Content deleted Content added
m →Members |
-wuppertaler (talk | contribs) m (GR) File renamed: File:Black Sabbath in 1984.jpg → File:Black Sabbath in 1983.jpg Criterion 3 (obvious error) · wrong date |
||
Line 1:
{{Short description|English rock band}}
{{About|the band}}
{{Good article}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Black Sabbath
|image = sabs.jpg
|caption = Black Sabbath in 1970. From left to right: [[Geezer Butler]], [[Tony Iommi]], [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] and [[Ozzy Osbourne]].
|image_size =
|landscape = yes
|alias = {{flatlist|
* The Polka Tulk Blues Band (1968)
* Earth (1968–1969)}}
|origin = [[Birmingham]], England
|genre = [[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]]<!--Before adding or changing genres, please seek consensus on the talk page first--><ref name="Larson2004a">{{cite book |author=Tom Larson |title=History of Rock and Roll |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vGJ7XmA8rjIC&pg=PA183 |year=2004 |publisher=Kendall/Hunt Pub. |isbn=978-0-7872-9969-9 |pages=183–187}}</ref>
|discography = [[Black Sabbath discography|Discography]]
|years_active = {{flatlist|
* 1968–2006{{efn|Hiatuses: 1984–1985, 1996–1997}}
* 2011–2017
* 2025}}
|label = {{flatlist|
* [[Fontana Records|Fontana]]
* [[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]]
* [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
* {{nowrap|[[Virgin EMI Records|Virgin EMI]]}}
* [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
* {{nowrap|[[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]]}}
* [[I.R.S. Records|I.R.S.]]
* [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]<!--and their various worldwide licencees and distributors not listed here-->}}
|spinoffs = {{flatlist|
* [[Dio (band)|Dio]] <!--listed as it was founded by Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice after they were members of Black Sabbath-->
* [[Heaven & Hell (band)|Heaven & Hell]]<!--Founded as continuation of Dio era Sabbath-->}}
|spinoff_of = {{hlist|[[Mythology (UK band)|Mythology]]|Rare Breed<ref name=":0" />}}
|website = {{URL|blacksabbath.com}}
|current_members =
|past_members =
* [[Tony Iommi]]
* [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]]
* [[Geezer Butler]]
* [[Ozzy Osbourne]]
* ([[List of Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell members|List of Black Sabbath members]])
|module = {{Infobox
|child = yes
|header1 =
|headerstyle = background:#b0c4de
|data1 = [[File:Black Sabbath logo.svg|250px]]
}}
}}
'''Black Sabbath''' were an English rock<!-- Do not change "Rock" without an agreement on talk page --> band formed in [[Birmingham]] in 1968<!--See reference below: they were formed in 1968, as they took Black Sabbath name instead of Earth, so DO NOT change here--> by guitarist [[Tony Iommi]], drummer [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]], bassist [[Geezer Butler]] and vocalist [[Ozzy Osbourne]]. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band were previously named Polka Tulk Blues Band and then Earth), they distinguished themselves through [[occult]] themes with horror-inspired lyrics and [[down-tuned guitars]]. Their first three albums, ''[[Black Sabbath (album)|Black Sabbath]]'', ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]'' (both 1970), and ''[[Master of Reality]]'' (1971), were commercially successful, and are cited as pioneering albums in the development of [[heavy metal music]].<ref name="Larson2004a" /> Subsequent albums ''[[Vol. 4 (Black Sabbath album)|Vol. 4]]'' (1972), ''[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]'' (1973), ''[[Sabotage (Black Sabbath album)|Sabotage]]'' (1975), ''[[Technical Ecstasy]]'' (1976), and ''[[Never Say Die!]]'' (1978) saw the band explore more [[Experimental music|experimental]] and [[Progressive rock|progressive]] styles.
Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 and replaced by former [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] vocalist [[Ronnie James Dio]], who recorded three albums with the band, ''[[Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]]'' (1980), ''[[Mob Rules (album)|Mob Rules]]'' (1981), and their first authorised live album ''[[Live Evil (Black Sabbath album)|Live Evil]]'' (1983), the last two featuring drummer [[Vinny Appice]] replacing Ward. Following Dio and Appice's departures, Iommi and Butler recorded ''[[Born Again (Black Sabbath album)|Born Again]]'' (1983) with Ward returning on drums, and [[Ian Gillan]], then-formerly of [[Deep Purple]], on vocals. By 1984, Butler, Ward, and Gillan had all departed, leaving Iommi to assemble a new version of Black Sabbath. For the next thirteen years, the band endured many personnel changes that included vocalists [[Glenn Hughes (English musician)|Glenn Hughes]] (another former Deep Purple member, who sang on the 1986 album ''[[Seventh Star]]''){{sfn|Iommi|2012|p=247}} and [[Tony Martin (British singer)|Tony Martin]], as well as several bassists and drummers. Of the vocalists during these years, Martin's tenure was the longest, joining in 1987 and recording three albums – ''[[The Eternal Idol]]'' (1987),{{sfn|Iommi|2012|p=256}} ''[[Headless Cross (album)|Headless Cross]]'' (1989),{{sfn|Iommi|2012|p=269}} and ''[[Tyr (album)|Tyr]]'' (1990) – before his initial departure in 1991.{{sfn|Iommi|2012|p=279}} That same year, Iommi reunited with Butler, Dio and Appice to record ''[[Dehumanizer]]'' (1992), though Dio and Appice both departed again by the end of 1992. Martin returned for two more studio albums, ''[[Cross Purposes]]'' (1994){{sfn|Iommi|2012|p=291}} and ''[[Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)|Forbidden]]'' (1995),{{sfn|Iommi|2012|p=297}} and one live album, ''[[Cross Purposes Live]]'' (1995), before the band went on a one-year hiatus.
