Tony gives his fans a chance to win a Sabbath gig!

 Tony just published this message on his Official website:

Over half the US / Canadian tour gone, time flies. Great to receive the gold discs from the Canadian label, we're all getting a buzz like it's our first time! In Boston I had the pleasure of meeting Tim from Millbank Music who collected a pile of instruments for Armenia. Here's me signing the banner he has in his store.
- Tony

Want to see our Tony rock Las Vegas with Black Sabbath and win an acoustic ‎guitar‬ from Taylor? Enter for a chance to win! Check out there.

And another cool news - the Freddy Mercury Tribute concert will be released on DVD and Blue Ray soon! Tony took a part of this show with a friend Brian May on 20 April 1992. Iommi fans can finally add this awesome show to their Holy Grail Iommi collections. Read more on Blabbermouth.net

20 August 2013

Photo Iommi.com

Tony Iommi shares gear choices for Black Sabbath’s “13” album

Living legend Tony Iommi recently spent some time with Guitar World talking all things Black Sabbath. He spoke candidly about his ongoing battle with cancer, working with Ozzy Osbourne for the first time in nearly 35 years and other topics including how he got the grimy guitar tones for Sabbath’s latest album, “13”.

When Iommi walked into the studio, producer Rick Rubin presented him with a huge collection of vintage amps, including an old Laney Klipp, with which Iommi already had some experience. He plugged it in despite his own warning that it would blow up. After an hour, it blew up. He put his foot down when they brought in four more the next day. “I’ve gone through all this and now I’m here, and somebody is telling me how to get my sound,” said Iommi. “That’s a bit weird. So I had to draw the line.”

He used his own Laney signature amps instead. He said when guitar players first got those vintage amps, people like the Who’s Pete Townshend always modified them to get their signature sounds. Iommi was no different. He used his signature Laney TI100, which had two inputs. He plugged into the bass channel, with a treble booster in front. After Rubin told him his sound was “too metal,” Iommi switched over to the treble channel.

As for guitars, he used a handful of his Jaydee custom-built “Old Boy” SGs. John Diggins, who’d toured with Iommi before, hand-built half a dozen SGs, which the guitarist has been playing ever since. He said that, while he liked his custom Gibson-built guitars, he didn’t use any on this record. Effects on the album were sparse. He only used an unknown chorus pedal and an old Tycobrahe wah wah pedal.

Read more on Noisecreep

By Chris Ford for Noisecreep, 17 August 2013

Black Sabbath awarded double gold record for "13" in Toronto

Black Sabbath receive Double Gold Disc Award For “13” Album in Toronto, August 14 2013.

The reunited British heavy metal godfathers received the honor in Toronto for sales of their latest studio album "13," which moved more than 80,000 units in Canada.

The founding members of the band (less drummer Bill Ward) each received a framed plaque along with a Toronto Maple Leafs NHL jersey.

For all Iommi fans’ happiness, 2013 is definitely a year of Sabbath! Tony won Revolver’s Riff Lord Award in May and the guys added to their mantles two awards from Metal Hammer in June: in two categories – Best UK Band and Best Album respectively. Here what Reuters said about the event:

Veteran British rock band Black Sabbath was crowned the kings of heavy metal on Monday, 17 June 2013, winning the top accolades at the UK's top metal music awards, the Metal Hammer Golden Gods.

Black Sabbath won the award for Best Album for "13" which soared to No. 1 in the British charts on Sunday, giving the band its first number one album in nearly 43 years which is a record interval between chart-toppers.

The band also won the award for Best UK band.

"From honoring the lords of our world Black Sabbath as today's most cutting-edge act, there's simply no other event like it," said Alexander Milas, editor of Metal Hammer magazine that organizes the annual awards.

Now our guys will add a “13” Double Gold to their Gold and Platinum collections.

From all Iommi fans over the world – CONGRATULATIONS DEAR TONY!

HANG YOUR “GOLD 13” ON THE PLACE OF HONOUR ON YOUR WALL!

YOU DESERVED IT, IRON MAN!

