Black Sabbath Reveals New Album Title, "13." Album Expected In June
Band Photo: Black Sabbath (?)
British heavy metal icons Black Sabbath have announced that the name of their forthcoming new studio album, the first to feature frontman Ozzy Osbourne in thirty five years, will be entitled, "13."
They also revealed that the record is expected to be released this June through Vertigo, though an exact release date has yet to be confirmed. The album features three of the four original members (Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bass player Geezer Butler,) with founding drummer, Bill Ward's place being taken on the album by Rage Against The Machine/former Audioslave drummer, Brad Wilk, who performed as a session musician. The band will be heading to Japan, Australia and New Zealand this Spring to promote, "13," with the following appearances scheduled:
April 20 - Vector Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
April 25 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
April 27 - Allphones Arena - Sydney, Australia
April 29 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
May 1 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
May 4 - Perth Arena - Perth, Australia
May 12 - Makuhari Messe - Tokyo, Japan
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61 Comments on "Black Sabbath Reveals New Album Title"
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I'm against the album simply because Bill Ward won't be on it. And why the hell did they use the RATM drummer??? Does that mean its gonna have a real funky/rap rock sound to it? Not gonna be good.
Btw, I dig Megadeth's Th1rt3en. I'm sure it will be better than the new Sabbath. They should really change the name of this version of Black Sabbath. How about "The Buck Stops Here"?!?! Appropriate???
Senior News Correspondent
I don't see Bill Ward is being a d*** to be honest. It's my understanding that he's basically being f***ed out of what he's entitled to. If he doesn't want to take part in something that's not going to benefit him or he feels treats him in a disrespectful way, then he has my respect. Much more than Ozzy ever will anyway.
I maintain that this album is going to be piss poor, but everyone will love it upon release.
Member
I saw that gold digging ravenous snatch on fvcking jenny craig or slimfast, or one of those bullsh** scams, and I was frikken nauseated...but then, that's where she belongs, ya know? swindling the grossly obese out of their grubby duckets with protein shakes and fat free sausage....
NOT meddling in the affairs of the once Mighty, and their Legions of devoted that would seemingly be willing to follow them to the yet unfathomed, looming depth of their nadir
I commend Bill's shrewdness in not participating, and the fact that he's got enough sand not to allow himself to be bullied by the Cvnt and her dopey minions
NP---Into the Void---Master
Senior News Correspondent
"NOT meddling in the affairs of the once Mighty, and their Legions of devoted that would seemingly be willing to follow them to the yet unfathomed, looming depth of their nadir."
That's one of the best written posts I've ever seen on the internet.
As Hellrat said, Ward's got enough money and he knows it. Even if he did want more, the absolute most I can imagine him demanding is the same as the other members, which is only fair. Let's also bear in mind that he has a weak heart, and shouldn't put himself forward for travelling around the world if he doesn't feel it's worth it. I know Iommi is ill too, but I would imagine he has alot more say in what Sabbath does than Ward did.
Member
It's all really just here say between Bill and the other guys, but their silence really speaks volumes to me.
Here is Bills' response to Geezer:
___
Dear Sabbath Fans and Musicians,
I have read Geezer’s statement of May 19, 2012 titled “Heavy Heart.” Out of respect for the Birmingham gig, I wanted to wait 24 hours before releasing this statement. There are some points he brought up which I want to respond to.
1) I had indeed notified Ozzy, Tony and Geezer, well before my first public statement, that I was having contractual difficulties.
2) I came out into a public forum to be accountable to the fans primarily, and to say at a public level there’s a problem. The band members stopped talking and corresponding with me some time ago, with the exception of a nice letter from Tony on my birthday. Prior to that, Geezer and I were corresponding, but that stopped abruptly in late February after I emailed a specific question to him.
3) In my statement of May 15, I clearly stated I would play Birmingham for free. That was not a problem – charity or otherwise.
4) My Download fee was not an extravagant amount. Originally, when Download was part of a full tour, I had asked for a decent fee. More recently, as we were negotiating just Download/Birmingham and Lollapalooza, I told my attorney that I would accept the proposed small Download fee, but there were other parts of the offer that were unsatisfactory.
I will continue to be honest and respectful towards the band and our fans. I will also confront any untruths about me, and any fault finding missions aimed at me that come to my attention.
I hope the band and the fans had a good gig in Brum.
Stay safe/stay strong.
Bill Ward
___
I tend to side with Bill on this. He comes across as heartfelt, respectful, and tries to avoid ill will to the other members.