The original line-up of Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Ward reunited in 1997, releasing a live album, ''[[Reunion (Black Sabbath album)|Reunion]]'' (1998), and touring sporadically until 2005. The band went on hiatus in 2006 when the ''Mob Rules'' line-up (Iommi, Butler, Dio, Appice) reunited as [[Heaven & Hell (band)|Heaven & Hell]], touring during the late 2000s and releasing one studio album, ''[[The Devil You Know (Heaven & Hell album)|The Devil You Know]]'' (2009), before disbanding after Dio's death in 2010. The original line-up reunited again in 2011, though Ward departed prior to the recording of their final studio album ''[[13 (Black Sabbath album)|13]]'' (2013). To conclude their [[The End Tour|farewell tour]], Black Sabbath played its [[The End: Live in Birmingham|last concert]] for eight years in their home city in 2017.<ref name="finalshow">{{Cite news |title=Black Sabbath bow out in Birmingham after final concert |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38871686 |work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=5 February 2017 |date=5 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="nme">{{cite web |last1=Trendell |first1=Andrew |title=Black Sabbath confirm their split after nearly 50 years |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/black-sabbath-confirm-their-split-after-nearly-50-years-2006633 |website=[[NME]] |date=8 March 2017|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref> Occasional partial reunions have occurred, most notably when Osbourne and Iommi performed at the closing ceremony of the [[2022 Commonwealth Games]] in Birmingham.<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{cite magazine |title=Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi Reunite for Commonwealth Games |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ozzy-osbourne-tony-iommi-black-sabbath-commonwealth-games-1392169/ |access-date=9 August 2022 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> The original line-up reunited for a final show for both the band and Osbourne as a solo artist, titled [[Back to the Beginning]], at [[Villa Park]] on 5 July 2025;<ref name="Blabbermouth.net">{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/original-black-sabbath-to-play-final-show-in-july-with-metallica-slayer-pantera-others-supporting |title=Original BLACK SABBATH To Play Final Show In July, With METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, Others Supporting |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=5 February 2025 |date=5 February 2025}}</ref> Osbourne died seventeen days after the performance.
Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records as of 2013, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. The band have been referred to as being part of the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies", along with Deep Purple and [[Led Zeppelin]].<ref>[[Joel McIver|McIver, Joel]] (2006). "Black Sabbath: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Chapter 12, p. 1.</ref> Black Sabbath were ranked by [[MTV]] as the "Greatest Metal Band of All Time" and placed second on [[VH1]]'s "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine ranked them 85 on its "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". They were inducted into the [[UK Music Hall of Fame]] in 2005 and [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2006. They have won two [[Grammy Award]]s for [[Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance|Best Metal Performance]], and received a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Black Sabbath To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award At 2019 GRAMMYs |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/black-sabbath-to-receive-lifetime-achievement-award-at-2019-grammys/ |work=Kerrang |date=2 January 2019}}</ref>
== History ==
=== 1968–1969: Formation and early days ===
[[File:The Crown, 65 Station Street, Digbeth - geograph.org.uk - 2043059.jpg|thumb|right|[[The Crown, Birmingham|The Crown]] in Birmingham, where the band played their first show]]
Following the break-up of their previous band, [[Mythology (British band)|Mythology]], in 1968, guitarist [[Tony Iommi]] and drummer [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] sought to form a heavy blues rock band in [[Aston]], Birmingham. They enlisted bassist [[Geezer Butler]] and vocalist [[Ozzy Osbourne]], who had played together in a band called Rare Breed; Osbourne having placed an advertisement in a local music shop: "OZZY ZIG Needs Gig – has own [[public address system|PA]]".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/black-sabbath-farewell-interview/ |title=Black Sabbath's Farewell Interview |website=Kerrang! |date=7 June 2018}}</ref> The new group was initially named the Polka Tulk Blues Band, the name taken either from a brand of talcum powder{{sfn|Osbourne|Ayres|2010|p=63}} or an Indian/Pakistani clothing shop; the exact origin is confused.{{sfn|McIver|2006|p=35}} The Polka Tulk Blues Band included slide guitarist Jimmy Phillips, a childhood friend of Osbourne's, and saxophonist Alan "Aker" Clarke. After shortening the name to Polka Tulk, the band again changed their name to Earth (which Osbourne hated){{sfn|Osbourne|Ayres|2010|p=84}} and continued as a four-piece without Phillips and Clarke.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Robert |url=http://www.sabbathlive.com/timelines.html |title=Timelines |publisher=Sabbathlive.com |access-date=9 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120194400/http://www.sabbathlive.com/timelines.html |archive-date=20 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Black Sabbath member history">{{cite web |last=Siegler |first=Joe |url=http://www.black-sabbath.com/theband/timeline/ |title=Black Sabbath Online: Band Lineup History|access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> Iommi became concerned that Phillips and Clarke lacked the necessary dedication and were not taking the band seriously. Rather than asking them to leave, they instead decided to break up and then quietly reformed the band as a four-piece.