Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi is returning with his first solo album in over two decades, From the Dark, teased by the thunderous World Alone. Alongside his band for the project, which includes bassist Becky Baldwin, drummer Karl Brazil, and vocalist Jørn Lande, there’s a guest performance by longtime friend Brian May.
The two have been friends for over five decades, making them perfect collaborators. “He’s my best friend,” he tells Loudwire.
“And of course, Eddie Van Halen was. We always stayed in touch a lot. They were the only two I really did stay in touch with … [Brian] came to my house, and we always have a little fiddle about.
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“He brings a guitar or I’ve got one here, and he’ll use that. I said, ‘Oh, bring your guitar when you come,’ he brought his guitar, and I said, ‘You’re going to be playing on this track here.’ He’s great.”
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However, May was reluctant to add his own flavor to too many tracks, as he wanted Iommi to shine, given that it’s his first solo album in such a long time.
“I said to him, ‘Play on some other tracks,’ but he went, ‘Oh no, it’s your album.’ That’s the relationship we’ve had with each other for all these years.”
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Iommi detailed how the two met.
“In the very early ’70s, he was in one studio, and I was in another. We just hit it off,” he said matter-of-factly.
May contributed to When Death Calls, from Black Sabbath’s 1988 album Headless Cross. Additionally, he lent his chops to Iommi’s solo track, Goodbye Lament, in 2000.
More recently, the two continued to solidify their friendship through the shared language of guitars, as May gifted Iommi a left-handed version of his Red Special for Christmas.
From the Dark, which includes the May feature on Death Wake, is set to be released on October 23 via BMG Records and available to preorder now.
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