Back on topic of this article:
The title is 'meh', but I've never been one to give much weight to the abulm titles. It's merely a placeholder to identify it by.
I'm not impressed with the choice of Wilk for the session drummer either. He is versatile in a pop music way. From his work in RATM and Audioslave, he comes across as a groove pocket type drummer. Though wiki cites his influences from Bonham, Moon and Elvin Jones, Brad's performances don't really bear it out. Not having high hopes...
Member
I get the impression that Ward's been "invited" to this Sabbath reunion as a hired hand.
I mean, why would he otherwise even talk about his pay on "per gig" terms? Session guys talk that way.
Surely Sharon Osbourne is behind the contracts here, so most likely the profit split is something absurd like Ozzy at 60%, Iommi at 30%, Butler at 9% and Bill Ward at 1%.
I'm sure Ward has a very good reason why he's decided to not participate.
Member
Geezer also came across as heartfelt, respectful and quite neutral in his statements about the subject. In fact he sounded bummed the fvck out that the original line up wasn't going to happen. Regardless of who is in the right here, Bill's not going to be there and that does indeed suck.
Member
ha, cheers Oz mate ;)
As for the rest of it, Sabbath drumming is pretty straightforward; while slightly strange to see Wilke named, I don't see him having any problem doing whats required of him...same could be said about most any 'qualified' drummer
Speaking of, I suppose Vinny was out from the get go at the Ravenous Snatch's discretion, but what about Mikey Bordin? has he been ostracized from the gorgon's Lair as well? hell, maybe them guys were just smart enough to want nothing to do with it...
So what do folks predict for the record? I'm gonna say some sludgy numbers like Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom, mixed with some polished poppy turds ala Never Say Die...all in the interest of accomodating Ozzy's failing croaker...but that poor dude's gonna prolly have to hit the autotuner regardless
Thoughts?
NP---Blackwater Park---Roundhouse
Senior News Correspondent
I'm expecting it sound like The Devil You Know part 2 to be honest. I could be very wrong of course, but I bet anything there'll be no songs on there that will go on to become classics by any stretch.
I'm not too fussed about Wilk being the drummer for the record, but I would rather someone who's worked in a more traditional metal band before, a la Scott Travis or Chris Slade.
Member
hmmm, I don't know bro...I just can't hear Ozzy's vocal over a lot of that music...but it could ME who's proven very wrong of course ;)
It's all mildly interesting anyway...and I agree, I don't forsee anything superlative coming out of it; gonna have to say it should play out to be quite generic and probably blandly mediocre. Not hideous, but once the novelty has worn off, something that will likely be quickly forgotten...such as certain, eh, 'others' in the black sabbath collection... :)
Member
I'm sure Wilk can do the job, but I'm not expecting anything above average. I've just never been inspired by any of his work. Sure, he has the chops to replicate the Sabbath classics. But as far as creating NEW music with Tony and Geezer, I don't see him making the same stylistic choices that Bill (or Vinnie Appice, or Mike Bordin, or even Tommy Clufetos) would have. I would like to see some drum tracks like Symptom of the Universe, Supernaut, War Pigs, or Into the Void. Sadly, I just don't see it coming from Wilk.
Writer/Reviewer
Wilk is session drummer, he'll play as he's told.
Any stylistic flare he contributes independently will be minimum. I'm of the mind that Iommi and Butler have mapped the path out for Wilk in vivid detail. From there, I'm sure Wilk has enough understanding of and appreciation for Sabbath's nuances to successfully interpret Ward's style. They're banking on "close enough". Still, Bordin would have been better.
Iommi and Butler have had decades to generate signature-style material and have kept their skills sharp. If they can counter balance the obligatory two-four pop nuggets with more serious, deep, tracks they can yet make a new, meaningful contribution to metal. Shame that they shelved the '01 session material.
The x-factor is without a doubt, Ozzy. Can he still pen an impactful lyric and sing it with prince of darkness distinction? I'd love nothing more than too be wowed by the Ozman again, even if he is autotuned and paying an under-the-counter ghost writer.
Member
"Wilk is session drummer, he'll play as he's told. Any stylistic flare he contributes independently will be minimum."