{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} While the band was performing under the Earth moniker, they recorded several demos written by Norman Haines such as "The Rebel", "When I Came Down" and "Song for Jim",<ref name="Guitar World">{{cite news |last=Gill |first=Chris |title=The Eternal Idol |magazine=Guitar World |date=December 2008}}</ref> the latter of which being a reference to [[Big Bear Records|Jim Simpson]], who was a manager for the bands [[Bakerloo (band)|Bakerloo Blues Line]] and Tea & Symphony, as well as the trumpet player for the group Locomotive. Simpson had recently started a new club named [[Henry's Blueshouse]] at The Crown Hotel in Birmingham and offered to let Earth play there after they agreed to waive the usual support band fee in return for free T-shirts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-gave-sabbath-their-first-gig/ |title=I Gave Sabbath Their First Gig |last=Rockwell |date=29 July 2011 |website=Vice|access-date=25 March 2019}}</ref> The audience response was positive and Simpson agreed to manage Earth.<ref name=Simpson>{{cite web |title=Tony Iommi Interview |url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/hit_the_lights/tony_iommi_id_like_to_remember_black_sabbath_as_a_groundbreaking_album.html |work=Ultimate Guitar|access-date=24 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020001048/http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/hit_the_lights/tony_iommi_id_like_to_remember_black_sabbath_as_a_groundbreaking_album.html|archive-date=20 October 2012}}</ref><ref name=Simpson2>{{cite web |title=Brumbeat-Black Sabbath |url=http://www.brumbeat.net/blacksab.htm |work=Brum Beat|access-date=24 October 2012}}</ref>
In December 1968, Iommi abruptly left Earth to join [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Melody Maker 21 December 1968 |url=http://www.sabbathlive.com/sabtours/earth/mm211268 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604013639/http://www.sabbathlive.com/sabtours/earth/mm211268 |archive-date=4 June 2007 |work=[[Melody Maker]] Magazine |access-date=14 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Although his stint with the band would be short-lived, Iommi made an appearance with Jethro Tull on ''[[The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus]]'' TV show. Unsatisfied with the direction of Jethro Tull, Iommi returned to Earth by the end of the month. "It just wasn't right, so I left", Iommi said. "At first I thought Tull were great, but I didn't much go for having a leader in the band, which was [[Ian Anderson]]'s way. When I came back from Tull, I came back with a new attitude altogether. They taught me that to get on, you got to work for it."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=34}}
While playing shows in England in 1969, the band discovered they were being mistaken for another English group named Earth, so they decided to change their name again (this name change would give rise to the well-known debate about the alleged aesthetic influence of [[Coven (band)|Coven]], which the British band always denied).<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 August 2021 |title=The Forgotten Mother of Metal Music and Birth of the "Devil's Horns" |url=https://atomicredhead.com/2021/08/18/the-forgotten-mother-of-metal-music-and-birth-of-the-devils-horns/ |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=Atomic Redhead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=24 February 2020 |title=TRACK TO HELL / La historia oficial y la blasfema: Black Sabbath y Coven |url=https://tracktohell.com/la-historia-oficial-y-la-blasfema-black-sabbath-y-coven/ |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=TRACK TO HELL – Web Oficial de TRACK TO HELL}}</ref> A cinema across the street from the band's rehearsal room was showing the 1963 Italian horror film ''[[Black Sabbath (film)|Black Sabbath]],'' starring [[Boris Karloff]] and directed by [[Mario Bava]]. While watching people line up to see the film, Butler noted that it was "strange that people spend so much money to see scary movies".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2002/ozzy_int.asp |title=Ozzy Osbourne: The Godfather of Metal |publisher=NYRock.com |access-date=14 February 2008 |date=June 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031000904/http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2002/ozzy_int.asp |archive-date=31 October 2013}}</ref> Following that, Osbourne and Butler wrote the lyrics for a song called "[[Black Sabbath (song)|Black Sabbath]]", which was inspired by the work of horror and adventure-story writer [[Dennis Wheatley]],{{sfn|Strong|2006|p=97}}{{sfn|Wilson|2004|p=51}} along with a vision that Butler had of a black silhouetted figure standing at the foot of his bed.<ref>''Ozzy Osbourne: Behind the Music'' by [[VH1]]; first aired 19 April 1998.</ref> Making use of the musical [[tritone]], also known as "the Devil's Interval",{{sfn|Lewis|2001|p=72}} the song's ominous sound and dark lyrics pushed the band in a darker direction,<ref name="Black Sabbath's song review">{{cite web |last=Torreano |first=Bradley |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/black-sabbath-mt0030286828 |title=Black Sabbath – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Koskoff|2005|p=356}} a stark contrast to the popular music of the late 1960s, which was dominated by [[flower power]], [[folk music]] and [[hippie]] culture. [[Judas Priest]] frontman [[Rob Halford]] has called the track "probably the most evil song ever written".<ref name="Attention Deficit Delirium">{{cite web |last=Reesman |first=Bryan |url=http://www.bryanreesman.com/2011/11/16/digital-playlist-rob-halford/ |title=Digital Playlist: Rob Halford |publisher=bryanreesman.com}}</ref> Inspired by the new sound, the band changed their name to Black Sabbath in August 1969,<ref name="MusicMight">{{cite web |last=Sharpe-Young |first=Garry |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+kingdom/west+midlands/birmingham/black+sabbath |title=MusicMight.com Black Sabbath Biography |publisher=MusicMight.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052617/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+kingdom/west+midlands/birmingham/black+sabbath|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> and made the decision to focus on writing similar material in an attempt to create the musical equivalent of horror films.
