IOMMI 'From The Dark'

IOMMI
From The Dark
BMG

For someone whose notably dark, monstrous riffs shaped the sound of heavy metal for well over 50+ years and counting, TONY IOMMI is surprisingly not the type to be overtly maudlin or even melancholy. His signature tone that birthed the doom-laden depths of BLACK SABBATH’s may often evoke feelings of such but if anything, IOMMI’s first solo studio album in 21 years titled From The Dark is more of a rebirth of sorts for the legendary guitarist. Indeed, with the band having officially taken their final curtain call 18 months earlier with their star-studded Back To The Beginning concert which was then followed by OZZY OSBOURNE’s surprise passing just over two weeks afterwards, IOMMI is still not anywhere close to closing his own chapter in music – and he’s created his latest band with only some of the best and freshest-sounding talent in mind who look poised to receive the torch that SABBATH have been hoisting for many years. 

With the backing musicianship of drummer Karl Brazil, bassist Becky Baldwin (MERCYFUL FATE, DELILAH BON, FURY) and Norwegian vocalist Jørn Lande in his ranks, IOMMI is bringing From The Dark into the light with no other incentive than to simply keep making music out of pure enjoyment. Yet From The Dark is also not betrayed by its common theme of darkness and mortality either, but rather it explores the power of the human tenacity to address and confront those same issues. Opening number “Over A Violent Sun” is as heavily and heavenly cloudbusting through those powerful riffs and Jørn’s monumental-sounding dark DIO-esque voice, but it’s the lyrics expressing adversity and fleeing the confines of the past with a vision to move forward that really personify the song’s aura. Follow-up number “Black Times” is slightly more lyrically bleak but retains its earnest sound, albeit darker and doomier. Baldwin’s four-string skills are the only other electric-sounding sonic wall that’s a serious challenge to IOMMI’s bombastic riffs as she creates her own seismic energy on this song and on other numbers including the 5+ minute long opuses “Stormwatcher” and “Beyond The Dead”. As much as it’s easy to focus so intricately into Jørn’s DIO-inspired singing style in many of his own past musical accomplishments, he does a more noticeably thorough attempt on From The Dark in utilizing his own voice while avoiding any all-too-obvious similarities to DIO’s singing style, with “Death Wake” and the brooding 7-minute-long closer “Legacy” being the best examples of his true singing style being well showcased. It was definitely some clever thinking on everyone’s part in placing the rousing banger “Return Of The Arbalist” in between so that Jørn could indulge in forging his own vocal alter ego throughout the song (about a medieval crossbowman, which also serves as another symbol of adversity and resistance throughout the album’s theme) so that Jørn could focus fully in bringing out his genuine voice one last time on the closing number afterwards. 

In summary, From The Dark is the most never-say-die example of IOMMI’s dogged determination post-SABBATH since probably even Never Say Die with its signature dark tone, its array of introducing new talent to the old school masses and sticking with its own cross purposes of further exploring the obscure beast called heavy metal while casting his own individual light on what makes the genre he’s helped create and forge to continue to sparkle and shine.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

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