Tuesday, August 16th 2011

News:  Black Sabbath

Old Men Reconcile: Black Sabbath Are Back Together?

By Fernando Scoczynski Filho

Five years ago, the second-best-known lineup of Black Sabbath reunited, featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals. After successfully touring and recording a new album with the band, Dio passed away last year, and many fans fans were left wondering whether it was time to finally get Ozzy Osbourne back and reunite the original lineup of the band. That time has finally come, as guitarist Tony Iommi just revealed to Birmingham Mail.

Osbourne and Iommi got together in June to write some songs for a new album, set to be released in 2012; recently, the two of them have been rehearsing with bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward for an upcoming tour. Iommi stated: ‘‘We’re really looking forward to it and I think the stuff we’ve been writing is really good. It’s more back to the old original stuff.”

On keeping the reunion a secret, he added: “‘It’s all been very hush-hush. Ozzy’s been the worst at trying to hold it back. He’s doing a lot of TV and he’s being asked stuff about a reunion and he’s going ‘well I never say never’. He told me, ‘I don’t know what to say’. I had umpteen number of people on the phone asking if I fancied getting together with a band but I couldn’t tell them what I was doing. I just had to say I was busy.’’

The last time all of Black Sabbath played a concert together was in 2005, and their last studio record was 1978′s Never Say Die!. Considering that Ozzy’s last solo album was actually pretty good, we’ll maintain modest expectations.

Update: via Tony Iommi’s official site (which is now swamped) and Blabbermouth comes an official statement that, for better or for worse, pretty much calls bullshit on the Birmingham Mail piece:

“I’m saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion. At the time I was supporting the Home Of Metal exhibition was merely speculating shooting the breeze on something all of us get asked constantly, ‘Are you getting back together?’ Thanks to the Internet it’s now gone round the world as some sort of ‘official’ statement on my part; absolute nonsense. I hope he’s enjoyed his moment of glory, he won’t have another at my expense. To my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about this, I should have known better.”

Notice how he doesn’t say “we’re not reuniting” or “we are reuniting” anywhere on the statement. The only thing Iommi’s statement confirms is that the Birmingham Mail piece was speculative at best. Some musicians just like to keep certain doors open, it seems.