Ozzy Osbourne Hopes Bill Ward "Gets His Stuff Together" for Black Sabbath's Final Goodbye

Photo: Adam Wills

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Oct 23, 2014

With Black Sabbath looking ahead to what is reportedly going to be their last album and tour ever, it appears as if vocalist Ozzy Osbourne is hoping the original four members of the gloom crew ring the requiem bell together. As a new interview with the Prince of Darkness has revealed, the singer is hopeful estranged skinsman Bill Ward will come back to the fold.

Speaking of Sabbath's upcoming plans with Esquire [via Blabbermouth], Osbourne noted that he's rather pleased with the positive reception of last year's 13. Apparently, it would be even better, though, the next time around if Ward was hammering things out from behind the kit instead of 13 fill-in Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine).

"What I'm really happy about is, if this is Black Sabbath's last hurrah, then we'll have ended it on an up note rather than when I left in 1979 and everybody was fucked up on one thing or another and I was marked out as being the worst, you know," Osbourne told Esquire, adding, "The only thing sad about it is I hope Bill Ward can get his stuff together to do this because... one of the biggest things I'm proud of in my life was that Black Sabbath wasn't a band that was created by some business mogul in London or New York. That we were four guys who had a great idea and it worked from record one."

As previously reported, Ward's exit from the group in 2012 didn't reflect any bad blood with his bandmates, but rather a disagreement with management handing him an "unsignable" contract that he felt didn't recognize his contributions to the band.

"I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician," Ward said of signing the paperwork at the time.

In the wake of Ozzy's recent comments, though, Ward has yet to weigh in on whether or not he's considering rejoining Black Sabbath.

  Though details are slim on the next Black Sabbath album, especially considering Osbourne confirmed to Esquire that guitarist Tony Iommi has yet to send him a single note of new music, the plan is to deliver one last record and support it with a tour. Rick Rubin is also expected to return as producer.

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