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Tony Iommi has always been a heavy metal legend. He still couldn’t help but be impressed by his successor
Tony Iommi, the Black Sabbath guitarist who helped establish heavy metal, named Eddie Van Halen as the last guitarist to truly impress him with technical ability. His praise highlights Van Halen’s influence on later players and the way he pushed metal guitar into new territory.
In a 2024 interview, Iommi recalled seeing Van Halen tour with Black Sabbath early in his career and described his playing as distinctive for its time. Iommi admired that Van Halen, like himself, did not read music but developed ideas by ear and instinct; his solos and finger-tapping technique went on to shape generations of technical guitarists.
In short
- Iommi said Eddie Van Halen was the last guitarist to astonish him technically.
- Van Halen toured with Black Sabbath early in his career.
- His instinctive playing influenced generations of metal guitarists.