The 1996 DEP Sessions

Originally recorded in 1996 during sessions at DEP studios in London England, copies of this recording in a crude form were leaked to the internet several years ago under the title of The Eighth Star (a nod to 1986's The Seventh Star album which also featured former Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes on vocals). I love The Seventh Star album and even though it's officially listed as a Black Sabbath album, it really is a Tony Iommi solo album. The way that Tony's haunting riffs and Glenn's bluesy and soulful singing blended together was remarkable. These 1996 recordings were never mixed properly and temporarily shelved while each pursued other aspects of their career, vowing to someday finish the project. When Tony decided to get back to these recordings, the call came for the Black Sabbath reunion and tour in 1998. According to an interview with Glenn and Tony, the original idea was to record tracks with three different vocalists for what was to be the first official Tony Iommi solo album, not the curiously diverse and somewhat puzzling solo release entitled Iommi that came out in 2000. It is also rumored that both Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford were also approached about contributing to the album. Earlier this year, Tony Iommi went over the tapes, liked what he heard and decided that they should finally be released. Helping out are Don Airey and Geoff Nichols on keyboards as well as drummer Jimmy Copley who re-recorded the drum tracks, originally done by ex-Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland, who is currently serving a sentence for sexual assault.

This whole album is a great mix of solid, doomy, heavy riffs and Glenn's great soulful voice. This becomes quite apparent with the opening track, Gone. Opening with a killer, classic Tony style riff, the track kicks into gear with a big, boomy, heavy sound and a very strong, prominent bass line. The slow, pounding tempo is used again with the track Don't You Tell Me only it has a more blues edge to it and a more straight ahead chorus section. Time Is The Healer again uses the big boomy doom-laden riffs that are Tony's signature style but this song has a more heavier Sabbath style than much of the rest of the album. Lots of other songwriting styles grace this album with From Another World using a mix of quiet acoustic passages and heavier sections for the choruses that feature some great vocal layering by Glenn. Tony's lead guitar work soars on this track as well. The same sort of song structure is used for the track It Falls Through Me, with it's more laid back feel but with heavier sections for the choruses and overall great vocal melodies. Don't Drag The River is a mid tempo track with some nice melodic riffs and Glenn uses layered vocals for the chorus that give the track a 70's feel to it. Fine sees some more modern influences to a somewhat slower and hypnotic melody structure and is an interesting and different sort of track. I'm Not The Same Man uses faster riff patterns and an overall more intense sound. This is really the only track with any sort of up-tempo feel on the whole album.

Clocking in at just under thirty-eight minutes, the only real complaint about this album is it's somewhat short length. Seeing as this was just a session, I'm thankful that it was released in any shape or form. The album is a lot heavier in tone than The Seventh Star and much more basic and raw. The production is a bit boomy and the drums don't sound as powerful as they should be but Tony's guitar and Glenn's voice (which really are the showcases here) sound awesome. With Glenn's gut wrenching vocals that have a soul of their own, it gives Tony the chance to play with more of a melodic and expressive style to compliment Glenn's vocals all the while retaining the heavy riffing that is so characteristic of his playing style. When these two guys get together, it pushes both of them and the commitment to get the best possible performance from each other and for the song is quite evident throughout any material that they've ever recorded. Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes have become great friends over the years and according to one interview that I read on Tony's website, the two plan on getting together again to do more recording and even possibly a few live shows in the future. If and when they ever release any new material, I'll buy it blindly. Any recording with both Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes is a sure thing.