=== 1969–1971: ''Black Sabbath'' and ''Paranoid'' ===
The band's first show as Black Sabbath took place on 30 August 1969 in [[Workington]], England.{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} They were signed to [[Philips Records]] in November 1969.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/ |title=Black Sabbath Biography | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum |publisher=Rockhall.com |access-date=4 July 2011 |archive-date=28 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628090320/http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> They recorded their first single, "[[Evil Woman (Crow song)|Evil Woman]]" (a cover of a song by the band [[Crow (band)|Crow]]), at [[Trident Studios]]. "Evil Woman" was released on 9 January 1970 through Philips subsidiary [[Fontana Records]]. Later releases were handled by Philips' newly formed progressive rock label, [[Vertigo Records]]. "Evil Woman" failed to chart. The band were afforded two days of studio time in November 1969 to record their debut album with producer [[Rodger Bain]]. Iommi recalls recording live: "We thought, 'We have two days to do it, and one of the days is mixing.' So we played live. Ozzy was singing at the same time; we just put him in a separate booth and off we went. We never had a second run of most of the stuff".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=38}} On 11 November 1969 Black Sabbath recorded a four-song session for [[John Peel]]'s ''[[Top Gear (radio programme)|Top Gear]]'' radio show broadcast on [[BBC Radio 1]].<ref name=big>{{Cite web |url=https://bigtakeover.com/essays/black-sabbath-the-lost-acetates-and-early-recordings |title=Black Sabbath – The Lost Acetates and Early Recordings |website=Bigtakeover.com}}</ref> The four songs were "[[Black Sabbath (song)|Black Sabbath]]", "[[N.I.B.]]", "Behind the Wall of Sleep" and "Sleeping Village". Broadcast on 29 November 1969, this gave them their first exposure to a UK wide audience.{{sfn|Iommi|2012}}
[[File:Black Sabbath (1970).jpg|thumb|left|Black Sabbath at [[Piccadilly Circus]], London in 1970 (left to right: Iommi, Ward, Osbourne, Butler)]]
Their debut album ''[[Black Sabbath (album)|Black Sabbath]]'' was released on [[Friday the 13th]], February 1970, and reached number eight in the [[UK Albums Chart]]. Following its US and Canadian release in May 1970 by [[Warner Bros. Records]], the album reached number 23 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], where it remained for over a year.<ref name="billboard_200">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/black-sabbath-mn0000771438/awards |title=Black Sabbath – Awards |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="rollingstonebiography">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/black-sabbath/biography |title=Black Sabbath – Biography |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=8 February 2013}}</ref> The album was given negative reviews by many critics. [[Lester Bangs]] dismissed it in a ''Rolling Stone'' review as "discordant jams with bass and guitar reeling like velocitised speedfreaks all over each other's musical perimeters, yet never quite finding synch".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bangs |first=Lester |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/black-sabbath-19700917 |title=Black Sabbath – Album Review |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=17 September 1970|access-date=8 February 2013|archive-date=25 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725071959/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/black-sabbath-19700917|url-status=dead}}</ref> It sold in substantial numbers despite being panned, giving the band their first mainstream exposure.<ref>Black Sabbath album, inside book details, re-release, compact disc version</ref> It has since been [[Music recording sales certification|certified Platinum]] in both US by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) and in the UK by [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI),<ref name="riaa" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx |title=Certified Awards |publisher=British Phonographic Industry (BPI) |access-date=8 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315204844/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> and is now generally accepted as the first heavy metal album.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wagner |first=Jeff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZwZcZ2X5ToC&pg=PA10 |title=Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal |publisher=[[Bazillion Points Books]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-9796163-3-4 |page=10}}</ref>
The band returned to the studio in June 1970, just four months after ''Black Sabbath'' was released. The new album was initially set to be named ''War Pigs'' after the song "[[War Pigs]]", which was critical of the [[Vietnam War]]; however, Warner changed the title of the album to ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]''. The album's lead single, "[[Paranoid (Black Sabbath song)|Paranoid]]", was written in the studio at the last minute. Ward explains: "We didn't have enough songs for the album, and Tony just played the [Paranoid] guitar lick and that was it. It took twenty, twenty-five minutes from top to bottom."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=57}} The single was released in September 1970 and reached number four on the [[UK singles chart]], remaining Black Sabbath's only top 10 hit.<ref name="rollingstonebiography" /> The album followed in the UK in October 1970, where, pushed by the success of the "Paranoid" single, it reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.<ref>{{cite news |title=BLACK SABBATH songs and albums: full Official Chart history |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14136/black-sabbath/ |access-date=30 July 2025 |work=Official Charts Company}}</ref>
The US release was held off until January 1971, as the ''Black Sabbath'' album was still on the chart at the time of ''Paranoid''{{'}}s UK release. The album reached No. 12 in the US in March 1971,<ref name="billboard_200" /> and would go on to sell four million copies in the US<ref name="riaa" /> with virtually no radio airplay.<ref name="rollingstonebiography" /> Like ''Black Sabbath'', the album was panned by rock critics of the era, but modern-day reviewers such as AllMusic's Steve Huey cite ''Paranoid'' as "one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time", which "defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history".<ref>{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/paranoid-mw0000600570 |title=Paranoid – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> The album was ranked at number 131 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/black-sabbath-paranoid-20120524 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: (131) Black Sabbath – Paranoid |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=9 February 2013 |date=31 May 2012|archive-date=26 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126184915/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/black-sabbath-paranoid-20120524|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Paranoid''{{'}}s chart success allowed the band to tour the US for the first time – their first US show was at a club called Ungano's at 210 West 70th Street in New York City<ref name="osbourneautobiography">{{cite book |last=Osbourne |first=Ozzy |author-link=Ozzy Osbourne |title=I Am Ozzy |year=2011 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |isbn=978-0-446-56990-3}}</ref> – and spawned the release of the album's second single, "[[Iron Man (song)|Iron Man]]". Although the single failed to reach the top 40, it remains one of Black Sabbath's most popular songs, as well as the band's highest-charting US single until 1998's "[[Psycho Man (Black Sabbath song)|Psycho Man]]".<ref name="billboard_200" />
=== 1971–1973: ''Master of Reality'' and ''Vol. 4'' ===
In February 1971, after a one-off performance at the [[Myponga Pop Festival]] in Australia,<ref name=AusTour>{{cite web |url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/music/daddy-cool/story-e6freeuu-1225881732691?nk=7a4fd4f09df9149d12441e3704a5302c |title=Myponga part of rock history |author=Nathan Davies |website=Adelaidenow.com.au |access-date=16 April 2016 |date=19 June 2010 |archive-date=21 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621041045/https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/music/daddy-cool/story-e6freeuu-1225881732691?nk=7a4fd4f09df9149d12441e3704a5302c |url-status=dead}}</ref> Black Sabbath returned to the studio to begin work on their third album. Following the chart success of ''Paranoid'', the band were afforded more studio time, along with a "briefcase full of cash" to buy drugs.{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=63}} "We were getting into coke, big time", Ward explained. "Uppers, downers, Quaaludes, whatever you like. It got to the stage where you come up with ideas and forget them, because you were just so out of it."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=52}}
