REVIEW: Iommi - FUSED

Tony lommi
FUSED
Sanctuary

A man like Tony lommi certainly needs no introduction to anyone who has even a passing knowledge of hard rock and heavy metal. Being the father of the metal riff, or maybe we should make that the grandfather, and being the founding member of the worlds first metal band in BLACK SABBATH secures Tony a spot in the annals of rock for certain. The fact that BLACK SABBATH are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a travesty of gargantuan proportions. Alas this is not a SABBATH album, and if the latest Geezer Butler album has shown us anything it is that even legends can fall flat on their face when branching out from their main gig. Nothing is more embarrassing then when someone getting a little advanced in age tries to appeal to the youth by playing a style of music that is totally out of character for them. Fans are smarter than some artists give them credit for and usually sniff out these efforts for what they really are, a quick dash for cash. I give you the most recent Gene Simmons albums as a prime example of this.

All that being so stated I am sure you are expecting me to trash this album, but nothing could be further from the truth. This album is such a pleasant surprise because of what it doesn't sound like, that being a BLACK SABBATH album. lommi shows a touch of playfulness that I wouldn't have thought was possible before now. This is just a straight forward hard rock album of great depth that literally gets better with every spin. Fused adds to a great run of hard rock albums in recent months by acts like BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, RUSSELL ALLEN and BRAND NEW SIN, but this is the best of the bunch because of attention to detail and melody. This reminded me a what I felt like listening to Wicked Underground from LYNCH/PILSON, and taking that thought even further I realized that this is the album that I have been hoping DOKKEN would give us for about a decade now.

Article Author: Chris Akin

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