16 August 2013
Photo GeezerButlerFacebook.com

Black Sabbath to be honored as "Living Legends" At "Classic Rock Roll Of Honour"!

 

British heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath will be honored as "Living Legends" at the ninth annual Classic Rock Roll Of Honour, set to take place on Tuesday, November 14 at London, England's Roundhouse.

Commented singer Ozzy Osbourne: "It's good to be a living legend. It's better than being a dead one."

Past winners of the Living Legend award include ZZ TOP, Jeff Beck, Alice Cooper, Jimmy Page, Lemmy and Iggy Pop.

Added Chris Ingham from Classic Rock magazine: "We're delighted to welcome Black Sabbath to collect our Living Legend Award. It's wholly deserved as not only do they have a career to celebrate, but Ozzy, Geezer and Tony blasted back with a brilliant new album in 2013 that reminded us all how it should be done."

"13", the first record in 35 years to feature Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, entered the official U.K. chart at position No. 1. The CD sold 13,000 copies more than the No. 2 entry.

The last time Sabbath topped the chart in the U.K. was nearly 43 years ago — in October 1970 — with the band's second LP, "Paranoid".

Read more on Blabbermouth.net.

Blabbermouth.net, 9 August 2013

Tony Iommi: Playing With Black Sabbath Is “Better Than It Was 40 Years Ago”

Mighty Tony Iommi — despite ongoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments to battle cancer — sounds as bluesy and fucking demonic as ever. Black Sabbath will perform at Mohegan Sun Arena with special guest Andrew W.K. (dark party!) on Aug. 8. Iommi spoke to the Advocate from a Houston tour-stop about playing with his old bandmates and working with producer Rick Rubin on the new album. (Interview to mhamad@hartfordadvocate.com)

-- When you step onstage with Ozzy and Geezer, do you still get the same feelings you did 40-some years ago?

-- It's a great feeling. You can't beat that feeling of walking onstage, especially with your old mates, you know. I think it's better than it was 40 years ago.

-- What's better about it?

-- You know, we've been through a lot of experiences, family things and so on. I think when it comes back to the original guys again, it feels really comfortable. You do get — it comes along with age, I suppose — anxieties and different other things. But when you get onstage and start playing, it all settles down.

-- Sabbath has always been a band of the people. And yet, the critical response to the new album has been incredibly positive. Do you get the sense it just took certain people a while to catch up with what you've been doing?

-- It could be, or otherwise it's because they haven't heard us for so long as the old lineup. But it really has been a great, fantastic response.

-- I read that the way Rick Rubin works is to encourage a sense of jamming, to get you guys playing and to see what speaks to him and what does not. But the sense I got is that you went into the studio with some songs that you and Mr. Butler had written already. How did that dynamic play out in the studio?

-- I think we were pretty open to stuff, but we did keep it more or less to our path. We'd go in with a song, and Rick might go, "Oh, why don't you maybe change the middle bit?" or something like that, or put in another verse or something. We tried those things. It was an exchange of ideas, really. If it didn't work, we'd say, "Oh, no, we didn't like that," and then we'd have another go at it. Rick's thing was more about getting the vibe going, making sure that the feel of the songs, for him, was right. We'd play, and then he'd maybe say, "That was good, but let's do another one... Can you make it a bit slower?" So then we'd do that, and he might say, "Yeah, that didn't feel right. Can you do another one?" until he got one that felt right.

-- When you play live now, how do the new songs fit with the more classic Sabbath material? Was there ever a temptation to play the whole album for one set, then classic songs for a second set?

-- I think the songs fit in great with the old stuff, and it's also great to have new songs to fit in, because we haven't had any for so many years. As far as the whole album: we haven't tried that yet. We are playing four songs off the album, but I'd be up for doing the whole thing. That's how we recorded it, so that's how we can play it. It's an album that is not impossible to do, if you know what I mean. We didn't go in the studio and put loads of stuff on. It IS live, so we could go on and play any of those songs.

-- Do you think Sabbath fans can expect more new music in the near future?

