Christopher WagnerFounding Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward says he remains extremely upset about his rift with his band mates, which led him to refuse to participate in the heavy metal legends’ reunion album, 13, and its supporting tour. In fact, the 65-year-old rocker tells RockCellarMagazine.com that he’s hasn’t even been able to bring himself to listen to Sabbath’s latest record, which topped the Billboard 200 chart when it was first released this past June.
“The only thing I’ve heard from 13 is… maybe 40 seconds of the first song [‘God Is Dead?’], and then I turned it off,” he admits. “I haven’t heard anything off that album at all.”
Ward adds that attempting to listen to the album was “too painful” for him, noting, “If I want to rip my guts out, I’ll put it on.”
While he remains estranged from band mates Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, Ward says he wishes “them all the luck,” before clarifying his statement. “Well, not luck, they don’t need luck,” he offers. “But I wish them all the best in the world.”
Bill also tells the magazine that Black Sabbath fans have been helping him get through this difficult time by sending him sympathetic and encouraging messages.
“I’m getting letters from all over the world, musicians, all kinds of things and they completely support me,” he reveals. “I’m forever grateful that they’ve reacted in a really positive way. It’s just been this huge endearing experience.”
Meanwhile, Ward reports that he’s in the process of finishing two long-in-the-works solo albums — Accountable Beasts and Beyond Acton. He says he should have Accountable Beasts, on which he’s been working for more than four years, finished within three weeks. As for Beyond Acton, Ward expects to complete work on that record sometime in 2014.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
