Black Sabbath Have Reportedly ‘Opted Against’ Recording a Final Album
After originally planning to go out with one last album and a final world tour, the members of Black Sabbath have reportedly "opted against" recording a new LP.
The news comes courtesy of NOLA.com, slipped into a profile piece focusing on Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne's return to the solo stage for the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans on Oct. 31. Based on Osbourne's comments, it seems the band is content to go out with 2013's chart-topping 13.
"It's the end of Sabbath, believe me," said Osbourne of the band's upcoming The End tour.
"In December, I'll be f---in' 68 and I think it's time to call it the end of the day. I'm not saying I won't get on stage with ... any of them some time, but officially we're going to be done. I don't want it to dwindle and dwindle and play just for the sake of making another f---in' sack full of cash. So it's time, and then I'll go back to doing my own thing."
Sabbath's decision not to follow up 13 will be disappointing for some fans, but the band members have often expressed ambivalence about the prospect of another album; in fact, shortly after 13's release, guitarist Tony Iommi admitted, "I don’t know if that would be a good idea after this one, because this one’s done so well. I’m sure we’d all like to do one. But I don’t know."
Ironically, the same interview found Osbourne hedging his bets about a new LP: "I don’t want to say there’s going to be another album, because I don’t want you to ask me in another year, ‘What happened when you said you were going to do another record?'"
Black Sabbath's The End tour is scheduled to begin Jan. 20, and just added a second U.S. leg that will keep the band on the road through next fall. Check out a complete list of dates.
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