Aug. 18, 2026

Tony Iommi - World Alone - Review

The godfather of heavy riffs. The architect of heavy metal. The guitarist's guitarist. In this episode the Shit Talk duo digs into Tony Iommi’s new single “World Alone” and share their completely unsolicited take on what they think works musically—and what doesn’t. Get out the pitchforks people, there are hot takes inbound: While both agree the riffs, production, and musicianship are solid, they wrestle with the vocal style and whether it works. It's hard to ever say anything negative...

Key Takeaways

The Shit Talk duo breaks down Tony Iommi’s new single "World Alone" with their signature unfiltered opinions.
While the riffs, production, and overall musicianship receive high praise, the hosts debate whether the vocal style hits the mark.
Critiquing a legend like Tony Iommi is a tall order, especially given his monumental history and influence on heavy metal.
The episode also celebrates modern heavy music momentum, highlighting standout women-led metal bands like Dogma, Castle Rat, and Witch Club Satan.
Listeners are encouraged to dive into the heavy metal scene's evolving landscape and join the debate in the comment section.

Slated for release on October 23, 2026, the Tony Iommi's solo project From The Dark, departs from the guest-heavy approach of his previous solo records in favor of a dedicated, cohesive four-piece lineup. The band debuted in July 2026 with the thunderous lead single, "World Alone".

2026 Band Members

Tony Iommi (Guitars & Production): The pioneering heavy metal architect—who was awarded an MBE in June 2026—leads the project and drives the sound with his signature riffing. Iommi co-produced the album alongside longtime collaborator Mike Exeter.
Jørn Lande (Vocals): The acclaimed Norwegian heavy metal singer (Masterplan, Avantasia) provides the group's powerful rock operatics. Lande also shares co-writing credits on all eight tracks of From The Dark.
Becky Baldwin (Bass): The U.K.-based bassist, known for her recent work with Mercyful Fate, was handpicked by Iommi because her playing style heavily evokes Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler.
Karl Brazil (Drums): A versatile session drummer whose past work includes touring with Robbie Williams and James Blunt, Brazil anchors the band's driving rhythm section.

WATCH

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Tony Iommi "World Alone" review about?

This episode features a track-by-track critique of Tony Iommi's new single "World Alone," where the hosts discuss the musicianship, production, and polarizing vocal style.

Who are some of the other bands mentioned in the episode?

Alongside discussing Tony Iommi, the hosts highlight standout women-led metal acts including Dogma, Castle Rat, Witch Club Satan, Die Spitz, and Frayle.

What is the tone of the Shit Talk Reviews podcast?

The podcast is hosted by music-loving malcontents who offer humorous, unfiltered, and unsolicited hot takes on heavy metal, thrash, punk, and rock music.

So, round about three weeks ago, Tony Iomi of Black Sabbath fame, one of the Godfathers, gave us a new single called

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World Alone. And uh like I said, we're late to the party, but uh let's talk about it.

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[music]

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Jordan Landandy, did I say that? Land. I think so. Is that how you pronounce it? Mhm.

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Oporatic, you know, in his approach to heavy metal. He stepped in along with

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Glenn Hughes uh to fill in for Ronnie James Dio with Heaven and Hell. Uh when J Ronnie James Dio passed away back in

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2010, uh there was a memorial show. I will say this, Tony Iomi at his age to

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be writing the riffs that he's writing, we should be absolutely beyond happy about the fact that he is able to

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still do this, especially beating cancer. He is the best. He is the what's

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the word I I want to say the godfather of metal. And yeah, for me the it was a bit of a waste of time

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to write something and have Jordan sing on it.

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[sighs]

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I know this is such a toughy because as you said, were it not for Tony all those years ago, we might not have the heavy

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music that we have today. I expect it would have come around in one form or another, but you know, who knows if it would have taken the the paths that it

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has taken. So, nothing but respect for the guy. And like you said, I'm glad that he's still putting stuff out and still doing stuff, but this one just

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didn't do it for me. And I think a lot of it had to do with Jor or Yorn. Jorn, I don't know cuz I'm a dick and I didn't

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this this track just didn't move me all that much. I mean, the riffs are solid riffs, you know, but this one just I don't know. It didn't didn't turn my

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wheels, and I feel like an [ __ ] for saying it, but I'd be lying if I said otherwise.