Production completed in April 1971, and in July the band released ''[[Master of Reality]]'', just six months after the US release of ''Paranoid''. The album reached the top 10 in the US and the United Kingdom, and was certified Gold in less than two months,<ref name="riaa" /> eventually receiving Platinum certification in the 1980s and Double Platinum in the early 21st century.<ref name="riaa" /> It contained Sabbath's first [[Acoustic music|acoustic]] songs, alongside fan favourites such as "[[Children of the Grave]]" and "[[Sweet Leaf]]".<ref name="Master of Reality AMG Review">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/master-of-reality-mw0000189231 |title=Master of Reality – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> Critical response of the era was generally unfavourable, with [[Lester Bangs]] delivering an ambivalent review of ''Master of Reality'' in ''Rolling Stone'', describing the closing "Children of the Grave" as "naïve, simplistic, repetitive, absolute doggerel – but in the tradition [of rock 'n' roll] ... The only criterion is excitement, and Black Sabbath's got it".<ref name="Master of Reality Album Rebiew">{{cite magazine |last=Bangs |first=Lester |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/master-of-reality-19711125 |title=Master of Reality Rolling Stone Review |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=25 November 1971|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=25 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725072009/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/master-of-reality-19711125|url-status=dead}}</ref> (In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' would place the album at number 300 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-20120524 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: (300) Black Sabbath – Master of Reality |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=9 February 2013 |date=31 May 2012|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002923/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-20120524|url-status=dead}}</ref>) Following the ''Master of Reality'' world tour in 1972, the band took their first break in three years. As Ward explained: "The band started to become very fatigued and very tired. We'd been on the road non-stop, year in and year out, constantly touring and recording. I think ''Master of Reality'' was kind of like the end of an era, the first three albums, and we decided to take our time with the next album."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|pp=64–65}}
In June 1972, the band reconvened in Los Angeles to begin work on their next album at the [[Record Plant]]. With more time in the studio, the album saw the band experimenting with new textures, such as strings, piano, orchestration and multi-part songs.<ref>{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-sabbath-vol-4-mw0000199950 |title=Vol. 4 – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> Recording was plagued with problems, many as a result of substance abuse issues. Struggling to record the song "Cornucopia" after "sitting in the middle of the room, just doing drugs",{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=73}} Ward was nearly fired. "I hated the song, there were some patterns that were just ... horrible," the drummer said. "I nailed it in the end, but the reaction I got was the cold shoulder from everybody. It was like, 'Well, just go home; you're not being of any use right now.' I felt like I'd blown it, I was about to get fired".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|pp=73–74}} Butler thought that the end product "was very badly produced, as far as I was concerned. Our then-manager insisted on producing it, so he could claim production costs".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/interviews/geezer-butler-diamond-geezer/ |title=Geezer Butler: Diamond Geezer |author=Kate |date=16 June 2017 |website=Bass Guitar Magazine|access-date=29 October 2018}}</ref>
The album was originally titled ''Snowblind'' after the song of the same name, which deals with cocaine abuse. The record company changed the title at the last minute to ''[[Black Sabbath Vol. 4]]''. Ward observed, "There was no Volume 1, 2 or 3, so it's a pretty stupid title, really".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=65}} ''Vol. 4'' was released in September 1972, and while critics were dismissive, it achieved Gold status in less than a month, and was the band's fourth consecutive release to sell a million in the US<ref name="riaa" /> "Tomorrow's Dream" was released as a single – the band's first since "Paranoid" – but failed to chart.<ref name="billboard_200" /> Following an extensive tour of the US, in 1973 the band travelled again to Australia, followed by a tour for the first time to New Zealand, before moving onto mainland Europe. "The band were definitely in their heyday", recalled Ward, "in the sense that nobody had burnt out quite yet".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ron |last=Schroer |title=Bill Ward & The Hand of Doom – Part IV: Living Naked |magazine=Southern Cross (Sabbath [[fanzine]]) No. 21 |date=May 1998 |page=68}}</ref>
=== 1973–1976: ''Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'' and ''Sabotage'' ===
[[File:Black Sabbath, original lineup (1973).JPG|thumb|Black Sabbath original line-up in 1973 (left to right: Osbourne, Butler, Iommi, Ward)]]
Following the ''Vol. 4'' world tour, Black Sabbath returned to Los Angeles to begin work on their next release. Pleased with the ''Vol. 4'' album, the band sought to recreate the recording atmosphere, and returned to the Record Plant studio in Los Angeles. With new musical innovations of the era, the band were surprised to find that the room they had used previously at the Record Plant was replaced by a "giant synthesiser". The band rented a house in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]] and began writing in the summer of 1973, but in part because of substance issues and fatigue, they were unable to complete any songs. "Ideas weren't coming out the way they were on ''Vol. 4'', and we really got discontent", Iommi said. "Everybody was sitting there waiting for me to come up with something. I just couldn't think of anything. And if I didn't come up with anything, nobody would do anything".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=76}}
After a month in Los Angeles with no results, the band opted to return to England. They rented [[Clearwell Castle]] in [[Forest of Dean|The Forest of Dean]]. "We rehearsed in the dungeons and it was really creepy, but it had some atmosphere, it conjured up things and stuff started coming out again".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=77}} While working in the dungeon, Iommi stumbled onto the main riff of "[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (song)|Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]", which set the tone for the new material. Recorded at [[Morgan Studios]] in London by Mike Butcher and building off the stylistic changes introduced on ''Vol. 4'', new songs incorporated synthesisers, strings and complex arrangements. [[Yes (band)|Yes]] keyboardist [[Rick Wakeman]] was brought in as a session player, appearing on "[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath|Sabbra Cadabra]]".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=79}}
In November 1973, Black Sabbath began to receive positive reviews in the mainstream press after the release of ''[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]'', with Gordon Fletcher of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' calling the album "an extraordinarily gripping affair" and "nothing less than a complete success".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fletcher |first=Gordon |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/sabbath-bloody-sabbath-19740213 |title=Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – Album Review |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=13 February 1974|access-date=8 February 2013|archive-date=19 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419010728/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/sabbath-bloody-sabbath-19740213|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later reviewers such as AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia cite the album as a "masterpiece, essential to any heavy metal collection", while also displaying "a newfound sense of finesse and maturity".<ref name="SBS AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sabbath-bloody-sabbath-mw0000194838 |title=Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> The album marked the band's fifth consecutive Platinum-selling album in the US,<ref name="riaa" /> reaching number four on the UK Albums Chart and number 11 in the US.
