For today’s review, we must start by going back in time to the summer of 2013. Against all odds, three-fourths of Black Sabbath’s original lineup have joined forces with svengali producer Rick Rubin to create a new album, aptly entitled 13. It’s their first full length effort to feature Ozzy Osbourne on vocals in 35 years, and it is very…OK. The absence of Bill Ward (and the circumstances surrounding his absence) leaves a sour aftertaste. The songs are quite average, as are the performances. Even despite its highlights (“Loner” still holds up), one listen gives the impression that the whole affair was cobbled together as an excuse to book more tour dates, which was all but confirmed in Ozzy’s posthumous book, Last Rites.
The more that time passed, the more it didn’t sit well with me that this album would go down as Black Sabbath’s final recorded testament. Worse yet was the possibility that it could potentially go down as Tony Iommi’s final recorded testament. After all, these guys aren’t getting any younger: A fact that was made abundantly clear by last year’s now legendary Back to the Beginning concert, and the events that ensued soon after. Ultimately, the “Hand of Doom”, the man responsible for damn near every band who has graced this page since its inception, deserved better. And better, he has delivered.
From the Dark is the first full length album to feature the talents of Iommi in 13 years, and the first to bear his moniker in 21, the last being 2005’s collaborative Fused with old mate Glenn Hughes. On this album, Iommi returns with a band of bonafide pros who pour their hearts and souls into bringing these songs to life. Joining the Dark Lord himself are veteran vocalist Jørn Lande, Mercyful Fate bassist Becky Baldwin, Robbie Williams (!!!) drummer Karl Brazil, and keyboardist/producer Mike Exeter. And while the vision is Iommi’s alone, it’s the way in which the album is executed that gives you the impression this is more than another solo project or collaboration. This is a band proper.
The million dollar question: If Tony Iommi were to create new music, would it follow more in the vein of the Ozzy years or the Dio years? The answer, for the most part, lies in the latter. There is not a single moment on From the Dark that bear even the slightest resemblance to the cannabis-scented, groove-laden, burnout fever dream of the Ozzy years. No, the fare on this album is much more in line with where the Dio lineup left off with 2009’s The Devil You Know, and more specifically, the Tony Martin era. In the days since From the Dark‘s release, it came out that some of the material was demoed with Martin on vocals, which makes sense. Even more so than its Dio resemblance, the songs on here boast the pomp and grandiosity of albums like Headless Cross (1989) and Tyr (1990). In other words, this isn’t a mere doom album; this is an epic doom album.
Even at 78, Iommi is still the undisputed riff-master, and this album will put anyone who says otherwise in their place. Every riff on here lumbers over you like a beast who’s just emerged from the deepest, darkest pit of hell. When a colossal, murk-ridden dirge like “Over the Violent Sun” serves as the opener, you know you’re in for an effort that’s bound to embody the true meaning of doom. “Black Times” further ups the ante with its plodding tempo and Iommi’s clever contrast of ominous foreboding with crushing dread.
There are moments throughout, like “World Alone” and “Return of the Arbalist”, in which the tempo picks up pace enough for us to bang our heads. The former gives strong Dio vibes, while the latter channels the nearly forgotten melodic doom forays of the Martin years (“Nightwing” anyone?). However, even these “upbeat” moments remain rooted in the Iommi doom tradition, which is on full display on cuts like “Beyond the Dead”, “Stormwatcher”, and the closing “Legacy”. These songs are grandiose and over the top in the best way possible. Lande compliments the scale of these songs with a vocal performance that compliments the urgency of the riffs and solos. Meanwhile, Baldwin and Brazil provide a thunderous, plodding rhythm section, while Exeter’s strings serve as the ideal texture to fully flesh out the sound.
Call me a blasphemer, but if this album was released under the Black Sabbath moniker, I wouldn’t even be mad about it. In fact, I would welcome it. If it looks like a Sabbath album, sounds like a Sabbath album, and feels like a Sabbath album, then chances are it is. This isn’t even a matter of, “Wow, that Tony Iommi can sure crank out some diabolical doom for a guy pushing 80!” This is, “Holy shit, when surrounded by the right creative voices and intentions, that Tony Iommi is still as vital and compelling in 2026 as he was over 55 years ago, when he first bestowed upon us the “Black Sabbath” riff.” Ozzy and Dio may be dead, but the Sabbath lives on. Praise Iommi!
10 out of 10
Label: BMG
Genre: Epic Doom Metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Dio, Candlemass
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