Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi talked about enlisting Norwegian singer Jorn Lande for vocals on ‘From The Dark,’ speaking on Star FM.
Iommi discussed his choice to work with Lande and addressed the inevitable comparisons to Ronnie James Dio, who sang on some of Black Sabbath’s most celebrated albums.
“I just liked Jorn’s voice,” Iommi said. “That’s the problem, really. Everybody’s gonna compare something, and it’s unfair, really, because Jorn is Jorn, and he was a fan of Dio anyway.”
He went on to explain what drew him to Lande’s particular style. “But Jorn sings the way he does. He’s got that type of voice, and that’s the sort of voice I wanted for this album. I like his voice. It’s powerful. And I wanted that sort of style of singing.”
Iommi made these comments in a discussion about his creative decisions for the new album.
Lande and Iommi have a long history together. The Norwegian vocalist first worked with the Black Sabbath guitarist on songs in 2005, though nothing came from that initial collaboration. Lande’s background is rooted in Euro power metal, including work with bands like Masterplan and Avantasia. He first performed with Iommi’s circle when he played with Heaven & Hell following Ronnie James Dio’s death.
Lande’s connection to Dio runs deep. In 2010, he released a tribute album to the late singer, which he described as a “sincere and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to a great and influential Artist” who had shaped his career. The album included a song called “Song For Ronnie,” released weeks after Dio’s passing. Lande performed at Dio’s memorial show in 2010.
From The Dark is Iommi’s third solo album and his first in 21 years. His previous solo albums were Iommi in 2000 and Fused in 2005, which featured Glenn Hughes. Black Sabbath played their final concert in their home city in 2017. The band had made great records with Ronnie James Dio as their lead vocalist from 1979–1982, 1991, 1991–1992 and 2006–2010, and Dio remained a commanding presence in the band’s history alongside original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.