The band began a world tour in January 1974, which culminated at the [[California Jam]] festival in [[Ontario, California]], on 6 April 1974. Attracting over 200,000 fans, Black Sabbath appeared alongside popular 1970s rock and pop bands [[Deep Purple]], [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]], [[Rare Earth (band)|Rare Earth]], [[Seals and Crofts|Seals & Crofts]], [[Black Oak Arkansas]] and [[Earth, Wind & Fire]]. Portions of the show were telecast on ABC Television in the US, exposing the band to a wider American audience. In the same year, the band shifted management, signing with notorious English manager [[Don Arden]]. The move caused a contractual dispute with Black Sabbath's former management, and while on stage in the US, Osbourne was handed a subpoena that led to two years of litigation.{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=76}}
Black Sabbath began work on their sixth album in February 1975, again in England at [[Morgan Studios]] in [[Willesden]], this time with a decisive vision to differ the sound from ''Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath''. "We could've continued and gone on and on, getting more technical, using orchestras and everything else which we didn't particularly want to. We took a look at ourselves, and we wanted to do a rock album – ''Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath'' wasn't a rock album, really".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=80}} Produced by Black Sabbath and Mike Butcher, ''[[Sabotage (Black Sabbath album)|Sabotage]]'' was released in July 1975. As with its precursor, the album initially saw favourable reviews, with ''Rolling Stone'' stating "''Sabotage'' is not only Black Sabbath's best record since ''Paranoid'', it might be their best ever",<ref>{{cite web |date=September 1975 |last=Altman |first=Billy |title=''Sabotage'' Album Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/albums/album/170807/review/5946986/sabotage |work=Rolling Stone Magazine No. 196, 25 September 1975 |access-date=25 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231125738/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/albums/album/170807/review/5946986/sabotage |archive-date=31 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> although later reviewers such as AllMusic noted that "the magical chemistry that made such albums as ''Paranoid'' and ''Volume 4'' so special was beginning to disintegrate".<ref name="AMG Sabotage">{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sabotage-mw0000652467 |title=Sabotage – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>
''Sabotage'' reached the top 20 in both the US and the United Kingdom, but was the band's first release not to achieve Platinum status in the US, only achieving Gold certification.<ref name="riaa" /> Although the album's only single "[[Am I Going Insane (Radio)]]" failed to chart, ''Sabotage'' features fan favourites such as "[[Sabotage (Black Sabbath album)|Hole in the Sky]]" and "[[Symptom of the Universe]]".<ref name="AMG Sabotage" /> Black Sabbath toured in support of ''Sabotage'' with openers [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], but were forced to cut the tour short in November 1975, following a motorcycle accident in which Osbourne ruptured a muscle in his back. In December 1975, the band's record companies released a greatest hits album without input from the band, titled ''[[We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll]]''. The album charted throughout 1976, eventually selling two million copies in the US<ref name="riaa" />
=== 1976–1979: ''Technical Ecstasy'', ''Never Say Die!'', and Osbourne's departure ===
[[File:Black Sabbath 1977.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Black Sabbath at [[Madison Square Garden]], New York City in 1977]]
Black Sabbath began work for their next album at [[Criteria Studios]] in Miami, Florida, in June 1976. To expand their sound, the band added keyboard player [[Gerald Woodroffe]], who also had appeared to a lesser extent on ''Sabotage''. During the recording of ''[[Technical Ecstasy]]'', Osbourne admits that he began losing interest in Black Sabbath and began to consider the possibility of working with other musicians.<ref name="osbourneautobiography" /> Recording of ''Technical Ecstasy'' was difficult; by the time the album was completed, Osbourne was admitted to Stafford County Asylum in Britain.<ref name="osbourneautobiography" /> It was released on 22 October 1976 to mixed reviews, and – for the first time – later music critics gave the album less favourable retrospective reviews; two decades after its release, AllMusic gave the album two stars, and noted that the band was "unravelling at an alarming rate".<ref name="TE AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Prato |first=Greg |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/technical-ecstasy-mw0000197070 |title=Technical Ecstasy – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> The album featured less of the doomy, ominous sound of previous efforts, and incorporated more synthesisers and uptempo rock songs. ''Technical Ecstasy'' failed to reach the top 50 in the US and was the band's second consecutive release not to achieve Platinum status, although it was later certified Gold in 1997.<ref name="riaa" /> The album included "[[Dirty Women]]", which remains a live staple, as well as Ward's first lead vocal on the song "It's Alright".<ref name="TE AMG Review" /> Touring in support of ''Technical Ecstasy'' began in November 1976, with openers [[Boston (band)|Boston]] and [[Ted Nugent]] in the US, and completed in Europe with [[AC/DC]] in April 1977.<ref name="MusicMight" />
