Last November, the legendary metal pioneer Black Sabbath announced that, for the first time more than 30 years, it would reunite with the band’s original lineup. Members would consist of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler not only to tour, but also release an album of completely new material.
Basically, this is a metalhead’s dream come true. Everything seemed to be going well. The members all liked each other, they were all relatively healthy (I mean, they are getting older) and they were all in the same room together; these are conditions that haven’t been met for quite some time. The outcome looked promising.
However, those of us who have realistic expectations about old bands reuniting thought that this might be too good to be true. And it was.
On Jan. 9, it was announced that Iommi has lymphoma. The band sounded optimistic, noting that they weren’t planning on having to cancel tour dates or push back recording for the new album. I figured this reunion could still happen even if only three of the four could make it, but then complications arose with another member.
Earlier this month, Ward announced he would not be taking part in the reunion unless he was provided with a “signable contract” amid rumors that Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and solo career manager, ordered Ward to be fired from the band. She denounced the rumors publicly, but it still remains that the band is without their original drummer.
The last nail in the Sabbath coffin, at least for me personally, came this past Saturday when the band announced that Iommi would only be able to make one show in light of his recent cancer developments. The band remains firm in its claims of Iommi’s good health, but he still needs to take time off for treatment and recovery.
This leaves the band consisting of Ozzy and Geezer as the final remaining original members. What we’re left with after the departure of Iommi is essentially another one of Ozzy’s horrible solo tours. Zakk Wylde will replace Iommi for the dates already scheduled. Upcoming concerts in Europe with “Black Sabbath” billed as the headliners now read “Ozzy and Friends.”
The band promises old fans that there will still be a special Black Sabbath set in which Geezer will join Ozzy on stage, but this is hardly a shadow of the act formerly promised. Without the other half of the band, it’s essentially a Black Sabbath cover band. Actually, it’s worse than that. It’s a Black Sabbath cover band featuring “Crazy Train” and other Ozzy hits that you’ll have to sit through.
It’s depressing, and I can’t say that I’m really surprised, but it’s not a completely bad situation. If anything, it means we may have some Sabbath to look forward to in the near future. There’s still hope that the band can come through and offer Ward a reasonable contract, if not now, then maybe in the next year or two.
Also, there’s certainly hope that Iommi sees a swift and healthy recovery, as he is dealing with a highly treatable form of cancer. As a fan, I’m disappointed that it couldn’t come together this year, but if the cancellation means better health for Iommi, I can wait a little longer.