That is also what I'm afraid of. If Tony and/or Geezer had the drums pre-mapped out, that would be a first for them, given the content of their solo discographies. It's not out of the realm of possibilities, but they haven't set any precedent for that. Plus, they're no spring chickens and are likely set with certain ways of writing. I have no doubt that the Guitars and Bass will be top notch, but the Drums are an unknown to me at this point. I just wish it was a true reunion of the original line-up. Knowing that Bill Ward is not a part of it, I already feel that the omission of this contributions will detract from the classic magic that could have been.
I do agree that the bigger x-factor is Ozzy's vocals, but I hope Geezer's got his black hand on the pen for the lyrics.
Member
Watching people complain about the album title like Black Sabbath doesn't have decades worth of back catalog with awesome album titles, and the fact that they've done everything there is to do for metal amuses me.
Album title is neutral to me. For all we know there could be 13 songs on the record. Just as long as the song titles aren't numbers I won't complain, and even if they are I'm sure the music itself will be great.
Senior News Correspondent
All I know about the song titles is there's one track called, "God Is Dead." I wonder if Sharon will make sure Friedrich Nietzsche doesn't get a writing credit for that....
I agree RM, I can picture him now scribbling words away, thinking, "I don't want to do this..."
I just don't see the point in the Sabbath album overall. If it was ten years ago, I would have been excited, but it just seems strange to do the new album now. And why do the big press conference and be all, "It's the four of us, back together at last!" if they hadn't even sorted out the contracts of each member and public balls up of the whole thing. "Well, we thought Van Halen did such a good job of trying to remove the memory of Michael Anthony, we'd do the same with Bill Ward." That's how the fallout seems to me. Utterly pointless and stupid in it's own way.
Writer/Reviewer
@Oz
The Michael Anthony thing couldn't have possibly been more awkward... Still this debacle manages to be flinch-inducing in it's own way.
As for my own anticipation... I'd say less excited than morbidly curious. I feel like I'm driving by a really bad car accident. Just like when Metallica put out new albums. With Metallica I -know- I'm in for bloody carnage with no survivors. I don't have a precedent for Sabbath. I'd like everyone to come away from this okay but it depends entirely on who was driving and who was navigating...
Member
Agree with BG - good analogy. Oz, I thought the Michael Anthony reference was great. I hadn't thought of that comparison. Fear Factory with Ray Herrera is an even more blatant attempt at revisionist history.
On the topic of the album title, I remember reading a comment about Volume 4, saying the record company changed it from Snowblind to Vol. 4, which seemed silly since there was no Volume 1,2, or 3. You'd think they would try not to repeat that again. Oh wait... Bill Ward had made that comment on the Volume 4 title...
Member
Only have mild interest in Sabbaths new album . They kind of blew it when Ward tapped out due to contract issues. Keep Ozzy away from auto tune, let Geezer write the lyrics, or we might get a "soul sucka" or "Perry Mason". Looking forward to new Helloween and Amon Amarth over Sabbath i have to admit.
Senior News Correspondent
I doubt it to be honest BG. I said on 11/11/11 that I wasn't interested.
By the way, despite all the negativity I've been sh**ting all over this reunion, I should perhaps point out that I f***ing love Sabbath. I just think bands need to know when to stop. I saw the original lineup of Sabbath (yes, Ward included) in 2005 and I thought they were good, but not great. It was just the thrill of seeing the original Black Sabbath really. But all the magazines that reviewed the show were giving them 5/5 and other perfect scores that they didn't deserve. If I felt that way as a fifteen year old Ozzy fanboy, I can't see me changing my mind now that I'm a twenty three year old, sarcastic arsehole.
Member
Maybe some of the lukewarm reception has to do it Sharon and her reputation of being a meddler (to put it lightly). If she (and the rest of us) truly let Ozzy be himself, then the Sharon X factor (not to be confused with the show she was on) might not be such a negative influence.
It's may also be their age that has something to do with it.
I know the three of them are all in their 60's, but still. If they could do a reunion like Revocation did, then their grip on the hearts on metal lovers everywhere would undoubtedly tighten. lol
Member
HOLY sh** I JUST FIGURED IT OUT!!!!!! ITS A MELODIC DEATH METAL ALBUMN!!!!!
HERE'S HOW I CONNECTED THE STRINGS:
alright, now bill ward is well known to have been the DRUMMER for Black Sabbath, correct? Now that he's not in the band, they've gotten another known DRUMMER brad wilk.
