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| Fused | 
 enlarge | Artists: Tony Iommi, Glenn Hughes
Label: Sanctuary Records
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $9.64
You Save: $4.34 (31%)
New (25) Used (12) Collectible (1) from $6.58
Avg. Customer Rating:  61 reviews
Sales Rank: 49292
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 84759
UPC: 060768475922
EAN: 0060768475922
ASIN: B0009VNBQU
Release Date: July 12, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Dopamine | | • | Wasted Again | | • | Saviour of the Real | | • | Resolution Song | | • | Grace | | • | Deep Inside A Shell | | • | What Youre Living For | | • | Face Your Fear | | • | The Spell | | • | I Go Insane |
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Album Description
Tony Iommi unleashes his fiercest solo outing yet with the aid of legendary vocalist Glenn Hughes (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple). FUSED combines classic blues rock vocal stylings with the famous metallic crunch of Iommi's signature Gibson SG guitar - the guitar sound that has come to define heavy metal. Joining Iommi on Fused is former Deep Purple vocalist/bass guitarist Glenn Hughes and former John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff, who has also played sessions with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd and countless others. Fused was produced by Bob Marlette, who also manned the studio boards for 'Iommi.' Iommi and Hughes tend to write quickly when they settle in. Once the basic song ideas were written for this new album, Hughes worked on overall melodies and lyrics. The songs were in place, but a drummer was needed to tie it all together. Iommi was eager to work with Aronoff again and had him in mind from the beginning. The highly respected skins-basher was thrilled about the invitation, especially when Iommi said he wanted to tour to promote Fused. These new songs most definitely work, and they rage with the same fire and intensity that mark Iommi's best. There is nothing quite like the sound of a power trio, because there can be no weak links -- each musician's efforts stand out. There is no place to hide. Iommi, Hughes and Aronoff feed off each other, whether it's the concise punch of "Dopamine" and "What You're Living For" or the fluid twists and turns in the nine-minute epic "I Go Insane." Iommi's lethal guitar crunch leads the charge. Hughes truly pushes himself to the edge and adjusts his voice to fit the overall direction of each song while simultaneously propelling the rhythm with his pounding bass guitar. The volcanic thunder Aronoff unleashes from his drums sounds like nothing he has done before. Marlette's sparkling, crisp production results in a hard-hitting, modern, in-your-face sound. Iommi's excitement about Fused is at a fever pitch and he cannot wait to tour with Hughes and Aronoff.
Album Description
Tony joins forces with former Deep Purple/Sabbath vocalist Glenn Hughes on Fused, his 3rd solo album which is a modern classic, a hard hitting, majestic record containing some of the best material Tony has ever created! 10 total tracks. Sanctuary. 2005.
Album Details
Legendary Black Sabbath Guitarist and Architect of Such Classic Riffs as "Black Sabbath", "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Iron Man" and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", Tony Iommi is the Acknowledged Originator of Heavy Rock Guitar. His Unique Style and Much Copied Sound have Had a Profound Influence on Succeeding Generations of Guitarists, and Many of the Leading Bands of Today Owe More Than a Passing Allegiance to the Black Sabbath Sound as Defined by Tony Iommi.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 56 more reviews...
 Absolutely stellar release by Tony - it's so good, you should buy two copies! :) July 12, 2005
25 out of 31 found this review helpful
Tony Iommi, the driving force behind Black Sabbath for so many years has a new album out. It's brilliant - but that should be no surprise to anyone who is a fan of his. This is the third collaboration between Tony & former Deep Purple and Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes. Let's get to it...
1. Dopamine - The opening of a new album of Tony Iommi riffs. It's like the needle going into the vein (not that I know what that means, I'm just using a metaphor). Interesting that the subject of the lyrics is a "drug" produced by one's own body. Anyway, it very much sounds like a traditional Tony Iommi riff and song. Good way to open the album, even if it's not my favorite track on the album.
