Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi was asked about the differences between Ozzy Osbourne and the late Ronnie James Dio in a new Twitter Q&A. Iommi said that Dio beat Ozzy when it came to being able to sing not just the riff of a song.
A fan asked Iommi, “Tony, when the band broke off with Ozzy and merged with Ronnie James Dio, did you intentionally set out to create a such a new and different sound from that of previous Sabs?
Heaven and Hell album is such a powerhouse yet a brilliant departure from the traditional Sab sound. On its own merit, it’s as good as any Ozzy Sabbath.”
Iommi responded, “Ronnie didn’t sing the riff so writing was very different, he has his own style and we met in the middle.”
Another fan asked, “Hi Tony, how do you pick people to collaborate with & have you got any projects going on?”
Iommi responded, “Hello Paul. I listen to what people are doing, and I also need to get on with them. The project for now is mixing Forbidden. #AskIommi”
Another fan asked, “I love your IOMMI album!! Any chance that you would do another solo album with guest vocalists now that Black Sabbath retired?”
Iommi responded, “Hello Luis. You never know, maybe, I have plenty of material. — Tony”
Today’s #AskIommi question comes from Lair Hull on Facebook.
Answer: Ronnie didn’t sing the riff so writing was very different, he has his own style and we met in the middle.
– Tony pic.twitter.com/YBWk1kyq0p
— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) February 8, 2019
Hello Luis. You never know, maybe, I have plenty of material. — Tony https://t.co/grM5AQUlL7
— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) March 1, 2019