Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has announced that the original lineup of the band are finally back together. Suggesting you just can't mess with the classics, the metal icons are currently writing and rehearsing together with goals to tour and record a new album.
"We're really looking forward to it and I think the stuff we've been writing is really good," Iommi told the Birmingham Mail [via Blabbermouth], explaining that he and Ozzy Osbourne wrote some material this past June. "It's more back to the old original stuff."
UPDATE: Oh, geez, here we go again. As Blabbermouth points out, Iommi's management has now "strongly denied the authenticity of this story," saying that the guitarist hasn't spoken to Birmingham Mail for two months. So, um, no Black Sabbath reunion -- again?
While the band haven't performed together since 2005, it's been even longer since the original lineup recorded together. While they attempted to record in the late '90s, their last album was 1978's Never Say Die!
It's unclear when the pair brought drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler back into the fold, but Iommi said they've been planning the reunion for a while.
"It's all been very hush-hush," Iommi said. "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."
Despite Iommi's excitement, a recent interview with Osbourne suggested the singer may be iffy about the whole thing.
"I would love to do a great album with Black Sabbath," the metal singer told the QMI Agency. "I would love to get the credit we so roundly deserve. At the same time, the pressure would be really intense. I could go tomorrow and make an album with them, but it wouldn't necessarily be something I would be proud of."
While the quartet are apparently pretty amped to get back to business, Iommi did admit he has some apprehensions about Ward's health. The drummer suffered a heart attack back in 1998.
"He hasn't been 100 percent. He had an operation a few months ago, so we'll see how he is."
While no firm plans have been set for either the tour or the new disc, the ETA is said to be sometime next year.
"We're really looking forward to it and I think the stuff we've been writing is really good," Iommi told the Birmingham Mail [via Blabbermouth], explaining that he and Ozzy Osbourne wrote some material this past June. "It's more back to the old original stuff."
UPDATE: Oh, geez, here we go again. As Blabbermouth points out, Iommi's management has now "strongly denied the authenticity of this story," saying that the guitarist hasn't spoken to Birmingham Mail for two months. So, um, no Black Sabbath reunion -- again?
While the band haven't performed together since 2005, it's been even longer since the original lineup recorded together. While they attempted to record in the late '90s, their last album was 1978's Never Say Die!
It's unclear when the pair brought drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler back into the fold, but Iommi said they've been planning the reunion for a while.
"It's all been very hush-hush," Iommi said. "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."
Despite Iommi's excitement, a recent interview with Osbourne suggested the singer may be iffy about the whole thing.
"I would love to do a great album with Black Sabbath," the metal singer told the QMI Agency. "I would love to get the credit we so roundly deserve. At the same time, the pressure would be really intense. I could go tomorrow and make an album with them, but it wouldn't necessarily be something I would be proud of."
While the quartet are apparently pretty amped to get back to business, Iommi did admit he has some apprehensions about Ward's health. The drummer suffered a heart attack back in 1998.
"He hasn't been 100 percent. He had an operation a few months ago, so we'll see how he is."
While no firm plans have been set for either the tour or the new disc, the ETA is said to be sometime next year.