Tony Iommi Updates

Since I’ve been away doing the parent thing, there’s been some cool updates from Tony Iommi. First is that his third solo album has a name. It’s “Fused”. It’s to be released on Sanctuary on July 12th. The band lineup is Tony on guitars, Glenn Hughes on vocals and bass, and Kenny Aronoff on drums. Both of which have worked with Tony in the past. Glenn sang on Tony’s previous solo release “The 1996 DEP Sessions”, and on the 1986 Sabbath album “Seventh Star”. Aaronoff appeared on the track “Black Oblivion” on Iommi’s 2000 solo debut, “Iommi”.
Here’s the track listing:
1. Dopamine
2. Wasted Again
3. Saviour Of The Real
4. Resolution Song
5. Grace
6. Deep Inside A Shell
7. What You’re Living For
8. Face Your Fear
9. The Spell
10. I Go Insane
Featured among the tunes is a nine-minute rendition of “I Go Insane.” “I wanted to do a long track basically with a lot of different changes,” Iommi said.
“I put some ideas for four or five tracks down about three years ago, but I hadn’t written them specifically with Glenn in mind,” Tony Iommi says. “After ‘The 1996 DEP Sessions’ was finished last year, I said to my manager that I should try Glenn on my solo album. Glenn came over to England and we did a trial run writing more material and it was unbelievable. His enthusiasm is amazing. He is so full of energy and great song ideas.”
“The ideal thing for me is to work with collaborators. I can come in with riffs until the cows come home, and I do that all the time. I like to do it that way and then build the song with somebody else.”
Bob Marlette produced the album, and from everything I’ve read about it, it’s supposed to be absolutely badass stuff. I’ll have more on it’s pending release when I get info from Iommi’s folks.
There is supposed to be a tour with Iommi/Hughes after the Sabbath stuff is done this year. I hope it comes to the US, and I get to see it, it’ll be an awesome show! Of possible Iommi/Hughes lives dates, Tony has this to say.. “”We can draw from that album, we can draw from the [1996 release] ‘The DEP Sessions’ and even some ‘Seventh Star’ stuff,” Iommi says. “I think we can even do a couple of Sabbath tunes. We don’t really know exactly what we’re going to play but I think there is certainly plenty of material.”
Also, in a Billboard interview, Tony says that there might be a DVD release from Sabbath gleaned from the 2005 Ozzfest shows. No further details on that available yet.
And finally, in the same Billboard interview, Tony makes a remark that he thinks he owes it to the fans to put out another Sabbath album. His exact quote is “I really think we owe it to the fans as well to do the album.” That’s certainly true, there hasn’t been a new Sabbath studio album in TEN YEARS NOW! :)