The history of heavy metal could, in a fit of classic urgency these days, be summed up in the history of Black Sabbath and if we tune the microscope, in that of Tony Iommi. Born in the industrial boom of Birmingham in 1948, twenty years later he founded the group Black Sabbath together with singer Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
With the group’s self-titled debut in 1970, nothing was the same again. The density of sound, the subjugating evil in every intention and a deliberate animosity to dethrone the fake flower power with which the hippies invaded the attention of the general publicwere some of the elements that contributed to the birth of heavy metal.
Tony Iommi is perhaps the main actor in this revolution of a few which will then reach the masses: his particular technique of playing the guitar -always a Gibson SG- derived from an accident in a factory environment which cost him the first phalanges of two fingers on his right hand, elevating that new and perverse sound. Over the years she has coined the monumental nickname of The father of heavy metal.
“It’s a spectacular compliment. The point is, yeah, I made it up, I loved doing it, but it wasn’t immediately recognized. It took a long time, especially as we started being able to travel to other countries to play and more audiences were able to start appreciating that this was a new type of music,” says Iommi on the other end of the line.
“We have always believed in what we did and this is the secret In the end: if you believe in what you do and do it with honesty and passion, you will somehow take the decisive step”, he says with explicit lordship but without excessive elegance.
inevitable influence
In tune, Tony Iommi speaks to the myriad of groups influenced by Black Sabbath. “I am proud to have influenced so many bands! Obviously it’s very special to have done it with people like metallic or Dave Grohl (the leader of Foo Fighters), who always said that the first record he heard is Mafia rules and there he became interested in all our previous albums”.
Most metal devotees agree that the album sextet that inaugurates the band’s catalog (Black Saturday Y paranoid since 1970, Master of Reality of 1971, Vol. 4 of 1972, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath since 1973 and sabotage from 1975) are the cornerstone of the genre, there’s even a famous quote from punk icon Henry Rollins that “you just have to trust yourself…and the first six Black Sabbath albums”.
When I mention that line, Iommi knowingly laughs and says that “I know those words, Henry is a big fan and friend, he sang on my solo album”, referring to Iommi of the year 2000.
That solo disc It is a curiosity within a stubborn career full of moments of glory, why the individualistic impulse was not what prevailed in Iommi’s decisions, as in the face of every adversity presented by the changes in the lineup of Black Sabbath, the guitarist hanging silver crosses around his neck revived the monster in different ways.
The stage with Ronnie James Dio
In 1980 he did it in a big way: Ozzy out, ex Rainbow Ronnie James Dio in and, once again, nothing was the same.
According to Iommi, “It was great that Ronnie came in at the time, because we got to a situation where things weren’t right. We were coming from a strange period, we had already made many records with Ozzy and this change gave us life, put us in front of something unknown that asked us. It was something we wanted to do: feel challenged and as a band show who we were again.
God, a tiny human being with infinite charisma, has given the group an unprecedented theatrics. A more technically and expressively skilled singer than Ozzy, he made the band’s sound more sophisticated and achieved a sort of dark glow that he hadn’t exhibited in his early days.
The products of this new era are the emblematic discs heaven and hell (1980) and Mafia rules (1982) that the multinational BMG now recovers in 2022 in remastered versions on CD and vinyl and adds live concert footage from 1982.
musical evolution
The process of reviving these records has been a melancholy journey for Iommi. “It was mobilizing for me to tackle the music of Mafia rules Y heaven and hell. It took me a while to be available for this, it was a very nostalgic job. A lot has happened since we made that group of songs, but it’s been very interesting to hear them again and in detail, as well as the live versions that appear on these reissues.”
“On the other hand – he adds – this return of vinyl is fantastic and to have the possibility to enjoy this captivating sound quality”.
The idyll given by the new formation was short-lived as the band was going through a turbulent season in which vices were the protagonists, which meant that the first drummer of the group, the man who, like no other, knew how to combine the power at the swing, Bill Ward, had to jump ship.
In his place came another veteran of the scene, Vinny Appice.
Iommi recalls that “when Vinny came in and started playing with all his typical energy, we knew it worked. I will never forget the first show with him; by the time Bill left we had booked a few small shows and urgently needed a drummer. We only had one day to try. I was panicking because I hadn’t played with any drummer other than Bill in many, many years. Ronnie insisted that everything would be fine and it was.
Although the instability generated by the addictions within the bandthe chemistry was still explosive and the creativity was still completely on fire “I can’t say if we would have made better records if we had been sober, I think they are good, I like them as they are”.
“It was the moment Ronnie came into the band and added another kind of dimension to everything. It also changed the way we approached music, it was a great thing for me to be able to go in a new direction by writing with him”. He says.
“It was an amazing time, I really enjoyed it and it was also very inspiring, because bringing Ronnie into the band after all the years with Ozzy is not an everyday thing. Ronnie has done a great job and these records are the testimony.. reflects Iommi.
The riffs and bass and guitar arrangements of these two albums exude power, creative flight, stubbornness and a dash of hallucination and amply attest that the relationship between Iommi and Old butler -the second longest serving member of Black Sabbath- was as usual in a very solid moment.
“Geezer is a brother to me. We know each other from scratch. When I touch something, he responds with the right thing. He is a hallmark of our music, he always responds perfectly to what each riff requires. Attention, he also creates very good riffs, I think between the two of us we have achieved a classic sound ”.
The new editions
In these new deluxe editions that contain never-before-seen photography, detailed liner notes, and remastered music They are happy with the guitarist who claims to be a fan of the remastering idea as he thinks it helps to look at the work from a different point of view.
heaven and hell Y Mafia rules accompany the editions that in the recent past have released records with Ozzy and, according to Iommi, there are more plans for the future “then we will also make the records we made with the vocalist Tony Martin – note: with whom they visited Buenos Aires in 1994 -; the idea is to remaster them and modify them all again, in short. There are many people who didn’t pay attention to that stage and it was also very beautiful ”.
WD extension
Source: Clarin
