Guitar manufacturer Gibson have launched a trailer for Iommi: The Godfather Of Heavy Metal, an upcoming series of films celebrating the music and influence of Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi.
"After the Summer of Love began to fade, an ominous new sound emerged from the smokestacks of Birmingham, England," say Gibson. "Tony Iommi was the architect of that sound – the man responsible for the genre-defining riffs of Black Sabbath and a sound that would take over the world.
"More than just a new style of music, heavy metal became a way of life – connecting millions through a spirit of rebellion, passion, and a relentless sound that refuses to fade."
Among the interviewees appearing in the four-minute preview, which is soundtracked by Sabbath's Children Of The Grave, are Brian May, Slash, Mike Bordin, Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, Steve Vai, Scott Ian and Rex Brown, while Iommi himself reveals how horror movies influenced Sabbath's sound.
"He's the Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart of the riff," says Zakk Wylde, longtime guitarist with the late Ozzy Osbourne. "You know, between all of us that play guitar, that's like the meeting ground for everybody."
The film series launches as Gibon announce the reissue of the company's first-ever signature pickup, the Tony Iommi humbucker, which was originally developed in the late 1990s.
"I’m really excited that Gibson’s bringing back my signature humbucker, they were getting pretty hard to find!" says Iommi. "This pickup came about after a lot of time spent in Nashville, just experimenting with different setups to get that perfect tone and sustain from my favourite guitars."
Iommi: The Godfather Of Heavy Metal will show on Gibson TV's YouTube channel this autumn.
