in front of an audience.
GENRE: Heavy Metal
RELEASE DATE: October 23, 2026
PRODUCED BY: Tony Tommy and Mark Exeter
LABEL: BMG
RATING: 7/10
RELEASE DATE: October 23, 2026
PRODUCED BY: Tony Tommy and Mark Exeter
LABEL: BMG
RATING: 7/10