100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke's Picks: Tony Iommi

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Tony Iommi

Costello/Redferns

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Heavy, really heavy, starts here. While others were spinning solo stairways to the stars, the left-handed Iommi went in the opposite direction. Black Sabbath took rock's simplicity and simplified it even further. The occasional minor chord and a low, rumbling tone added to a guitar sound dripping menace and foreboding.