Members of Black Sabbath wrote their own band’s epitaphs ahead of their final concert in Birmingham, England on July 5.
The original lineup – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will perform together for the first time in 20 years along with a who’s-who bill of metal bands from several generations.
With all four Birmingham natives certain they won’t be seen on stage again, three of them told Classic Rock how they’d like the group to be remembered.
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“You can never know how your life turns out.” guitarist Iommi reflected. “It’s just believing in what you do and following that path. That’s always what I’ve had, and not give[n] up on it.”
Asked what he’d like Sabbath to be known for, he replied: “For what we brought to the table. For bringing this music out and inspiring other bands to build on it.”
Drummer Ward’s answer was: “For showing that it’s okay to push things, to be outlandish and extraordinary and rough around the edges. We were loud and aggressive, and that’s what I love about us.”
Bassist Butler responded: “As four working-class blokes who defied all the odds, but had an unbreakable belief in ourselves, and bonded with the greatest fans ever.”
Could Black Sabbath Still Make Another Album?
When the prospect of another Sabbath album was raised, Iommi and Butler both referred to their dissatisfaction with 2013’s 13, repeating previous comments about not liking what producer Rick Rubin had done with their songs.
Butler said: “It would have been great if Bill was on it” – a sentiment Iommi agreed with.
“I’ve been approached about doing a Sabbath album,” the guitarist added. “It could be good, but I don’t want to take the time of sitting down and writing stuff like last time and it goes willy-nilly.”
Butler said: “Do I wish we’d done another album? No, I don’t… but if anyone really wanted to do another, I’d be up for it. But not just for the sake of doing it.”
Ward stated: “I’d love to do another album. I’ll be direct about that.”
Osbourne – whose health issues mean the Birmingham show is his final bow – offered another note of hope by saying: “As far as recording goes, I still enjoy doing my own work. I also enjoy singing on other people’s work. For the foreseeable future I will keep on recording – if the projects interest me.”
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Together, they paint a portrait of a band that lived hard, worked hard and played hard.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
