TONY IOMMI Says It's 'Unfair' To Compare JORN LANDE To RONNIE JAMES DIO: 'That's The Sort Of Voice I Wanted' For 'From The Dark' Album

In a new interview with Berlin, Germany's Star FM radio station, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi spoke about his decision to enlist veteran Norwegian singer Jorn Lande to perform vocals on "From The Dark", his new solo album. Lande is cut from the same cloth as his hero, late BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL legend Ronnie James Dio, whom Jorn has not only subbed in for the 2010 HEAVEN & HELL date in London after Dio's passing, but also recorded a Dio tribute album the same year (simply titled "Dio"). Addressing the vocal comparisons between Lande and Dio, Iommi said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just liked Jorn's voice. That's the problem, really. Everybody's gonna compare something, and it's unfair, really, because Jorn is Jorn, and he was a fan of Dio anyway. But Jorn sings the way he does. He's got that type of voice, and that's the sort of voice I wanted for this album. I like his voice. It's powerful. And I wanted that sort of style of singing."

Iommi also talked about his decision to make "a vocal album with a full band" after initially planning to release an instrumental album following his collaboration with Xerjoff, the luxury fragrance brand, on two instrumental tracks to promote his Tony lommi Monkey Special and Tony lommi Deified scents. Asked how different the instrumental album would have sounded from "From The Dark" had he moved forward with his initial idea, Iommi said: "Well, I don't know because I've only done... I've done four sort of rough ideas of instrumentals that I started off with, and they are sort of a couple of acoustic sort of tracks. And I sort of didn't go any further with them because I just put them down and then left them, and then decided to do an album with a band and a vocalist… At some point, I will finish them off and do some more, but I was quite happy to do a vocal one this time because the two instrumentals that I did before for the perfume, I enjoyed those because I used orchestration on them and just branched out a bit different, and it was good. So, who knows? I don't know what the next thing will be, if I do some more instrumentals or what. I will put these finally at some point together and maybe use some orchestration on them."

"From The Dark", which arrived on October 23 via BMG, sees Iommi joined throughout by Lande, who shares writing credits on all songs, as well as bassist Becky Baldwin and drummer Karl Brazil. The effort was co-produced by Tony and Mike Exeter, his longtime creative partner, co-writer, producer and audio engineer.

"From The Dark" is available in several deluxe vinyl and CD formats. The double LP edition was manufactured in four colors, available from different retailers. Cut at 45rpm on double vinyl for optimum dynamic range the deluxe, gatefold package is premium black card with a die cut of Tony's signature cross, that holds beneath a suitably dark and detailed, illustrative journey across the album. Part visible when in situ and with the full image revealing as the inner sleeve is drawn out. There is also a CD Amazon exclusive that also has the same die cut sleeve and a deluxe 32-page CD media book edition that includes two bonus tracks.

Iommi is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in modern music. As the founding member and primary composer of BLACK SABBATH, Iommi is credited with helping create the sound and vocabulary of heavy metal.

Iommi's contributions have been recognized with multiple Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and honorary academic distinctions in the U.K. He was awarded a doctorate from Coventry University, a Lord Mayor's Award and the Freedom Of The City of Birmingham. Most recently, in June 2026 he has been awarded an MBE, one of the highest honors in British public life.

In his youth, Iommi overcame a serious industrial accident that cost him the tips of two fingers — an event that led him to develop a distinctive playing style and the darker, heavier guitar tone that defined BLACK SABBATH's music. Formed with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, the band released pioneering albums throughout the 1970s and became one of the most culturally significant British exports of the era.

Across his six-decade career, Iommi has continued to record, perform and collaborate internationally. He worked extensively with the late Ronnie James Dio, released acclaimed solo material, and reunited with the original BLACK SABBATH lineup for the chart-topping 2013 album "13" and the global farewell tour "The End" (2016–2017) which played to 1.6 million fans.

In recent years, his work has expanded notably into broader cultural spheres. In 2023 he collaborated with the Birmingham Royal Ballet on "Black Sabbath - The Ballet", a groundbreaking production based on his early compositions. BLACK SABBATH headlined 2025's monumental metal show "Back To The Beginning" in Birmingham, an all-encompassing show revisiting BLACK SABBATH's origins and a poignant farewell to fans, that took place just a few weeks before the death of his bandmate Ozzy Osbourne.