Iron Man My Journey Through Heaven & Hell with Black Sabbath

Everything associated with hard rock happened to Black Sabbath first: the drugs, the debauchery, the drinking, the dungeons, the pressure, the pain, the conquests, the company men, the contracts, the combustible drummer, the critics, the comebacks, the singers, the Stonehenge set, the music, the money, the madness, the metal.

Publishers Weekly, 6/27

[Tony Iommi is] “the undisputed originator of heavy metal.”

Publishers Weekly, 6/27

[Tony Iommi is] “the undisputed originator of heavy metal.”Kirkus Reviews, 10/1/11

“[Iommi is] most entertaining when describing the Sabbath’s incessant, hazardous prank-playing…The guitarist is not wholly unaware of the oft-ludicrous nature of his enterprise.” Publishers Weekly, 10/3/11

“An important addition to the Black Sabbath story…Iommi’s autobiography is as direct as his music.”

 Booklist, 11/1/11

“This memoir [is] dead certain to appeal to heavy-metal fans of all ages…With plenty of behind-the-scenes stories and fresh perspectives on some of music’s most notorious characters…this is a frank and honest look at a special part of rock history.”

RollingStone.com, 10/24/11“The book recounts all the ups and downs the guitarist experienced with Ozzy Osbourne and company.” Houston Press, 10/20/11 “Written in short, easily digestible chapters, Iommi's autobiography is full of revelations and observations of his career…A good read.”

Publishers Weekly, 6/27

[Tony Iommi is] andldquo;the undisputed originator of heavy metal.andrdquo;Kirkus Reviews, 10/1/11

andldquo;[Iommi is] most entertaining when describing the Sabbathandrsquo;s incessant, hazardous prank-playingandhellip;The guitarist is not wholly unaware of the oft-ludicrous nature of his enterprise.andrdquo;and#160;Publishers Weekly, 10/3/11

andldquo;An important addition to the Black Sabbath storyandhellip;Iommiandrsquo;s autobiography is as direct as his music.andrdquo;and#160;Booklist, 11/1/11

andldquo;This memoir [is] dead certain to appeal to heavy-metal fans of all agesandhellip;With plenty of behind-the-scenes stories and fresh perspectives on some of musicandrsquo;s most notorious charactersandhellip;this is a frank and honest look at a special part of rock history.andrdquo;and#160;RollingStone.com, 10/24/11andldquo;The book recounts all the ups and downs the guitarist experienced with Ozzy Osbourne and company.andrdquo;and#160;Houston Press, 10/20/11 andldquo;Written in short, easily digestible chapters, Iommi's autobiography is full of revelations and observations of his careerandhellip;A good read.andrdquo;

USA Today, 10/31/11

andldquo;Iommi has a story that needs to be toldandhellip;Iommi tells his story simply and chronologically, making it easy for anyone to slip into the fast-paced tale. And yes, while there are plenty of drug-fueled antics, there's no doubt the focus is on the music here, as it should beandhellip;Iommi emerges from Iron Man seeming like a true trailblazer without sounding immodest or unkindandmdash;and I've learned that's quite a feat, especially after reading, say, Motley Crue's The Dirt.andrdquo;New York Daily News, 10/28/11andldquo;A raucous autobiographyandhellip;He brainstormed one of the heaviest and darkest sounds known to man. But Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi makes a surprisingly sweet narrator of his own life.andrdquo;and#160;Ultimateclassicrock.com, 11/1/11 andldquo;In his 350+ page autobiography, Iommi leaves no doubt that he is fully deserving of the rock bad boy title but is even more worthy of the Hall of Fame nodandhellip;What makes the book stand out, though, is Iommiandrsquo;s lack of pretense, his insider perspective and surprising sense of humor in telling classic talesandhellip;Itandrsquo;s the rare glimpse into the personal perspective of Iommi that makes Iron Man a must-read for music fans.andrdquo;and#160;Blogcritics.com, 11/1/11 andrdquo;A personal look inside one of the most unique bands of the past 40 years.andrdquo;

and#160;Library Journal, 11/15/11 andldquo;Iommi paints an intimate portrait of his own life from childhood to his most recent musical effort in Heaven and Hellandhellip;Readers who enjoyed Joel McIverandrsquo;s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath will be drawn to Iommiandrsquo;s insider perspective.andrdquo;