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Yeah. Well, production-wise, sounds great. It's a wall of sound. Props to Becky Baldwin on bass, Carl Brazil on

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drums, and uh Mike Exit, the co-producer and keyboardist.

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Great. I love the song structure. I really like the octaves going up during the chorus. I find Jor or Yorn to be

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just cheesy. And look, how do you replace Dio and Azie? Let's let's be honest. And even and even Glenn Hughes,

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right? You you don't It's hard. It It's It's hard. And And I know that Tony's at a point where he can choose who he wants to play with and he

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may have a really really good relationship with him. And that's obviously the case. But I just there's a

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lot of better singers that are out there and I found this track to be cheesy based on how he decided to sing it. It's

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that it's that vocal style. And I won't deny that. Look, there's there's bands with oporatic vocalists that I I'm

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really into, you know, and have been historically over the years. Maybe not so much these days, but you know, James Lee with Dream Theater, Jeff Tate, Bruce

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Dickinson. Uh, I mean, these guys have all got big VB and they're powerful singers and I don't love all of what they do either, but

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just it just it got me right from the start and I just went I I don't know if I love this and I've listened to it I 15

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20 times because I want to love it because it's Tony and you know I have such reverence for the guy and as you

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said the production is clean, the mix is good, the captures are solid but it's just something about it that didn't make

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me want to immediately play it again, though I did because I I kept asking myself, what am I missing? Why don't I

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like this as much? And it's probably because it's a bit it's it's not a departure from what I'm listening to these days. What I'm

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listening to these days is a departure from that, you know? So, I don't want to say objectively it's not good. It's just not it's not doing it for me.

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Now, let's say Phil and Selmo sang on it or

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uh you know they they went and they got Bruce Dickinson to sing on it. Do you think that you would find the track more appealing then?

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I think maybe with a different vocal style I would. Bruce again has that really oporatic style too. So I don't

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know if I would have received it that much differently with him or James Lee, which again I I feel like I'm ready to

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take bullets for feeling this way, but I do I just don't love it and I want to love it. I just can't I can't get there.

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Yeah. So I I I mean I liked Black Sabbath 13. I like the Heaven and Hell material, you know. So,

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I didn't mind this musically. It's It's Tony Iomi. It's very Black Sabbathy. I just really had a hard time getting over

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the the cheese factor of the vocal execution. And look, we're not going to please

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everybody and he's not going to please everybody, but he's pleasing himself. And if that works for Tony, then great.

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I sadly will not be, you know, taking my nickels and going and buying a vinyl version of this as much as I want to to support him. Not that he needs it at

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this point. He's far richer than you and I are, but at the same time, man, you know, I would much rather have my

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Wendy's Dr. Pepper that I had brought home to me than to listen to that track again.

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Yeah. Well, and again, I think it's important to to point out that or maybe it isn't. You know, who cares what we think? But musically, everything that's

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happening under the vocals, I think is is great. It's solid. I don't dislike any of it. But with that with Jorn,

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again, I feel like an [ __ ] for not knowing the pronunciation of his name. It just it turns it too much for me.

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Carl Brazil on drums. I mean, he is a a a very experienced studio and session drummer. He's got some interesting

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credits on his resume. You know, Robbie Williams, a big pop uh British pop singer. So, he's not necessarily I don't

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know, maybe I didn't do a deep dive, but on the surface it it doesn't appear as though he's a a big metal drummer. Maybe

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he's done more than I saw. And that this track didn't need crazy, you know, prog metal drumming. It needed a straight

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ahead, you know, drum track and it got that. So, I'm not beating up on what Carl did. As you said, Becky Baldwin on bass. Her stuff is is perfectly suited

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to this track. I watched a bunch of her stuff that she has got out online. She's done a bunch of covers, you know, from

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her home or or whatever, and she's playing with uh, you know, Merciful Fate. She's playing with some some big names. So, they've all got cred, man.

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They've all been around the block. None of them are are are kids in this, but as a as a whole package, it just I want to love it and I don't.

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Well, let's turn this uh this episode around and I'll tell you that the ladies of metal are really killing it right

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now. I'm going to give you a list that you can check out. And this for our listeners as well. Uh Dogma, uh they did a cover of Like a Prayer.

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The Like a Prayer cover is fantastic.