2. Wasted Again - Hmm.. Based solely on the titles, this is an interesting one to follow "Dopamine". This is a slower song, although not "slow" - slower in comparison to Dopamine. It does feature some good "screaming vocals" by Glenn Hughes. It's one of those tracks I like, but I can't give you a concrete reason as to why. Just liked it.
3. Saviour of the Real - This is one of the few songs on the album that doesn't stick out to me. It's not bad, but there's no killer riff, no killer vocal hook on this one. Sometimes with songs that don't stick out to me, I want to skip them, but I keep this in here because it is decent, it's just not great.
4. Resolution Song - This one starts out slow like some of the good moodier Sabbath tracks from the past. There's a interesting vocal hook in this one. Not sure how to describe it except it comes in at about 1:44 for the first time, and sounds like "Ah-yee-ah". It's one of those good Iommi tracks that's mostly mellow, has a big powerful guitar sound behind the chorus.
5. Grace - The first few times I listened to this album, I felt Grace was just ore of Resolution Song. The starting riff of this song sounds a lot like the end of the last song. Grace is one of the best songs on the album. Great lyrics, great riffs, great vocals. About halfway through the song there's a guitar bit (starting around 2:51, runs for about 15 seconds)) that sounds a whole lot like a classic Sabbath riff from the Dio era (Southern Cross?). Anyway, after that, the big fast meaty part of the song really kicks in, and it's just awesome till the end of the song. One of the album's highlights.
6. Deep Inside a Shell - This is the other one that doesn't really leap out to me. As with Saviour, there's nothing wrong with the song. It's good. But it doesn't just have that killer hook for me. The guitar solo midway through the song isn't a standard Iommi power solo. From that aspect it's something different - but this doesn't leap out as a real highlight.
7. What You're Living For - This one is another of my favorites. It's to me is a classic Iommi song, as it leads off with nothing but a cool riff, and just keeps going. It's fast, it's catchy, and is a great song. When I first started listening to the album, this was one of my favorites because it's immediately accessible. I love the solo in this one, it's one of those "Dual solos" where Tony's playing more than one riff at a time. Really nice sound to this one.
8. Face Your Fears - A nice crunchy Tony riff is at the heart of this song. This one seems more geared towards Glenn's vocals than Tony's playing. Nothing wrong with that, but it isn't the "busiest" song in terms of Tony's playing.
9. The Spell - Nice heavy doom sounding riff to start off this song, like some of the classic early Sabbath stuff. The slowest song on the album.
10. I Go Insane - I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy! This is by far and away the best thing on the album. A 9 minute and 30 second spectacular piece of music. The vocals, the... aw hell. This is the best song on the album. It's so good, I can't think of any good words to describe it. The best song Tony's recorded in ages. In terms of "feel" it reminds me of the track "Kiss of Death" off of Sabbath's last studio album from 1995, Forbidden. Both of these tracks have a sweeping majestic feel to them that outclass anything else on the disc they appear on.
If you're a fan of Sabbath, the number one complaint fans have is that they haven't put out a new album in the last 10 years. The last Sabbath album was released June 8, 1995. In all that time and all the albums released by the various members, this one is the one that has that feel of carrying the Sabbath banner best. "Fused" flies the legacy of Black Sabbath and the mastery that Tony Iommi has over the fretboard magnificently. There's little weakness on this album, it's strong from start to finish.
If you have ever considered yourself a Sabbath fan, you owe it to yourself to buy this album. Buy two, and give one to a friend. This album deserves all the attention it can get.
