U.K.

bassist Becky Baldwin has officially joined BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi on his upcoming solo album, 'From The Dark.' The 35-year-old musician, best known as the permanent bassist for Danish metal veterans MERCYFUL FATE, is featured alongside drummer Karl Brazil—known for his work with Robbie Williams and James Blunt—and Norwegian vocalist Jorn Lande.

Baldwin shared a photo with Iommi on her Instagram, writing: "It's been tough keeping this quiet, but I'm sure that now most of you have now seen this news!" She added: "I've been working on an album with the creator of heavy metal, the riffmaster himself, Mr @tonyiommi ...

And yesterday, we dropped the first single from that album, finally unleashing the brand new line up that also features the brilliant @brazil.karl on drums and the absolutely mind blowing vocal talent of @jornofficialmusic .

The single 'World Alone' can be streamed now, and pre-orders for both this single on 7" vinyl and the album 'From The Dark' are now live." In the photo, Baldwin recalls meeting Iommi at the end of their first recording session, stating: "I still couldn't believe that this great honour could be real, and I was so nervous recording in front of Tony on his song with no preparation, that I was sure they'd look for another bass player once I left the room.

I asked 'Could we get a quick photo together, in case I never see you again?' Tony just laughed and said 'You'll be back here in two weeks for the next session!' But he granted my request.

And I still didn't really believe him." Baldwin confirmed in a statement: "But fast forward 8 months and here we are, the nerves faded and I did get to record the rest of the bass tracks for Tony's incredible album.

I am so proud to be a part of this, and we're so thrilled with the results working with producer @mikeexeter .

I've heard the final mixes, I know the rest of the album is coming out in October.

I have to believe it's all real now." In an interview with Rolling Stone, Iommi praised Baldwin: "Becky lives in Birmingham, and she's a really good player.

And she's certainly a fan of Geezer [Butler], and she plays in Geezer's style.

And that's what I wanted.

She's really good." He added: "I wanted him to play on this album, but he couldn't do it.

He's doing his own album, I think.

Or at the time, something happened there, so he couldn't come to England.

I wanted to get it done and finally get it out, really.

Because Becky's, as I say, a fan of Geezer, and she plays in that style, I thought let's give it a try.

And she was good." Baldwin joined MERCYFUL FATE in January 2024 as its permanent bassist, following her temporary role in 2022 as a replacement for Joey Vera, who was unable to tour due to a conflict with his band ARMORED SAINT.

A dedicated performer and educator, Baldwin holds a BA Honours degree in Professional Musicianship and has taught at institutions including BIMM Bristol, ACM Birmingham, and Access Creative College.

She is also a co-founder of Bristol Rock Centre and has contributed to Rockschool's curriculum development, including the 'Let's Rock Bass' and 'Popular Music Theory' collections."