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They have a new single that's out. If you haven't heard yet, Castle Rat, it's the collision of metal and Dungeons and Dragons.

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The ladies in Witch Club Satan are absolutely diabolically satanic. There is nudity on stage. There is a lot of

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spit, venom, sweat, you know, just some anger there and they put on a hell of a live show.

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And then the last one is Dy Spits. These ladies are having a great time. They're great musicians. All these ladies are

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great musicians. And then we be remiss to not mention Frail and and we've had them on before. But the ladies of metal

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are taking over. And I have been enjoying all those bands much more so than what I put out with Jor.

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Yeah. Of that list of bands that you just ran down, who's uh who's at the top for you right now? Uh, probably Dogma

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because they're in that ghost typo negative area that I enjoy, but I I equally like all of them. I think that

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they're all really talented ladies. They all have their unique reason for existing. Like Witch Club Satan is very

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a black metal, but they delve into other, you know, avenues. They don't stay just all, you know, power cords and in your face, but they are vicious.

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Castle Rat was riffy. Uh, a lot of fun.

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Just so much fun. And Dice Spits is somewhere between metal and Guns and Roses and, you know, older rock and

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roll, but they they scream enough and they're aggressive enough that they keep me interested. Um, but Dogma, I really

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appreciate their white faces and how they It's a Oh, no. The Like of Prayer is a great It's a great cover. Yeah, I've got Dogma and Dice Spits at the top of that list. Dice Spits, I think, is awesome.

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They just have this like punk rock aesthetic about them. Not that they're necessarily a punk band, but they just have this in your face, don't give a

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[ __ ] kind of attitude, and they, you know, damn it, they just look like they are having an awful lot of fun, you know, getting up and ripping, which is

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cool, man. Uh, but Dogma, Dogma is is awesome. They have a crazy stage aesthetic. I like what they've got going

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on too, though. I bet that would I I expect that would be a fun show to go see.

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And and one other one, Lauren Hart with She just joined Arch Enemy, and she might be the best singer that they've ever had. Like, she is just crushing.

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There's some There's some badass ladies out there, and I love to see it. Tatiana Schmel with Ginger is another one. And you know, she's been Oh, yeah.

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She's been up at the top for a long time and she is an absolute animal. I love love love what she does. I love seeing all these women stepping into a

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historically male space and just absolutely crushing. I think it's so cool. It's so much fun to watch and it's it's about time too.

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Yeah, it it really is and I'm happy to see it. And you know, and also Turnstyle is out there and they are going around

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the world and just stirring stadiums into a frenzy. And that song birds when that comes on, I mean, give them credit.

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They're in the crowd and they're right there with the fans if they're allowed to be and they're not afraid to mix it up, which is which is cool. So,

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look, Tony put out a song that sounds like Tony. We didn't appreciate the vocal, but let's focus on everything

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else that's going on that's positive in the world. There's a lot to really like in the metal scene.

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Yeah. Barbarians album is coming out uh soon in like a week give or take uh I think on the 21st. They've got a new single coming out and yes, we are fans.

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I am a I am a fanboy. I won't deny that.

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Uh but yeah, they've got new material coming out. So if you're looking for good good new heavy, check out Barbarians, too.

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Yeah. And Down is out touring right now as well and they've got a new album coming out. And you know, the rumor is is that they are very much going back to

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their roots, a little bit more of a riff assault on the next record and less to do with southern rock. So, we'll see

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how heavy they get and where they go. I don't know how you beat Nola. I think Nola is for me is one of the top, you

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know, 20 albums in my lifetime, but we'll see how they do and if they've got some magic left in them.

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Yeah. Awesome. Well, I'm not going to lie to you. Uh, as I mentioned, the AC [music] in my studio went down and it's like 110 degrees in here, so I'm

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starting to sweat through the plaid and uh, it's enough for me to call it. Yep, let's call it. I'm going to go eat something. But good to see you. It's

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been too long. And we'll get back to our once a week episodes. Sorry about that. Life has been happening.

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Indeed. Ah, [music] life. Yeah. What are you going to do, man? All right. Good [ __ ] Can't wait for the next one.

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Hopefully I get more excited about it than this one.

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Yeah, me too. [music]

Derek Showerhead

Founder of ShitTalkReviews

John Staley