-- I don't know. It's a question that's been asked a few times. I don't really have an answer for you. At the moment, we're playing it — because of my [cancer] treatments and stuff — I can't commit to doing another two years, or anything like that. I have to play it as it comes now. While I'm doing it, I'm really enjoying it. If the rest of the year goes well, then we'll look at it and see if it's possible to do another album. It would be very nice to.

Mike Hamad for Hartfordadvocate.com, 9 August 2013

Photo Lorraine Parker

Tony Iommi -- Star of New Jersey show!

It was obvious from the "Sweet Leaf" and "Never Say Die" T-shirts in the crowd that it would be no ordinary concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center on Sunday night…

More than 17,500 congregants, spanning at least three generations, packed the outdoor amphitheater for Black Sabbath's only area appearance on their current reunion tour.

Joining Ozzy on stage were co-founding bandmates Terrence "Geezer" Butler, 64, who, on the outside, resembled a grizzled character from Middle-Earth — yet still has those lightning quick bass guitar prowess on numbers like "N.I.B." — and lead guitarist Tony Iommi, 65, who left the audience spellbound with his signature left-handed red Gibson S.G., featuring crosses on the frets.

Black Sabbath blasted through 45 years of classics including the metal anthem "Iron Man," the cocaine-inspired "Snowblind," "Dirty Women," "Fairies Wear Boots" and the eponymous anthem "Black Sabbath”…

These geezers, now in their mid-60s, have all stated they have no intention of slowing down and plan to get back in the studio to cut another album.

Sabbath also performed several newer numbers off their first-ever U.S. No. 1 selling album, "13", including "Age of Reason," "End of the Beginning" and "God is Dead?".

Guitarist Tony Iommi, who was diagnosed with lymphoma is early 2012 and has undergone successful treatment, is one of rock and roll's must underrated axe-shredders burning through numbers such as the new "Methademic," "Under the Sun/Everyday Comes and Goes" and on the classic one-song encore, "Paranoid" — which featured a teased introduction of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".

Read more on New York Daily News

“Saw

Black Sabbath at the PNC Bank Art Center last night… It was THUNDEROUS hearing Tony and Geezer crank out one classic after another!” told us our website’s great friend, luthier Lou Moritz – a man who actually made a miracle – he brought Iommi’s legendary weapon SG Red Monkey back to life building an awesome replica that Tony used on new album recordings and during the 2013 tour.

Lou had a blast at the show enjoying Great Lefty playing his “creature” on Methademic! But it is not the end! He was invited as a special guest to meet Tony backstage and had a nice talk!

We congratulate with our dear friend Lou, who made a wonderful job for Iommi Legacy’s revival! The new St. Moritz Red SG Monkey Custom is a true masterpiece, a jem of guitar crafting!

Watch the New Jersey Gig review from Artisan News below:

 The setlist from Black Sabbath New Jersey concert:
War Pigs
Into The Void
Under The Sun/Everyday comes and goes
Snowblind
Age of Reason
Black Sabbath
Behind The Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B.
End Of The Beginning
Faries Wear Boots
Methademic
Rat Salad
Ironman
God is Dead?
Dirty Women
Childern Of The Grave
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Intro
Paranoid

We want to thank Lou Moritz and Richard Hollis for the wonderful review of the show!  
Long Live Black Sabbath!
Viva Tony Iommi!

Photos courtesy Lou Moritz, 7 August 2013

Black Sabbath Halloween Maze to open at Universal Studios

Black Sabbath’s music is coming to life in what is being described as “an all-original, terrifying 3-D maze” at Universal Studios Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.

“Black Sabbath: 13 3D” is based on the darkest lyrics from Black Sabbath’s biggest hit songs and the only attraction at the horror event to incorporate 3D video, will also include scenes inspired by the legendary band’s recently released Billboard #1 album, 13. A nightmarish landscape of doom will engulf guests as they enter “Black Sabbath: 13 3D” and traverse through horrifying graveyards, disturbing madhouses and bone-chilling battlefields.

