Tony Iommi, the guitarist who founded Black Sabbath, has released From The Dark, a new solo album out today, October 23, 2026, on BMG. It arrives a year after Black Sabbath played its final show, the 2025 Back To The Beginning concert in Birmingham, and it was made with the Norwegian singer Jorn Lande, who shares writing credits on every song.
The band behind the riffs
Iommi is joined throughout by Lande on vocals, Becky Baldwin on bass and Karl Brazil on drums. He co-produced the record with Mike Exeter, his longtime creative partner, co-writer and audio engineer. Iommi keeps his own summary short: "It's an album we've really enjoyed making. We're not trying to prove anything, it's a great album, it rocks."
The first single, "World Alone," premiered on July 29 at a livestreamed event in Iommi's hometown of Birmingham, England, close to the Black Sabbath Bridge, the canal crossing named in tribute to the band in 2019. It is a fast song built on stacked riffs and solos, and its video drops a character called The Believer into a twisted retro future video game where he has to fight to save his life. The song is also on the Gibson guitar learning app for anyone who wants to work through the riff themselves.
Eight songs, plus two more on the deluxe
The album opens with "Over The Violent Sun," led by a classic down tuned riff, meaning the guitar strings are tuned lower than standard for a heavier, darker sound. It runs through "Black Times," "World Alone," "Beyond The Dead," "Stormwatcher," "Death Wake," "Return Of The Arbalist" and "Legacy." "Beyond The Dead" slows the pace with a sinister riff wrapped in orchestration, and Lande's lyrics lean into dystopian imagery and the short span of a human life, with "Stormwatcher" built on sea metaphors. The deluxe compact disc (CD) adds "Scent Of Dark" and an extended "Deified."
Built for the turntable
The double long-playing (LP) vinyl edition is cut at 45 revolutions per minute (rpm) for wider dynamic range and comes in a black card gatefold sleeve with a die cut of Iommi's signature cross. The illustration underneath is only partly visible through the cutout, and the full image appears as the inner sleeve slides out. It comes on black vinyl, "Monkey" red and black marble, "New Boy" white and black marble and "Eyeglass" transparent blue, with the colors split across different retailers. There is also a 32 page CD media book with the bonus tracks and a standard CD digisleeve with a 12 page booklet. Formats are listed at the official From The Dark store.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. Iommi has had a big year, made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in June, and here he is with a record of new songs rather than a victory lap. Start with "Over The Violent Sun" and play it loud, then read the full announcement on Iommi's site.
If heavy music with a mythic streak is your lane, our pieces on Heilung's Hellblade II music and Down's Volume V are good next stops. Buying the double vinyl? Start with our guide to the best turntables for beginners.
Listen to From The Dark · Official store · Watch World Alone
