Tony Iommi:
We are excited to announce ‘Anno Domini 1989-1995’, the first boxed set celebrating singer Tony Martin’s era of Black Sabbath, will be released on 31st May 2024. The set picks up Black Sabbath’s story in 1989, two decades into the band’s ground-breaking career as metal originators.
Tony Iommi:
Check out Tony on the UK’s BBC Radio 4 show ‘Loose Ends’ this Saturday 6:15pm UK time and on the BBC iPlayer.
Then on Friday 24th he’s the subject of Sky Arts ‘Greatest Guitar Riffs’ documentary. The programme is based around Tony in his studio with Brian May, discussing what makes a good riff and playing some together.
There are contributions from many other guitarists including Tom Morello and Kim Thayil.
Tony Iommi:
Great day with Chris Austin working on music for the ballet in my new studio.
Black Sabbath-The Ballet: ‘Paranoid’,‘Iron Man’,‘War Pigs’, ‘Black Sabbath’, ‘Solitude’, ‘Orchid’, ‘Laguna Sunrise’ & ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’–reorchestrated by Royal Ballet Sinfonia, will premiere at Birmingham Hippodrome Sept 23-30, then Plymouth Theatre Royal & Sadler’s Wells pic.twitter.com/W0EpOrM9P9
— BlackSabbath (@BlackSabbath) February 25, 2023
Tony Iommi:
Cozy Powell would have been 75 today. Looking forward to the release of the IRS albums in 2023, a tribute to his great playing.
Tony Iommi:
I’ve noticed a lot of acoustic guitars on the web supposedly signed by me.
I didn’t sign any of them, it’s all a scam, and the ‘authentication’ is valueless. Be warned.
Tony Iommi:
It’s a very sad day for me today. Mike Clement my dear old friend and my guitar tech for the last 33yrs passed away this morning. Mike was a really lovely man very loyal, and I could depend on him 100%. My deepest condolences go out to his family and his many friends. RIP.
Geezer Butler:
Very sad news today about the passing of Mike Clement, Tony’s long time guitar tech and one of the greatest people to ever grace this Earth. We shared many a fun time together, on and off the road. A true wonderful gentleman and scholar. RIP Mike.
Bill Ward:
Sincere condolences to the Mike Clement Family. A friendship I cherished. Mike’s experience assured that each night would be seamless in everything that screamed out in obliterating magnificence. Always credible and understanding, one of the best. RIP. Bill Ward and Family
In a new interview with Spain’s RockFM, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked if it’s true that he broke the sole BLACK SABBATH album he appeared on, 1983’s “Born Again”, when he first got a copy of it. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET ): “I didn’t break it. I threw it out the window of my car. [Laughs]
“Look, I was disappointed,” he explained. “I didn’t have the mentality of all the guys in BLACK SABBATH. I loved it. I had a fantastic year; it was insane. But when we finished the mixes… I still have a cassette at my home of the monitor mixes of ‘Born Again’, and it sounds fantastic — just on a cassette. And that’s the last thing I heard in the recording studio. When I heard the album, I went, ‘What is this?’ The bass rumble was a bit too much for me.
“There’s a famous line in a famous movie called ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ that has two or three references to BLACK SABBATH in it,” Gillan added. “And I don’t know where these may have come from [laughs], but one of them was ‘This album in unplayable on American radio,’ because of the bass end. And so it was — unplayable on the radio.
“I was disappointed in the final production mix,” Ian clarified. “I don’t know what happened between the studio and the factory, but something happened. So that was a disappointment. Having said that, I love some of the songs on there. And ‘Trashed’ is one of my favorite rock and roll songs of all time, and even more so because it’s a completely true story. [Laughs]”
You can read the entire article @ this location.
MORE on full in bloom:
Tony Iommi:
A special tribute to Brummie rock music legends Black Sabbath has been unveiled in Birmingham. The hand-engraved mirror with neon lighting, which will eventually hang in Tony Iommi’s studio, depicts the iconic heavy metal bench that adorns the Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad St.
Tony Iommi:
Thanks for the cover, a really good version.