 Blown Fuse July 21, 2005
23 out of 30 found this review helpful
Now, before people start to critize my review please hear me out. Many of the following reviewers are jumping on the Glenn Hughes bandwagon stating in their reviews that Hughes is giving it his all on this CD, and this is the hardest Glenn Hughes has ever sounded, and what not . Now unless you were born yesterday or this is the only other time you've heard Glenn singing outside of his Deep Purple days, this isnt the heaviest Glenn has sounded nor is it the best lyrically Glenn has ever written for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I like this CD, the first noticeable thing I hear is it's very Sabbath musically. This release has been tauted as the whole desert as to the icing on the cake that was re-released last year from Glenn Hughes and Tony Iommi, the 1996 DEP sessions. Personally I prefer that release moreso than this. Yes, it was only 8 songs long, but it featured Glenn and Tony at their melodic best, full of melody, passion, playing energetic, beautiful music that the 2 recorded in 1996 that if released properly back then it could have been the start of a beautiful music collaboration. Fused is the "quote-unquote" follow up to that release, and it just isn't on the same page as their prior release. Now we get a CD full of Sabbath style grooves against Glenn's metallic wail. If you listen carefully to Dopamine, Wasted Again, Face Your Fear and quite a few other have riffs that sound like they were meant to be on the next Black Sabbath release with Ozzy on vocals (which has been in the works for a half a dozen years or so now, and will most likely never see the light of day; unless released into something like this). Personally Glenn for his age (mid 50's), is still a powerhouse vocalist but heavy metal music isn't really his thing. Hey hard rock (like the Hughes Turner Projects suit him well), or just rock (His solo Soul Mover and Songs in the key of rock) are much better music offerings from Glenn, both performance and lyric wise. Going back to the 1996 DEP sessions, if you listen to that in it's entirity it maybe has 1 Sabbath style groove and the rest is just pure melodic rock / hard rock. Fused is a sludge fest of metal riffs. The track I Go Insane is pretty cool, and is worth all the 9 plus minutes. Other than that, it's pretty good, just nothing earthshattering from Iommi or Hughes. Oh, and for those that want to hear some other Hughes hard rock check out his releases with the band Voodoo Hill. Glenn sings very metal-ish on both albums. That's for those reviewers who want more of the metal Hughes. Overall, this is a solid metal release, great to hear Iommi drive the riffs hard but i like it when Glenn just rocks not really metal.
 conFUSED November 6, 2005
8 out of 24 found this review helpful
What a load of garbage. Me and my idiot friends play better stuff than this when we jam in the basement while half drunk.
Seriously, this sounds like a couple of friends, bored out of their minds, with excess studio time and half a clue. As Ritchie Blackmore once said in an interview, "one tends to put out a bit of junk" Oddly, he was talking about the Burn/Stormbringer days, which "featured" Glenn Hughes on backup vocals, but the junk comment is applicable here.
Glenn Hughes sounds like a rejected wannabe from a DefLeppard cover band audition. Someone needs to introduce him to scales, melody, emotion, and vocal range. I know Tony and Glenn have known each other for decades, but their musical styles do not mesh in any way shape or form. Given the breadth of fantastic vocalists who have been on Sabbath and Iommi albums, I am really surprised that someone thought this was a good idea.
Tony's talents are completely wasted here. Every so often there is good riff, or a really nice solo...but then Glenn opens his whiny trap, usually off key, and ruins it. Tony does get some nice detuned tones from his SG, and the recording techniques give him a lot of aural space, but to no effect. I am mostly convinced that Tony loses the muse when he is writing songs without Geezer.
Kenny Aronoff and Bob Marlette are just along for the ride. Nothing spectacular, or even interesting, which is really sad considering Kenny's talents.
Bottom Line: Don't waste your money on this project. Wait until Tony finds a real vocalist who can give voice to the images that the SG channels.
"Whyknot," indeed... this is a brilliant album! July 13, 2005
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
My original intention had been to review this CD in absolute, rather than relative, terms. But after reading "Whyknot's" review, I feel a response is in order. I couldn't disagree more with his/her assessment of "Fused" -- this is an absolutely (in every sense of the word) brilliant, multi-dimensional and incredibly powerful album, one that somehow manages to sound even better with each and every listen.
