Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has confirmed you’ll “definitely” hear a new solo album in 2026!
The metal icon shared the news in his annual New Year’s Eve video, uploaded to his official YouTube channel, where he looked back on the past year and laid out what’s coming next. Among his plans, Iommi revealed he’s preparing the long-awaited follow-up to his 2005 solo album Fused.
Reflecting on 2025, Iommi highlighted several standout moments, including collaborating with Robbie Williams on Rocket, the lead single from Williams’ upcoming album BRITPOP. He also spoke about receiving the Freedom of Birmingham award alongside his Black Sabbath bandmates, calling the honour “absolutely amazing”.
Iommi also revisited Black Sabbath’s historic final show, Back To The Beginning, praising the overwhelming support from the rock and metal community. “The amount of bands that turned up to support Sabbath was just fantastic,” he said. “What a great event. And, of course, it raised a lot of money for charity.”
The tone shifted as Iommi acknowledged the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, who died just weeks after the show. “It’s just unfortunate and sad that Ozzy passed away a couple of weeks after that,” he said. “May he rest in peace.”
Looking ahead, Iommi confirmed a Gibson documentary is set to arrive soon, before turning to what fans have been waiting nearly two decades to hear. “In 2026, I shall have, definitely, definitely, my solo album out,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to that. I’m enjoying doing it. It’s been great fun, and I really hope you enjoy it. I’ll keep you more up to date as we go along.”
Iommi first hinted at new solo material back in 2023, revealing he had built a new studio and planned to write a full record there. Since then, he’s made select live appearances, including a surprise performance at the London press night of Black Sabbath – The Ballet, where he played the iconic Paranoid guitar solo. Brian May was also in attendance, and recently gifted Iommi a left-handed replica of his famed Red Special guitar, which Iommi said made “Christmas come early”.
