For two months it seemed perfect. Black Sabbath would reunite, record new music and tour the world. Then Tony Iommi got cancer, and Bill Ward began to protest his contract. With Iommi on the road to recovery, Ozzy Osbourne says he's hopeful Ward will rethink his strike.

The lead singer tells the Times that the group hasn't actually spoken to Ward about his complaints. "There was no row, there was no argument," he says (quotes via Blabbermouth). "The door ain't closed. Whether we work something out up the road, I don't know." He added that he doesn't deal with the business end of the band's affairs.

"We've tried everything with Bill at the moment," Iommi said, "and it's just not happening. Our legal people are dealing with his legal people. It's all nonsense. We haven't actually heard from Bill, any of this stuff. It's all been through his lawyers."

Black Sabbath have one more date on their 2012 schedule. Osbourne, Iommi and Geezer Butler will play Lollapalooza on Aug. 3 in Chicago. According to BlackSabbath.com, Tommy Clufetos will fill in on drums. The group continued to work on new music while Iommi underwent treatment. They say they have written 15 songs for a new album and are focused on their future together, with or without Ward.

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