The new year is shaping up to be a busy one for Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi.
In a year-end video message to fans, the guitarist revealed that he’s been building a recording studio and plans to write a new solo album. There are also plans for numerous reissues, including a box set of the long-out-of-print Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath LPs.
“It’s been a good year for me, 2022, in parts anyway,” Iommi said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “I’ve been writing and recording. I’m having a new studio built, which I’m really pleased about. Well, actually, the studio is built, and it’s almost ready to go … I think I’ll be ready to go in and start work in there, which I’m really looking forward to — writing another album.”
Iommi then discussed the reissue projects lined up for 2023, headlined by the Martin-era box set and re-releases of his own solo output.
“Of course, we’re gonna have the Tony Martin box set,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to that, because a lot of people have asked about that, which is great. … And we’ve done ’em in succession … we’ve had all the original Sabbath stuff come out, box sets, and then we’ve got the Ronnie [James Dio] stuff. And then the next thing will be the Tony Martin and then my solo stuff. So it’s gonna be busy again.”
Black Sabbath released six albums with Martin on lead vocals: The Eternal Idol (1987), Headless Cross (1989), Tyr (1990), Cross Purposes (1994), Cross Purposes Live (1995), and Forbidden (1995). Martin was temporarily relieved of vocal duties during this period for a reunion album with Dio — 1992’s Dehumanizer — before permanently leaving the band in 1996 when the original Black Sabbath lineup re-formed in 1997.
“It’s taken all these years later for people to say, ‘Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing,’” Iommi said of the Martin era in an interview six years ago [via Blabbermouth]. “So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was.”
Stay tuned to Heavy Consequence for further updates regarding Iommi’s upcoming album and the Black Sabbath reissues. Below you can watch his year-end video message.