BLACK Sabbath legend Tony Iommi today releases his first new music in eight long years, complete with a new band, a single, plans for an album … and the sweet smell of success.
The 73-year-old heavy metal hero has recorded a four-minute rock single titled Scent of Dark, initially to promote the new SCENT he has designed with a leading Italian perfumer.
Over the past 18 months of the pandemic, he has been working secretly with Sergio Momo, designer for Italian luxury perfume house Xerjoff, on a new project not to be sniffed at.
Or rather, it IS to be sniffed at.
The perfume is called Scent of Dark, recalls the heady patchouli days of rock festivals in the late 1960s and 70s, and hits stores ahead of Christmas, with a barnstorming instrumental track and video.
“It’s mainly patchouli,” says Iommi from his second home in Sandbanks on the South Coast. “I didn’t know this but apparently they used to use the smell of patchouli oil to get rid of the smell of people smoking dope back in the day.
“The main ingredient is patchouli but there’s a lot more to it than that. Sergio asked me to list my favourite smells – like the new car smell, leather, strawberries and raspberries – and added stuff that he thought was right until we were very pleased with it.”
But the decision to record a heavy rock riff of the same name has sparked Iommi’s hunger to return to the fray with an exciting new band.
Scent of Dark is his first new music to be released since Black Sabbath’s ’13’ album back in 2013, four years before the band played their final farewell in hometown Birmingham.
Joining Iommi are Sergio Momo on guitar, bassist Jimmy Crutchley, drummer Ash Sheehan, Mike Exeter on keyboards, and strings players Rebecca Rose and Julianne Bourne.
It was recorded mainly at Gospel Oak studio in Rowington, Warwickshire with a spooky video shot at haunted Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds.
“It’s based on a riff I’ve had around for some years,” says Iommi. “It wasn’t right for a Sabbath album but it just seemed to fit this project. I added some heavier, doomier bits so it’s part old and part new, but we’re all really happy with it.
“I knew Jimmy, Mike and Sergio – he plays guitar as well as making magic with scent – but I hadn’t met the others before we went in to do the session. I developed a band overnight and it worked so well that I’m definitely going to make an album now.”
Still in remission from lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2012, the Sabbath legend had to self-isolate at his house in Broadway because of his weakened immune system – and still wears a mask whenever shopping or at an indoor event.
“I was petrified, to be honest,” he admits. “I had to be really careful with everything. I really did cut myself off for quite a while. You start going a bit mental really because you can’t do what you normally do. I’m just so glad to be back making music again.”
Read about the haunted castle video shoot in my sister paulcoletravels blog
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