In late 1977, while in rehearsal for their next album and just days before the band was set to enter the studio, Osbourne abruptly quit the band. Iommi called vocalist [[Dave Walker]], a longtime friend of the band who had previously been a member of [[Fleetwood Mac]] and [[Savoy Brown]], and informed him that Osbourne had left the band.<ref name="walker_interview">{{cite web |last=Saulnier |first=Jason |date=30 December 2011 |title=Dave Walker Interview – Black Sabbath Singer talks Never Say Die |url=http://musiclegends.ca/interviews/dave-walker-interview-black-sabbath/ |publisher=musiclegends.ca |access-date=10 September 2013}}</ref> Walker, who was at that time fronting a band called Mistress, flew to Birmingham from California in late 1977 to write material and rehearse with Black Sabbath.<ref name="walker_interview" /><ref name="AMG Biography">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/black-sabbath-mn0000771438 |title=Black Sabbath – Biography |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> On 8 January 1978, Walker made his only live performance with Black Sabbath, on vocals, when they played an early version of the song "Junior's Eyes" on the BBC Television programme ''Look! Hear!''<ref name="walker_interview" /> Walker later recalled that, while in Birmingham, he had bumped into Osbourne in a pub and came to the conclusion that Osbourne was not fully committed to leaving Black Sabbath.<ref name="walker_interview" /> "The last Sabbath albums were just very depressing for me", Osbourne said. "I was doing it for the sake of what we could get out of the record company, just to get fat on beer and put a record out."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|pp=93–94}} Walker has said that he wrote a lot of lyrics during his brief time in the band, but none of them were ever used. If any recordings of this version of the band other than the ''Look! Hear!'' footage still exist, Walker says that he is not aware of them.<ref name="walker_interview" />
Osbourne initially set out to form a solo project featuring former Dirty Tricks members John Frazer-Binnie, Terry Horbury and Andy Bierne. As the new band were in rehearsals in January 1978, Osbourne had a change of heart and rejoined Black Sabbath. "Three days before we were due to go into the studio, Ozzy wanted to come back to the band", Iommi explained. "He wouldn't sing any of the stuff we'd written with the other guy (Walker), so it made it very difficult. We went into the studio with basically no songs. We'd write in the morning so we could rehearse and record at night. It was so difficult, like a conveyor belt, because you couldn't get time to reflect on stuff. 'Is this right? Is this working properly?' It was very difficult for me to come up with the ideas and putting them together that quick".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|pp=93–94}}
The band spent five months at Sounds Interchange Studios in [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada, writing and recording what would become ''[[Never Say Die!]]''. "It took quite a long time", Iommi said. "We were getting really drugged out, doing a lot of dope. We'd go down to the sessions, and have to pack up because we were too stoned, we'd have to stop. Nobody could get anything right, we were all over the place, everybody's playing a different thing. We'd go back and sleep it off, and try again the next day".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|pp=93–94}} The album was released on 29 September 1978, reaching number 12 in the United Kingdom and number 69 in the US. The press response was unfavourable and did not improve over time, with Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic stating two decades after its release that the album's "unfocused songs perfectly reflected the band's tense personnel problems and drug abuse".<ref name="NSD AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/never-say-die%21-mw0000198810 |title=Never Say Die – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> The album featured the singles "[[Never Say Die (Black Sabbath song)|Never Say Die]]" and "[[Hard Road (Black Sabbath song)|Hard Road]]", both of which cracked the top 40 in the United Kingdom. The band also made their second appearance on the BBC's ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', performing "Never Say Die". It took nearly 20 years for the album to be certified Gold in the US<ref name="riaa" />
Touring in support of ''Never Say Die!'' began in May 1978 with openers [[Van Halen]]. Reviewers called Black Sabbath's performance "tired and uninspired", a stark contrast to the "youthful" performance of Van Halen, who were touring the world for the first time.<ref name="MusicMight" /> The band filmed a performance at the [[Hammersmith Odeon]] in June 1978, which was later released on DVD as ''Never Say Die''. The final show of the tour – and Osbourne's last appearance with the band until later reunions – was in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], on 11 December.
Following the tour, Black Sabbath returned to Los Angeles and again rented a house in Bel Air, where they spent nearly a year working on new material for the next album. The entire band were abusing both alcohol and other drugs, but Iommi says Osbourne "was on a totally different level altogether".{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} The band would come up with new song ideas, but Osbourne showed little interest and would refuse to sing them.{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} Pressure from the record label and frustrations with Osbourne's lack of input coming to a head, Iommi made the decision to fire Osbourne in 1979. Iommi believed the only options available were to fire Osbourne or break the band up completely.{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} "At that time, Ozzy had come to an end", Iommi said. "We were all doing a lot of drugs, a lot of coke, a lot of everything, and Ozzy was getting drunk so much at the time. We were supposed to be rehearsing and nothing was happening. It was like, 'Rehearse today? No, we'll do it tomorrow.' It really got so bad that we didn't do anything. It just fizzled out".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=95}} Ward, who was close with Osbourne, was chosen by Iommi to break the news to the singer on 27 April 1979.<ref name="osbourneautobiography" /> "I hope I was professional, I might not have been, actually. When I'm drunk I am horrible, I am horrid", Ward said. "Alcohol was definitely one of the most damaging things to Black Sabbath. We were destined to destroy each other. The band were toxic, very toxic".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=97}}
=== 1979–1982: Dio joins, ''Heaven and Hell'' and ''Mob Rules'' ===
[[File:Dio IronFest.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Ronnie James Dio's first stint as the singer of Black Sabbath lasted from 1979 to 1982.]]
