Tag: tony Iommi

  • Black Sabbath: The Vault by Paul Elliot

    Black Sabbath: The Vault by Paul Elliot

    Without Black Sabbath, I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading this… it’s that simple. Published by Carltonbooks, (available to order here). “Written by a leading music journalist and illustrated throughout with rare and previously unpublished photographs, Black Sabbath: The Vault is the ultimate interactive celebration of the iconic rock group. Featuring 20…

  • Bill Ward: The Hellbound Interview

    When the gods made heavy metal, it was the thunder issued from Bill Ward’s fists that set the scene, at least as equally as Tony Iommi’s lightning. You could not have had that demon birth with a lesser drummer at the helm. Mixing the satanic swing of jazz with sheer brute clobbering force, Bill Ward’s…

  • Black Sabbath – 13

    Hellbound Metal: “It sounds awful, but 13 is not a bad album – it’s simply not the Black Sabbath album that a lot of fans will accept as a rousing return.”

  • Happy 40th birthday to… Black Sabbath’s Volume 4

    Happy 40th birthday to… Black Sabbath’s Volume 4

    Today marks the 40th anniversary of the official release of what I consider to be one of the greatest albums ever made, Black Sabbath’s fourth studio album Volume 4. While many consider the two albums previous (Paranoid and Master of Reality) to be the band’s high point, the progressiveness of Volume 4 made it my…

  • A tale of two tours…

    In case you missed the last episode of Days of our Black Sabbath, the band has pulled out of all but one of its upcoming European dates, citing Tony Iommi’s health issues. Meanwhile, drummer Bill Ward issued a public statement that he still wants to take part in the reunion, but is still waiting for…

  • Cathedral – Anniversary

    All up, Anniversary is exactly what I hoped it would be. A mucky snail-paced trawl through the band’s debut, followed up by an unrestrained romp across the years. There’s obviously a wealth of material not on the second career-spanning disc, but I guess with only one side to play with you pick your best. I’ve…

  • Cancer Bats Born Again as… Bat Sabbath!

    On July 10, 2011 Toronto heavy rockers Cancer Bats went through some changes. Liam Cormier, Scott Middleton, Mike Peters and Jaye Schwarzer were swept into a void at the Sonisphere Festival in Stevenage, England, and when they re-emerged they became… Bat Sabbath, a hardcore Black Sabbath cover band. The Bat’s set, which was meant to…

  • Deep Purple and Beyond: Scenes From The Life of a Rock Star

    I won’t ruin this wonderful rollercoaster ride through the history of rock with spoilers, but man! I will say it’s like the reader suddenly enters a time machine and travels back to through the history of rock and metal, and finds it’s both better and worse than they ever believed. And of course, everyone from…

  • Eyehategod – Live

    Eyehategod Live is ugly, abrasive, and a bit of a mess, but fans of the band wouldn’t have it any other way. And seeing how Eyehategod will likely never play a show north of the border, this is a live set for Canadian fans to savour, not to mention seethe with envy of their neighbours…

  • Heaven & Hell – Radio City Music Hall Blu-Ray Disc

    if there is one criticism that I could lay on Radio City Music Hall it is that it was filmed far too early on after their reformation. The difference between this band’s performance here and the way they were playing that October when they did a second North American tour was like night and day.…