Tag Archives: Tony Iommi

CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED: Black Sabbath’s “Heaven And Hell” Turns 40

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Black Sabbath, one of the greatest bands ever, was an act in transition as it entered the 1980s. Less than a year earlier they sacked their legendary lead singer Ozzy Osbourne and replaced him with equally great Ronnie James Dio, previously of Rainbow. The flailing former greats and the hungry vocalist reignited each others passion for Heavy Metal to create something incredible in Heaven and Hell (Vertigo/Warner Bros) The album not only gave the band a shot in the arm, but it also launched their second era with a bang, one their fans would never forget. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Dio – Late Era Reissues

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One thing every metal fan can agree on is the eternal majesty of Ronnie James Dio. Whether you liked his music or not (and if you didn’t, then why are you reading this?), the simple fact is that the man’s talent was unquestionable. Whether you preferred his solo work or his time with Rainbow, or Black Sabbath, (or for you picky little contrarians out there – The Electric Elves, Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, or Elf), the fact remains that there is still a gaping void in the world of metal, even now, nearly ten years(!) after his death.Continue reading →


CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED: Black Sabbath’s Genre Defining Debut Turns 50

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Black Sabbath in 1970, photo by Warner Brothers Records

On the sleeve: a grainy picture of a woman dressed in black. A stagnant pond. A creepy looking mill house.

And two words. Black Sabbath.

On the record: Rain. Thunder. A tolling bell. Those three notes. That voice.

And just like that, in February of 1970 – appropriately enough on the 13th – the face of music was changed forever.

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Tool, Cage The Elephant, and Gary Clark Jr. Win for Metal and Rock at the 62nd Grammy Awards

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The Grammy Awards announced their winners for the Rock and Metal categories for the 2020 award ceremony, their 62nd edition. Tool won for the Best Metal Performance category for the song ‘7empest’ from their album Fear Inoculum (Tool Dissectional/RCA). Tool members Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor were in attendance to collect the award, which was announced before the broadcast portion of the show. Gary Clark Jr. who was nominated over several categories for multiple tracks won both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for the track ‘This Land’. Best Rock album honors went to Cage the Elephant for Social Cues. In the more pop-orientated Alternative Rock category, Vampire Weekend won, while other Rock and Metal related artists such as Chris Cornell won for the packaging of his posthumous self-titled boxed set, and The Best Instrumental Album went to metal fans and sometimes cover artists Rodrigo y Gabriella for Mettavolution (ATO Records) The 62nd Grammy Awards are once again hosted by Alicia Keys and will air on CBS.

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Tool, Bring Me The Horizon, Candlemass, Death Angel, Killswitch Engage, I Prevail and Rival Sons Nominated for The 62rd Grammy Awards

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The Grammy Awards announced their nominees for 2020’s award ceremony, the 62nd edition. Among the nominees across the rock and metal categories are Tool, Bring Me The Horizon, Candlemass (featuring Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath), Death Angel, Killswitch Engage, I Prevail, Rival Sons, Cage The Elephant, Karen O, Bon Iver, Gary Clark Junior and more! You can see all the categories and nominees below. Tool has actually won multiple Grammy awards while Death Angel has never been nominated. Bring Me The Horizon has been nominated for their album Amo (Columbia Records). In the more popular categories, pop sensation Billie Eilish was nominated across all the major categories, a rare feat for a teenager. The 62nd Grammy Awards are once again hosted by Alicia Keys and will take place on January 26th on CBS. Continue reading →


Bill Ward Shares Message of Love to Black Sabbath, Proposes Reunion of Classic Lineup

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Legendary Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has shared a brief video clip on social meida, expressing his love for the other founding members of the band: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne. He claims he would be open to any chance to reunite and perform together again. Ward was excluded from the bands’ “The End” farewell tour after initially agreeing to participate in the dates. The band has retired from touring, mostly due to health concerns from Iommi and Osbourne, but have not ruled out one-off gigs and festivals in the future. The band has been featured at events recently for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the group, such as the Hall of Heavy Metal exhibition and the Black Sabbath Bridge and Bench unveiling in their hometown of Birmingham, UK. Even Ozzy has recently expressed a desire to play with Bill again, so hopefully, this moves it closer to reality. Continue reading →


Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler to Participate in “Black Sabbath Bridge” Ceremony

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The official naming of the “Black Sabbath Bridge” in honor of Birmingham’s legendary heavy metal kings Black Sabbath is taking place in the heart of the city’s entertainment district later this month at the site where the bridge crosses the canal on Broad Street — at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26. Founding members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. Hundreds of fans are expected for the ceremony and tribute band Sabbra Cadabra will be on hand to perform. Continue reading →


Ozzy Osbourne Says He’d Like to Play One More Black Sabbath Show with Bill Ward

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Ozzy Osbourne is home recuperating from illness and injury that has derailed his solo farewell tour, the No More Tours 2” Tour. Now Ozzy has clearly been thinking about how Black Sabbath ended their farewell tour and wishes it ended differently. He now says drummer Bill Ward should have been a part of it stating “it should have been the four of us ending it”. In a new interview with Kerrang!, Osbourne noted, “I didn’t like the fact that Bill Ward wasn’t there, for a start. People put that down to me, but it wasn’t me, honestly. We didn’t have the f*cking time to hang around, we had to get going, but I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Bill. Hopefully, this starts the ball rolling for even one final show with Bill, which would be great. The band has officially said they will never tour again but are open to special festivals and one-off concerts. In addition to Ozzy’s solo career, Ward is working on a solo album, art projects and has a podcast, Tony Iommi is making a new solo album with Dr. Brian May of Queen, and Geezer Butler has a new band, rock supergroup Deadland Ritual. Continue reading →


Earth – Full Upon Her Burning Lips

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Despite being heralded as a paragon of minimalist Drone, Dylan Carlson and his fluctuating incarnations of Earth have eschewed the usual expectations of such music, moving through variations on the theme throughout their thirty-year existence. Ninth studio album Full Upon Her Burning Lips (Sargent House) sees the band return to its core of Carlson and percussionist Adrienne Davies, leading to a partial revisit of earlier days.Continue reading →


The Shrine – Cruel World EP

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Despite a brief flirtation with the Century Media label, the decade-long career of Los Angeles grease punks The Shrine has sailed largely deserted seas. As the line-up has grown, however, so has the power of the band’s sound, with new EP Cruel World (Annihilator Records) adding motorised elements to their sleazy Heavy Rock base.Continue reading →