Make no mistake, Fused is NOT a Black Sabbath album... nor was it ever intended to be. It is 1) a Tony Iommi solo project, and 2) a unique collaboration with one of the most acclaimed voices in rock (Glenn Hughes), a highly respected -- and talented -- drummer (Kenny Aronoff), and an inventive, multi-talented and much in-demand producer (Bob Marlette). While Fused retains all of the classic Iommi elements -- the unparalleled riffs, masterful solos (yes, they're in there... Whyknot must've been listening through a tin can), and brilliant compositional dynamics are all present in abundance -- this is very much a modern hard rock / metal record. As a fan of both Audioslave and Velvet Revolver, I can tell you that Fused blows away both those bands' most recent releases. In fact, I think it's Tony's best studio work in years.
Although there are no weak tracks -- on either half of the CD -- standouts include the opener, "Dopamine" (and what's wrong with a little "psychopharmocological lesson" amongst friends...?), "Wasted Again," "Grace" (a true classic in the making), "Deep Inside a Shell" (replete with an atmospheric, almost Gilmour-esque solo from Tony), "What You're Living For," and the epic and change-filled "I Go Insane." Every song is unique, every one is totally infused (no pun intended) with Tony Iommi's (and his cohorts') musical brilliance, and every one makes for an incredible -- and eminently repeatable -- listening experience.
Perhaps Whyknot (like a lot of Ozzy-era Sabbath fans) has been too busy pining for a new Sabbath studio album (it's been 25 years, friend... get over it!) to give Fused a serious listen, without preconceptions. But for anyone who truly appreciates the brilliance of Tony Iommi -- and great music made by musicians whose pedigrees and credentials are beyond reproach -- Fused will not disappoint. I guarantee it.
P.S. -- With all due respect to Steve Perry, I don't think he would've been able to handle lead vocals for the likes of Trapeze, Deep Purple, Hughes / Thrall, or Gary Moore (to name just a few of the bands on Glenn Hughes' résumé...)
The riffmeister is drying up; it had to happen! July 19, 2005
7 out of 14 found this review helpful
I've listened to "Fused" 4 times now in its entirety and do not feel any differently than the first time i heard it. The best song is " I Go Insane" but what does that mean? It is not a great song, this is not a great ALBUM. I honestly feel the well is drying up for Tony Iommi and i'm very sad to say that. There has got to be a reason why this is so, wherby, the man is absolutely at the height of his playing(as will be confirmed when i see Black Sabbath tomorrow in Camden, NJ) but creatively, on new music, it just isn't there. With apologies to Jethro Tull, the NEXT time an all time great rocker, who's too old too rock n' roll, but too young to die, puts out a GREAT record WILL BE THE FIRST TIME! Why have no other rock greats ever put out something GREAT when they reached a certain age; McCartney, Jagger & Richards, Clapton, Page, Gilmour, Townshend, Neil Young, Blackmore, Dylan. It doesn't ever happen, does it? And it surely isn't happening here.
It never mattered who was singing, Iommi's riffs and solos could always make great songs by themselves. I remember the first time ever i heard about one minute of "Heaven and Hell". I didn't know who it was, only it was great and i had to have it immediately. That's 25 years ago! Iommi was a youthful 32 years old. Since then, he's written many fine songs, but at a progressively slower rate. A blues song like "Feels Good To Me" from 1990's "Tyr" album, to me, is a great song and i don't care if the rest of the LP is basically crap.
I don't know why some of the reviewers are wetting themselves over "Fused". Their isn't one song here that would make the first eight Ozzy Sabbath albums nor the first five post-ozzy Sabbath albums, thru 1987's "Eternal Idol", which itself, good but not great, is far superior to this effort in every way(melody, solos, vocals & doomy riffs). This is, by a mile, the weakest of the three Iommi/Hughes efforts. Who cares if the sound quality is terrific, the songs are not strong. Did you ever care how the first few Sabbath albums sounded? His first solo record, "IOMMI" was also much better. Let's be honest here. I'd love to see this album do well, but the fact that it's better than 99.3% of today's musical slop isn't saying much. Me, i'd rather be honest to prospective purchasers, and if i was to advise them, i'd tell them to listen to the lesser known cuts on cds they probably already own, when Iommi had it going. There is no difference between a newly recorded song and a 30 year old song you've never heard before, is there?
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