Ronnie Romero has announced the upcoming release of ‘Raised On Heavy Radio’, a companion album of sorts to his first covers album, “Raised On Radio”, on January 27, 2023. This time out, Romero pays tribute to legendary artists from the metal world like Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept, Metallica, and more. Special guests on the album include Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne), Chris Caffery (Savatage, Spirits Of Fire), Roland Grapow (Masterplan, Helloween), and more.
Romero’s voice and prolific musical activity have brought him to the forefront of the hard rock/metal scene where he can be seen/heard with Lords of Black, The Ferrymen, Sunstorm, Rainbow, and the Michael Schenker Group. Through his work fronting these acts, it is no stretch to see how the artists covered on this album have influenced Romero and understand how his voice is well suited to give them a proper tribute.
Ambitious and driven as always, this record is another special treat for fans while Romero continues work on his proper debut solo album of original material.
Romero’s first solo covers album, “Raised On Radio”, featured covers of classics that meant something special to Romero over the years and helped forge this talented singer’s musical style. Songs by legendary acts like Survivor, Bad Company, Foreigner, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and more were given Romero’s talented vocal treatment. These classic rock and AOR covers showcased a different side of Romero’s musical influences and were executed with passion, charisma, and power. Now, with this second installment of covers, “Raised On Heavy Radio”, Romero showcases his love of metal music, for which he is more widely known.
Through Romero’s career thus far, he has performed killer renditions of several rock and metal classics as part of his shows fronting legendary acts like Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). He’s also covered classic songs by Journey, Queen, Rainbow, and more with Spanish metallers Lords Of Black. So, with trying his hand at covers by legendary artists being familiar territory already, both cover albums were waters that Romero was comfortable wading into.
Tracklisting
The Battle Rages On (Deep Purple cover)
Metal Daze (Manowar cover)
Turbo Lover (Feat. Nozomu Wakai) (Judas Priest cover)
Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden cover)
Fast As A Shark (Accept cover)
No More Tears (Feat. Gus G.) (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
The Shining (Feat. Chris Caffery) (Black Sabbath cover)
A Light In The Black (Rainbow cover)
Kind Hearted Light (Feat. Roland Grapow) (Masterplan cover)
You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget (Yngwie Malmsteen)
The Four Horsemen (Metallica)
Turbo Lover (Alternate Solo Version) (Judas Priest cover) Digital Bonus Track
Black Sabbath Ltd. Edition Statue Set from KnuckleBonz®. This collectible set punches a “Hole in the Sky” taking us back to 1975. The entire original band has been hand-cast and detailed for #Sabbath Superfans worldwide.
The Black Sabbath Rock Iconz (Set of 4) is now available for pre-order. Reserve yours now. KnuckleBonz Black Sabbath Ltd. Edition Statue (Set of 4) Retail MSRP: $666. Pre-Order Special Price is $599 exclusively at knucklebonz.com. Ship date TBD estimated Early 2023. Stay tuned for updates.
Only 3000 of each are made; all KnuckleBonz® statues are officially licensed with Black Sabbath. The entire original band has been featured in this limited-edition collectible set. This is a fine-arts process.
Each statue comes with a unique number and a certificate of authenticity on the base. Each figure is hand-cast and hand-painted in amazing detail for Sabbath Superfans worldwide.
This collectible set punches a “Hole in the Sky” taking us back to 1975.
Product Dimensions: (each statue)
9″ (h) x 7.25″ (w) x 7.25″ (d)
Stereogum:
Ozzy Osbourne told us about his new album, meeting Randy Rhoads, his memories of Ozzfest, Black Sabbath’s reunions, the dangerous Beatlemania-like fame that came with ‘The Osbournes,’ his recent spinal surgery, and more.
You can read the entire feature @ this location. An excerpt from the interview has been provided below.
On reuniting with Black Sabbath at Live Aid in 1985:
Ozzy Osbourne:
Fucking hell. Going back a bit now. Well, they were managed by my father-in-law [Don Arden], and my father-in-law and my wife [Sharon] and I were in a fucking war. I was fucking served [a lawsuit] at Live Aid by my father-in-law, for interference or some bullshit, and nothing ever materialized from it. And I was drinking lots of fucking booze in them days, and I was bloated.