Let it be noted that in MELODIC DEATH METAL, a DRUMMER is often featured. Now we move on to phase two of this davinci code, sharen OSBOURNE (who i am assuming will have something to do with the paperwork of this album) is married to lead singer of Black Sabbath OZZY OSBOURNE, a.k.a. THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS. Now, i would like to point out that a well known MELODIC DEATH METAL album is TBDM's "WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE." Let it be put on the record that the "NIGHTTIME" is known to be DARK. Allow me to also point out another MELODIC DEATH METAL album, At the Gates' "SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL". This leads me back to the song @Diamond Oz said would be on the new album "GOD IS DEAD" (as his "SOUL" was "SLAUGHTERED") which leads me back to BLACK SABBATH which leads me back to THIS ALBUM which leads me back to OZZY OSBOURNE which leads me back to PRINCE OF DARKNESS which leads me back to TBDM'S WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE which leads me back to MELODIC DEATH METAL.
there, done.
Member
You know, I think this is what Ozzy and Sabbath's fans get. A lame-ass album title. After b****ing about Soul Sucka, which I think Ozzy b****ed out on when he changed, I mean, it's f***in' OZZY, hasn't he earned the right to call his albums whatever the hell he wants? I lost so much respect for Ozzy when he changed it to Scream. How stock and boring. Well, you got what you asked for! Welcome to Ozzy's lame-ass, grasping-for-straws-and-relevance autumn years! Ya f***in babies!
Member
I think the negative reaction to the title is idiotic. Look at 'Eaten Back to Like'. Totally nonsensical and it would have been bashed by these same individuals, but then the album comes out and it makes sense and is a great album. I think you guys have gotten old and cynical.
But, I agree with another commenter, who sarcastically lauded the release of the title. Really, I just hope they actually finish and release the album. Good they're making progress, but picking a title isn't really progress. What was it, 2 minutes of work to pick the title?
I won't be surprised if there's a bunch of hangups and we don't see the album for another 2 or 3 years, or maybe even after they've all died.
Writer/Reviewer
Kshanholtzer
Cynicism comes with age my friend. And most of us range between our mid 20's to early 50's. Old enough to have chips on our shoulders, dashed hopes, crushed ideals and our glassy, doe eyes blackened many times over... Indeed, your warm and fuzzy post suddenly took a grim turn for the worst there at the end... Good lord, who are you to judge our bleak expectations??? You're the one talking about Sabbath dying before the album sees the light of day!
Pot. Kettle. Black.
Also, in the context (and ongoing ubiquity) of the zombie craze, "Eaten Back to Life" makes perfect sense.
Wow....I'm glad you all have your opinions chalk up before any music has even been released. One Question:
How many albums worth of material have any of you ever released, and allowed to be judged by the world at large. I'm not holding any high expectations for this new B.S. release, but out of shear respect for the god fathers of heavy metal I'll at least reserve my bashings until I hear it. Some of you seriously need to go buy yourselves a musical instrument and try producing your own music and see how it goes over before you start kicking artists that have proven themselves many times over (maybe not lately, but easily over the last 30 plus years).
Member
I have a fairly large body of work and I know Hellrat's a badass musician as well, but I fail to see the relevance in your comment even though I havent had a bad word to say about the album. Folks are going to have their own opinions about the album and I really don't think that the Sabbs historical status has any bearing whatsoever on the quality of this album. I'm looking forward to hearing it, but I won't be surprized if it's exactly what Oz and some of the others said it is.
Writer/Reviewer
Grendel makes the fair point that it's easier to critique something than make something of our own and harder still to churn out something that would generate wide acclaim.
That said, we're entitled to our opinions and speculations, both of which are historically informed. As I've said before, I'd love to be wrong! I hope this album turns me on my head. But the potential for catastrophe far outweighs the odds of this album coming out of the blast furnace unsinged.
To be perfectly honest...I will be completely surprised if the new B.S. offering will kill it like the good old days. I'm not holding up the hopes...but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt until they let me down like every other band has over the last 20 years. Whatever happened to musicians actually needing talent, and not being over produced in the studio. Give me a solid four chord driving guitar riff, a backside kickin' bass and drum holding it all together with a front man whose not afraid to experiment with drugs (and isn't afraid to flont it) and a lead guitarist that can split a diamond and I'll be happy to bang my head with the rest of the metal core....
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Megadeth came out with a 13 already (and it sucked too). This is not black sabbath's 13 album in their discography; just a generic, unoriginal album title from one of the most up and coming hyped albums. Poor decision on Black Sabbath for this one. They should do what they did with Scream. The fans need to petition to have the name change just like Ozzy did with his last album-remember soul sucka was the original title!