A day after unveiling "From The Dark", his first solo album in 21 years, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has revealed that the record could have carried an even heavier dose of Birmingham history. Speaking to Rolling Stone, the riff master confirmed that his first choice on bass was his lifelong bandmate Geezer Butler.
"I wanted him to play on this album, but he couldn't do it," Iommi said. "He's doing his own album, I think. Or at the time, something happened there, so he couldn't come to England. I wanted to get it done and finally get it out, really."
The vacancy went to Becky Baldwin, the Birmingham-based bassist best known as the current four-stringer in MERCYFUL FATE — and, as Iommi tells it, a player chosen precisely because she carries Butler's DNA in her fingers. "Becky lives in Birmingham, and she's a really good player," he explained. "And she's certainly a fan of Geezer, and she plays in Geezer's style. And that's what I wanted. She's really good."
Drummer Karl Brazil, meanwhile, landed the gig through one of the more improbable introductions in recent metal history. "I've got a house by the beach, which we go down to now and again," Iommi recalled. "I was walking along the perimeter of the beach, and this guy come up to me and said, 'Oh, Tony, hello.' And I thought he's just a fan. And he said, 'We've got a mutual friend. Mike Exeter is my engineer.'" Brazil had already played on one of Iommi's instrumental pieces, and the fact that he is also a Birmingham native sealed it: "I wanted to try and keep it local."
Fronting the album is Norwegian vocalist Jorn Lande, who shares writing credits on every song. Iommi first worked with him at the 2010 High Voltage festival tribute to Ronnie James Dio. "I really liked his voice. So, I thought, 'Well, I'd like to use him,'" the guitarist said, adding that he handed Lande no lyrical direction whatsoever. "With a singer, it's good if they can do their own stuff, because when they've got to sing it, they can put it over better. It's like with Ronnie — when he used to write the lyrics, there's certain words that he could really get powerful on. And I think it's the same with Jorn."
Despite owning what he once estimated at "four or five hundred" unused riffs, Iommi says nothing on "From The Dark" was pulled from the vault. "No, they've all been new," he insisted. "By the time I've gone back to try and find something on them, I've come up with something new."
"From The Dark" — co-produced by Iommi and longtime collaborator Mike Exeter — arrives October 23 via BMG. It is the guitarist's third solo album, following 2000's "Iommi" and 2005's "Fused", and his first new full-length since the death of Ozzy Osbourne in July 2025. Lead single "World Alone" is streaming now, with a 7" vinyl edition available to pre-order.