Black Sabbath ’Hand of Doom’ box set announced; Tony Iommi receives replica of fossil named after him

A new Black Sabbath box set has been announced.

The collection, dubbed Hand of Doom, includes each of the metal pioneers’ first eight albums — from 1970’s Black Sabbath to 1978’s Never Say Die! — on vinyl picture discs, capturing the first and most prolific period of the band’s classic lineup: frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

Hand of Doom will be released August 18 and will be limited to just 4,000 copies.

In other Sabbath related news, Iommi has received a replica of the fossil that was named after him. The 469 million-year-old Drepanoistodus iommii was discovered in 2021.

According to the U.K.’s Westside BID, Iommi was presented with the fossil replica by paleontologist Mats Eriksson and sculptor Esben Horn.

“Great to meet Mats and Esben today and receive an amazing replica of the Iommi fossil!” Iommi says.