New details have surfaced since our previous post regarding drummer Bill Ward’s potential withdrawal from the Black Sabbath reunion. As reported by The Rolling Stone, Black Sabbath and Ward could not come to an agreement on the terms of their reunion, which will cause the band to move forward without him.
Since the announcement of the reunion, Black Sabbath has had their fair share of misfortunes. Guitarist Tony Iommi’s recent diagnosis with lymphoma caused the band to withdraw from their headlining spot at Coachella. Since then, the band decided to move to England so that Iommi could receive treatment while the band worked on the new album.
A couple days ago, the next roadblock appeared when Bill Ward stated his predicament in an open letter on the Internet. He stated, “I want a contract that shows some respect to me and my family, a contract that will honor all that I’ve brought to Black Sabbath since its beginning.” This isn’t the first time Bill Ward has had contractual disputes with Black Sabbath either. After he rejoined the band in 2004 for an Ozzfest tour, Ward regrettably signed a contract that he did not find fair.
Shortly after the appearance of Ward’s open letter, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler responded to the situation by saying, “We have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open…We are still in the UK with Tony. Writing and recording the new album and on a roll…See you at Download!!!”
Though the details about the fairness of the contract are unclear, Bill Ward thought his principles and honor as a musician were being questioned. Though Sabbath fans might be quick to spurn Ward for backing out of the reunion, he simply was standing up for his beliefs. As Ward said in his open letter, “It would be a sad day in Rock if this current situation fell to the desires of a few.” It is my regret to inform you that sad day has arrived.
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