More back-and-forth over the drum stool in the BLACK SABBATH camp. Here’s the latest:
Speaking to the New York Daily News, Ozzy stated about Ward’s absence from the SABBATH tour: “I don’t think he could have done the gig, to be honest. He’s incredibly overweight. A drummer has to be in shape. He’s already had two heart attacks. I don’t want to be responsible for his life.”
Despite this, Ozzy said “the door is always open” to Ward to return and admitted that without him “it’s not the same.”
Ward previously said in a new interview with Guitar International that he sat out SABBATH’s current reunion because of a contract dispute and not physical issues, as the other members of the band have suggested. Ward explained, “I was offered a contract, and I couldn’t sign it. I would never, ever show up for a commitment that I could not do physically . . . It was one of the toughest decisions that I ever had to make, because I absolutely and without question wanted to play.”
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk played on SABBATH’s new album, 13, while Tommy Clufetos is the touring drummer for the group.