When Scott Ian first tried to crack the mystery behind Tony Iommi‘s unmistakable guitar tone, his approach was… unconventional. Believing the left-handed setup was the secret sauce, a young Scott Ian flipped his guitar and gave it a shot.
“Tony was such a big influence on me as a kid. I actually tried to play lefty… it didn’t work. [Laughs] I tried as hard as I could because I was convinced that him playing lefty was part of why he sounded so evil,” Ian explained (via Guitar World)
For fans of heavy music, few tones are as iconic or as endlessly chased as Tony Iommi’s. From the punishing riffs of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and “Into the Void” to deep cuts like “Black Moon” during the Tony Martin years or “Time is Mine” with Phil Anselmo, that sound practically is heavy metal. Unsurprisingly, it became a kind of Holy Grail for many guitarists — Scott Ian included.
“I was like, ‘He’s the only left-handed player I’ve ever heard of, so it must have something to do with that.’ But I can’t even quantify it because I grew up learning by listening to Tony, the down-picking, the tone, and the galloping,” he added.
As the longtime rhythm guitarist for Anthrax, Ian has spent decades building his own legacy in metal, but he’s always remained in awe of the seemingly straightforward yet deeply singular nature of Iommi’s work. In the interview, he pointed out a common misconception about the music of Black Sabbath and even AC/DC — that simplicity equals ease.
“Sabbath and AC/DC are similar to me because people make the mistake of thinking, ‘That’s so easy. It’s like a caveman. Anyone could play those parts.’ If they could, they would. That’s why there’s never been another Black Sabbath or another AC/DC – nobody else can do it!”
That line — “If they could, they would” — captures what many musicians come to realize only after years of trying to replicate greatness: authenticity can’t be faked or forced. And in Ian’s case, he’s found that the best way to honor his heroes is to stop copying and just be himself.
“Nobody else could play those parts the way those guys do. They’re original entities on guitar, and that’s why I don’t even try. I play it the way I play it. We’ve always been a band that tries to honor it.”
Set to appear in Black Sabbath’s final show, Back to the Beginning, Ian remains a true believer in the legacy of the Riff Lord, not just for what Iommi created, but for how he made it unmistakably his own.