Ozzy Osbourne said of the attraction “We were all really excited when Universal Studios Hollywood approached us about doing a 3D ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ maze based on our music. I’ve seen the drawings of what it will look like when it’s finished and it looks amazing. I can’t wait to walk through it on opening night in September.”

Guests will come face to face with a heart-stopping Lucifer and his bride, blood-soaked dead bodies and bubbling pools of “radioactive water” while song’s inspired by Luke’s Wall, Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Electric Funeral and, of course, Black Sabbath violently penetrate the confines of the maze at high volume.

John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood, said “Very few bands can claim to have defined a genre of music but Black Sabbath’s remarkable influence in the evolution of Heavy Metal will go down in history. Tony Iommi’s dark, iconic riffs, Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting vocals and Geezer Butler’s foreboding lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack for ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ and endless inspiration for our new haunted attraction ‘Black Sabbath 13 3D’.”

Music News/Noise 11, 6 August 2013

Tony and his Sabbath rocks West Palm Beach, Florida 31st July 2013

The band's setlist at July 31 concert at Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida was as follows:

01. War Pigs
02. Into The Void
03. Under The Sun/Every Day Comes And Goes
04. Snowblind
05. Age Of Reason
06. Black Sabbath
07. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
08. N.I.B.
09. End Of The Beginning
10. Fairies Wear Boots
11. Methademic
12. Rat Salad
13. Drum Solo
14. Iron Man
15. God Is Dead?
16. Dirty Women
17. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

18. Paranoid

Tony Iommi told The Pulse Of Radio a while back how hard it is for Sabbath to make up a set list. "There are so many tracks that it's really difficult what to pick, because there's always somebody gonna go, 'Oh, why didn't you play that one? Why didn't you play this?' you know," he said. "And there's only a limited time you can play as well, so you've gotta work out a set that everybody wants to do without upsetting the people that say, 'Oh, I wanted to hear this. I wanted to hear that,' you know? But you've gotta drop some to put new ones in, and it's hard."

Watch the photographs of Tony and the guys on these galleries online: Gaterrocks.com, Naplesnews.com, Mysanantonio.com.

Read the review - Black Sabbath kills at Cruzan Amphitheatre!

Blabbermouth.net, 2 August 2013

Fan filmed video from Black Sabbath's Austin, Texas show posted

Following the worldwide chart success of their semi-reunion album "13", Tony and the guys kicked off their North American tour leg on July 25th in Houston, Texas at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Quality fan-filmed footage from the band's July 27th show in Austin, Texas at the Frank Erwin Center is available below.

Great job!

Bravewords.com, 29 July 2013

Tony and his Sabbath kick off North American tour! Set-list revealed!

Following the worldwide chart success of their semi-reunion album "13", Black Sabbath kicked off their twenty city North American trek last night (July 25th) in Houston, Texas at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

More than a year-and-a-half after Black Sabbath first announced their reunion, the legends of heavy metal have finally begun their invasion of North America. Sabbath will be stateside until September.

Remarked bass legend Geezer Butler: "Bloody nearly melted on stage, it was ridiculously hot. Great crowd, though! Thank you Houston!!!!"

Sabbath performed a set jam-packed with classics last night in Houston, unleashing songs such as "Iron Man", "War Pigs" and "Paranoid". The act brought out some new "13" material as well, playing "God is Dead?", "End of the Beginning", "Methademic" and "Age of Reason".

According to Setlist.fm, Black Sabbath performed the following:

'War Pigs'
'Into the Void'
'Under the Sun'/Every Day Comes and Goes'
'Snowblind'
'Age of Reason'
'Black Sabbath'
'Behind the Wall of Sleep'
'N.I.B.'
'End of the Beginning'
'Fairies Wear Boots'
'Methademic'
'Symptom of the Universe'
(Instrumental)
Drum Solo
'Iron Man'
'God Is Dead?'
'Dirty Women'
'Children of the Grave'

Encore:
'Paranoid' ('Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' Intro)

Read more on Bravewords.com.

Bravewords.com, 26 July 2013

Photo by Bravewords.com