— I feel that my body is full of adrenaline and actually a little shaky. It is a childhood idol and someone who has been with me throughout my life, at least my musical life and also the founder of a whole genre that I really love, says Mats E Eriksson, professor of paleontology at Lund University.
It was in autumn 2021 that the research article on the three new fossils of the jawless eel-like fish was published. They were 469 million years old and had been swimming around in parts of today’s Scandinavia and the Baltics.
Fossils from the fish are, among other things, important in the work of dating the age of rocks, and therefore heavy metal-loving research leader Mats E Eriksson thought it appropriate to name one of the species Drepanoistodus iommii, after the guitarist of the British band Black Sabbath: Tony Iommi.
— The fossil has a long history and has made quite a big impact on how we view that field of research. And then I thought that Black Sabbath also has a huge impact within their art form, he explains.
Exhibits the fossil
In parallel with the research work, he has worked together with the Danish artist Esben Horn, also a music enthusiast, with the exhibition Rock Fossils where sculptures of fossils are exhibited.
By chance, Mats E Eriksson had contact with Iommi’s manager and was told that the tribute was appreciated.
The question was asked if Iommi would be interested in receiving a copy of the sculpture, the answer was yes and the meeting was booked.
— Both Espen and I are extremely big heavy metal geeks and especially Black Sabbath, so to meet him… it’s hard to put into words. You become like a teenage fanboy, even though you are over 50 years old. He will have it set up in his home studio. I’m living the dream, he says and laughs.
“An elixir of life”
The Iommi fossil is the fifth that Mats E Eriksson names after rock musicians, but he had not met any of them until now.
Eriksson has also written lyrics to a rock song about fossils, “Deep time predator”.
— Music has been an elixir of life since I was a child. For many years I have been able to combine my passions; paleontology, research and natural science with music and art.
Black Sabbath at Live AId 1985. Ozzy Osbourne, left, and Tony Iommi. Archive image.