Forostar
Ancient Mariner
OZZY OSBOURNE has quit BLACK SABBATH, according to the band's guitarist TONY IOMMI.
It comes just 12 years after the singer sang his last note in the studio with his collegues from Birmingham.
Guitarist Iommi has revealed Ozzy left the rock group after he realized that he couldn't stand his own lack of motivation. "Ozzy said that these 12 years finally made him realize that Dio is the man who should continue until his pension. Then Tony Martin should be called to join the ranks again."
Iommi claims the discord in the band is down to Osbourn's lack of communication, including his failure to return the name Sabbath to where it belongs: "He and his wife are notorious for that. That's one thing I've learned to live with. I try to overlook it. I like to pick my battles.
"Frankly, the last few months I've been wanting not to rock the boat. I don't want him to literally push him into the studio again. We really wanted to do another album with him. We just kind of didn't want to call him out or anything and get him anymore p**sed off, for whatever reason. So we just let things lie. So we did the gigs and album with Dio and, like I said, I got off the plane and saw this online. That's how I know about it... He has had no contact with me or the other band members."
But Iommi is determined to continue with Black Sabbath, even if Dio would retire.
He adds, "Right now I'm adjusting to how we're going to go on. Black Sabbath is such a powerful band, I mean it's like a steam locomotive. You just can't disregard 40 years of 200 guys who play together as well as they do. We're just trying to - at least I am - trying to figure out what direction the band should take.
"As far as replacing Ozzy, it's not that, he was already replaced 4 years ago. Two hundred guys that play extremely well together, and I'm not going to see that go to waste. I really don't know what path it's going to take at this point, but we'll probably continue touring until we drop, and even might record another studio album and then we'll be able to move the Black Sabbath up a notch, move the vibe up a notch."
It comes just 12 years after the singer sang his last note in the studio with his collegues from Birmingham.
Guitarist Iommi has revealed Ozzy left the rock group after he realized that he couldn't stand his own lack of motivation. "Ozzy said that these 12 years finally made him realize that Dio is the man who should continue until his pension. Then Tony Martin should be called to join the ranks again."
Iommi claims the discord in the band is down to Osbourn's lack of communication, including his failure to return the name Sabbath to where it belongs: "He and his wife are notorious for that. That's one thing I've learned to live with. I try to overlook it. I like to pick my battles.
"Frankly, the last few months I've been wanting not to rock the boat. I don't want him to literally push him into the studio again. We really wanted to do another album with him. We just kind of didn't want to call him out or anything and get him anymore p**sed off, for whatever reason. So we just let things lie. So we did the gigs and album with Dio and, like I said, I got off the plane and saw this online. That's how I know about it... He has had no contact with me or the other band members."
But Iommi is determined to continue with Black Sabbath, even if Dio would retire.
He adds, "Right now I'm adjusting to how we're going to go on. Black Sabbath is such a powerful band, I mean it's like a steam locomotive. You just can't disregard 40 years of 200 guys who play together as well as they do. We're just trying to - at least I am - trying to figure out what direction the band should take.
"As far as replacing Ozzy, it's not that, he was already replaced 4 years ago. Two hundred guys that play extremely well together, and I'm not going to see that go to waste. I really don't know what path it's going to take at this point, but we'll probably continue touring until we drop, and even might record another studio album and then we'll be able to move the Black Sabbath up a notch, move the vibe up a notch."