January Magazine, 11/18/11andldquo;When it comes to rocker biographies, the 2011 winner is former Black Sabbath lead guitarist, Tony Iommiandrsquo;s Iron Man. This is the whole package: Iommi is candid, engaging and celebrated and thatandrsquo;s exactly the right combo for this sort of book. Though itandrsquo;s Iommiandrsquo;s autobiography, this is also the story of Black Sabbath, one of the most celebrated and seminal rock outfits of all time. And on this journey we take with him we discover that our wildest imaginings about sixties and seventies rock nandrsquo; roller behavior were only scratching the serviceandhellip;Iommi is a likable correspondent and you donandrsquo;t mind spending time in his presence for the duration of the book. If you only buy one rock biography this season, for so many reasons, it should be this one.andrdquo;

Gibson.com, 11/11/11andldquo;[A] must-readandhellip;It contains some near-unbelievable stories: drugs, the Mafia, knife fights, Iommi setting fire to Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, killing Virgin mogul Richard Bransonandrsquo;s prize carp fish with Sabbath pyrotechnics, that Spinal Tap-inspiring Stonehenge stage set, even auditioning Michael Bolton as Black Sabbath singer (true!)andhellip;and, of course, all the guaranteed craziness youandrsquo;d expect from a band involving Ozzy Osbourne.andrdquo;

TheNervousBreakdown.com, 11/12/11andldquo;A four hundred page monster of a book, as heavy in places as andlsquo;War Pigs,andrsquo; as deep and reflective in others as andlsquo;Planet Caravan.andrsquo;andrdquo;

WLKY.com, 11/11/11 andldquo;In Iron Man, Iommi lays it all bare. Told in an economic, forthright style, the autobiography explores everything one would expect and then someandhellip;An enjoyable read and will make a nice holiday gift for the metalheads on your shopping list.andrdquo;

Rolling Stone, 12/8/11

andldquo;Thereandrsquo;s good material here.andrdquo;

Milwaukee Shepherd Express, 11/22/11

andldquo;Iron Man chronicles a life of ale, drugs and women and a trail of destruction behind every tour.andrdquo;

Bookviews blog, December 2011

andldquo;Fans of the group, Black Sabbath, will enjoy Iron Man.andrdquo;Curled Up with a Good Book, 12/6/11andldquo;Many books have been written about Black Sabbath, but this one comes from the horse's mouth and sheds light on moments only Tonio was privy toandhellip;This certainly needs to be read by any Black Sabbath fan.andrdquo;and#160;Bookgasm.com, 12/2/11

andldquo;Reveals the man behind the icon, yet still captures Iommiandrsquo;s humor, intelligence and warmth.andrdquo;

and#160;The Cleveland Sound, 12/11/11

andldquo;Fans will revel in the guitaristandrsquo;s lucid memory and wicked humorandmdash;but casual rock readers will likewise enjoy this tale of one unassuming English kidandrsquo;s improbable rise into to the pantheon of metal godliness, thanks primarily to Iommiandrsquo;s fairly objective storytelling, charming prose, and keen sense of the absurdandhellip;[Iommi is] a raconteur whose words are as endearing as they are informative.andrdquo;and#160;

Elmore, January/February 2012

andldquo;Iommi dishes on a life of heavy music and even heavier timesandhellip;Dignified and classy, while still spilling plenty of messy musical beans.andrdquo;Guitar World, 12/26/11

andldquo;One of the top 15 books of 2011.andrdquo;and#160;Midwest Book Review, January 2012

andldquo;[Black Sabbathandrsquo;s] interactions with other famous music personalities and Tony Iommi's perceptions of the music world make this a 'must' for fans of the group and any collection profiling rock music history.andquot;

SLUG, March 2012

andldquo;Some obscure gemsandhellip;It has a rapid-fire andlsquo;quick storyandrsquo; qualityandhellip;Tonyandrsquo;s delightfully frankandhellip;Itandrsquo;s honest, endearing.andrdquo;

PowerlineMag.com, 6/8/12 andldquo;Though there are a number of books about Black Sabbath available, there arenandrsquo;t too many by one of the bandandrsquo;s membersandmdash;and most of those books are, unsurprisingly, by lead singer Ozzy Osbourne. So itandrsquo;s nice to get another viewpoint from the bandandrsquo;s guitarist and co-founding member. Iommi covers his history from start to finish, with some interesting factoids being served up along the way.andrdquo;