IOMMI (WITH GLENN HUGHES) „Fused”

Music: Heavy Rock/Metal
Country: USA/England
Website: http://www.sanctuaryrecords.com
Duration: 49.32


Cool Songs: Grace, What You're Living For, Deep Inside A Shell, I Go Insane

Lately, there hasn’t been a whole lot to get excited about with modern heavy rock – Audioslave? Sorry, not this time. Velvet Revolver? Don’t believe the hype. Trust the godfather of metal to show the new breed how it’s done. The Tony Iommi name needs absolutely no introduction (if you’re scratching your head at this point, what the hell are you doing here?) and with this new solo album ‘Fused’ his status as a songwriter and lord of the riff is emphasised yet again. Having hinted at the possible direction of ‘Fused’ via the belated official release of the 1996 DEP sessions earlier this year, I was more than intrigued with what this was going to offer up.

‘Fused’ has actually been a long time coming. In fact five years have passed since the 2000 debut solo affair. It was in 2003 that we first heard about a follow up being touted – even to the point where one Phillip Anselmo was asked to perform the vocals. With the former Pantera frontman opting to pass on the opportunity, who does Iommi turn to? Glenn Hughes. It all makes sense really – not only did he vocalise for the DEP sessions, but as all Black Sabbath fans will know, he first worked with Iommi on the 1986 ‘Black Star’ album. Much maligned as it is, ‘Black Star’ was at the very least, memorable for the performance of Hughes. He is easily one of the best and most distinctive hard rock/metal vocalists in the game. ‘Fused’ only highlights his talents even further. And don’t forget this fact either; the guy is over 50 years old!

Enlisting the production hand of Bob Marlette (who also helped with song writing, keyboards and bass) and the drumming talents of Kenny Aranoff, Iommi has made sure that everything on ‘Fused’ sticks to a simple melodic hard rock formula that enables not only his own riffs to take centre stage, but work in seamless tandem with the vocal work of Hughes. No GZR ‘Ohmwork’ pitfalls here folks; no attempts at fitting in with current trends; just pure, straight up melodic hard rock with good songs.

‘Fused’ appears to be a very well conceived album. This is not an album with one or two belters surrounded by a glut of filler. There is a depth and song writing application on this album that not only impresses from its initial spin but gets better with repeated listening. This has as much to do with the presence of Hughes (who really is on song here) but also the variation in pacing. Surprisingly enough ‘Fused’ rarely gets out of the slow to mid tempo groove for the majority of the album. Only the opener ‘Dopamine’ and the seriously riff smoking ‘What You’re Living For’ really charge at the listener. Yet, with Hughes’ charismatic phrasing and the overall melodic feel of ‘Fused’ it’s the slower, perhaps darker numbers that seem to work even better. I doubt you’ll here anything more impressive than ‘Grace’ and the nine minute ‘I Go Insane’ this year. Great stuff.

Tony Iommi has surprised me with this release. Often maligned for his somewhat self indulgent attitude at times, ‘Fused’ comes across as a very strong and cohesive song writing effort. This is more about rhythm and groove rather than anything to do with lead breaks and personal glory. Hell, has he got anything more to prove? The chemistry between himself and Hughes is easily the strongest aspect about this album and as a result, it works on a much higher level. This comes highly recommended for all who worship the Sabbath/Iommi name, catchy hard rock with memorable hooks and most importantly, a simply outstanding vocalist.

note: 8.5/10

Tracklist

Dopamine
Wasted Again
Saviour of the Real
Resolution Song
Grace
Deep inside a Shell
What You’re Living For
Face Your Fear
The Spell
I Go Insane