It wasn’t a great experience. It was more like [an] “I’ll have my revenge on them,” kind of thing. Or no, it wasn’t revenge. It was just the first time I’d seen them all since the breakup.
It wasn’t a life-shattering experience where I went, “Fuck, why did I go and get fired,” and all this shit. It was just Sabbath. By that time, I’d felt freedom as well, whereas with Sabbath, I didn’t feel that important in the band. I used to feel I was just a sideman for their show. I’d come up with my own melodies and that, but I didn’t feel on an equal part with them, because I couldn’t play an instrument. But that was a long time ago, and when you start thinking about this shit now, it doesn’t seem necessary anymore, does it?
You did continue to get back together with them at a few other points. Did you feel at that time like that door was open?
It was for the fans who thought they would never get the chance to see the original lineup. It was a bit awkward because the fans would write and say, “Oh, we’d like to see the original lineup.” And Sharon would show these to me from time to time. But I never wanted to go back full-time on tour with them.
It’s been almost 10 years now since 13, and that’s still the last Black Sabbath album. Do you feel good about where 13 left things?
Not really, because to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really get a charge from the album. Although Rick Rubin is a good friend of mine, I wasn’t really… I was just singing. It was like stepping back in time, but it wasn’t a glorious period. Though Geezer [Butler] did a lot of lyric writing for me, which he’s very, very good at. It wasn’t an earth-shattering experience for me.
Ozzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi – No Escape From Now (Official Visualizer)
Mercyful Fate:
Visiting the Black Sabbath bridge in Birmingham. Bloodstock tonight, be there.. 😈
‘HAIL SATAN’ 🔥 @MercyfulFate_HQ hit the main stage at Bloodstock 2022 pic.twitter.com/LcIUuxgR0P
— bloodstockfest (@BLOODSTOCKFEST) August 13, 2022
The Talk: Ozzy Osbourne made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games last night as he performed with his band, Black Sabbath.
Sharon Osbourne:
They asked us six months ago, and Ozzy couldn’t have possibly done it until after his last operation. They saw Ozzy was at Comic-Con and they said, “Alright, come on. Get him over,” and we’re like, “Alright.” And literally it was like six days from their phone call to getting him there. It was just incredible.
I mean, Birmingham is an amazing city now. It’s cosmopolitan; it’s beautiful. No matter what he achieves in his life, no matter whatever he does, he’s from Birmingham. He’s so proud of coming from Birmingham.
On Ozzy being a natural performer:
He’s very organic with everything, but he is and always will be a working-class hero.
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Dad closing out the #CommonwealthGames2022 You can’t keep this man down 🤘 pic.twitter.com/0xjniSghKs
— Jack Osbourne (@JackOsbourne) August 9, 2022
Ozzy Osbourne is 73 and has Parkinson's. It didn't stop him from giving his best. @OzzyOsbourne https://t.co/dY9OgtBAV1
— BirminghamWorldUK (@BhamWorld_) August 9, 2022
Mutilador Fanzine: BORN AGAIN Artwork
The cover is by Steve ‘Krusher’ Joule; a Kerrang! designer who also worked on Ozzy Osbourne’s Speak of the Devil. It is based on a black-and-white photocopy of a photograph published in a 1968 magazine.
Steve ‘Krusher’ Joule:
“The one of the baby was actually the front cover of a 1968 magazine called Mind Alive. I took some black and white photocopies of the image that I overexposed, stuck the horns, nails, fangs into the equation, used the most outrageous color combination that acid could buy, bastardized a bit of the Olde English typeface, and I sat back, shook my head and chuckled.”
The same photograph was used for 12-inch versions of Depeche Mode’s “New Life” (1981).
BLACK SABBATH BORN AGAIN Released 7th august 1983. pic.twitter.com/0ELZhMJ1d1
— Emerald Sabbath (@Emerald_Sabbath) August 7, 2022
Tony Iommi:
Thank you #Birmingham #CommonwealthGames2022
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Dad closing out the #CommonwealthGames2022 You can’t keep this man down 🤘 pic.twitter.com/0xjniSghKs
— Jack Osbourne (@JackOsbourne) August 9, 2022
Another shot closing the #CommonwealthGames #Birmingham Forever! pic.twitter.com/zlpNXvbc78
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) August 27, 2022