While Don Arden was trying to convince Osbourne to rejoin Black Sabbath, as he viewed the original line-up as the most profitable,{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} the band hired former [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] frontman [[Ronnie James Dio]] as Osbourne's replacement, and they began writing their next album. With a notably different vocal style from Osbourne's, Dio's addition to the band marked a change in Black Sabbath's sound. "They were totally different altogether", Iommi explains. "Not only voice-wise, but attitude-wise. Ozzy was a great showman, but when Dio came in, it was a different attitude, a different voice and a different musical approach, as far as vocals. Dio would sing ''across'' the riff, whereas Ozzy would follow the riff, like in "Iron Man". Ronnie came in and gave us another angle on writing."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=98}}
Butler temporarily left the band in September 1979 to deal with the divorce from his first wife. According to Dio, the band initially hired [[Craig Gruber]], with whom Dio had previously played while in [[Elf (band)|Elf]] and [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]], on bass to assist with writing the new album.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hardrockdaddy.com/2017/04/25/day-hard-rock-black-sabbath-releases-heaven-hell/ |title=This Day in Hard Rock: Black Sabbath Releases 'Heaven And Hell' |date=25 April 2017 |website=Hard Rock Daddy |language=en-US|access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref> Gruber was soon replaced by [[Geoff Nicholls]] of [[Quartz (metal band)|Quartz]]. The new line-up returned to [[Criteria Studios]] in November to begin recording work, with Butler returning to the band in January 1980 and Nicholls moving to keyboards. Produced by [[Martin Birch]], ''[[Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]]'' was released on 25 April 1980, to critical acclaim. Over a decade after its release, AllMusic said the album was "one of Sabbath's finest records, the band sounds reborn and re-energised throughout".<ref>{{cite web |last=Prato |first=Greg |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/heaven-and-hell-mw0000649895 |title=Heaven and Hell – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> ''Heaven and Hell'' peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom and number 28 in the US, the band's highest-charting album since ''Sabotage''. The album eventually sold a million copies in the US,<ref name="riaa" /> and the band embarked on an extensive world tour, making their first live appearance with Dio in Germany on 17 April 1980.
Black Sabbath toured the US throughout 1980 with Blue Öyster Cult on the "Black and Blue" tour, with a show at [[Nassau Coliseum]] in [[Uniondale, New York]], filmed for [[Don Kirshner's Rock Concert]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://simkl.com/tv/585810/don-kirshners-rock-concert/season-8/episode-13/ |title=Don Kirshner's Rock Concert season 8 episode 13|access-date=10 November 2023}}</ref> and later released theatrically in 1981 as ''[[Black and Blue (video)|Black and Blue]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=5 January 1981 |title=Brief Reviews: New Films |magazine=New York Magazine |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=72 |issn=0028-7369}}</ref> On 26 July 1980, the band played to 75,000 fans at a sold-out [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] with [[Journey (band)|Journey]], [[Cheap Trick]] and [[Molly Hatchet]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=9 August 1980 |title=Stadiums & Festivals |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |issue=32 |page=34 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.black-sabbath.com/tourdates/hh_tour/ |title=Heaven & Hell Tour – Black Sabbath Online |website=Black-sabbath.com|access-date=15 July 2021}}</ref> The next day, the band appeared at the 1980 [[Day on the Green]] at [[Oakland Coliseum]]. While on tour, Black Sabbath's former label in England issued a live album culled from a seven-year-old performance, titled ''[[Live at Last (Black Sabbath album)|Live at Last]]'' without any input from the band. The album reached number five on the UK chart and saw the re-release of "Paranoid" as a single, which reached the top 20.<ref name="billboard_200" />
On 18 August 1980, after a show in [[Bloomington, Minnesota]], Ward quit the band. "It was intolerable for me to get on the stage without Ozzy. And I drank 24 hours a day, my alcoholism accelerated". Butler stated that after Ward's final show, the drummer came in drunk, stating that "he might as well be a Martian". Ward then got angry, packed his things and got on a bus to leave. Following Ward's sudden departure, the group hired drummer [[Vinny Appice]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Vinny Appice Interview |url=http://musiclegends.ca/interviews/vinny-appice-interview-black-sabbath/ |publisher=Music Legends|access-date=6 May 2013 |date=7 March 2012}}</ref> Further trouble for the band came during their 9 October 1980 concert at the [[UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena|Milwaukee Arena]], which degenerated into a riot that caused $10,000 in damages to the arena and resulted in 160 arrests. According to the Associated Press: "The crowd of mostly adolescent males first became rowdy in a performance by the Blue Oyster Cult" and then grew restless while waiting an hour for Black Sabbath to begin playing. A member of the audience threw a beer bottle that struck Butler and effectively ended the show. "The band then abruptly halted its performance and began leaving" as the crowd rioted.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ddB7do2jUx8C&dat=19801010&printsec=frontpage |title=Spokane Daily Chronicle – Google News Archive Search |website=News.google.com|access-date=15 July 2021}}</ref>
[[File:Black Sabbath Cardiff 1981.jpg|thumb|left|Black Sabbath performing in [[Cardiff]], Wales, in 1981]]
The band completed the ''Heaven and Hell'' world tour in February 1981 and returned to the studio to begin work on their next album.<ref name="R2460156B">{{cite AV media notes |title=Mob Rules |others=Black Sabbath |year=1981 |first=Bryan |last=Reesman |pages=2–9 |type=CD booklet; 2008 reissue |publisher=Warner Bros./Rhino |id=R2 460156 B |___location=Burbank, California}}</ref> Black Sabbath's second studio album that was produced by [[Martin Birch]] and featured Ronnie James Dio as vocalist, ''[[Mob Rules (album)|Mob Rules]]'', was released in October 1981 and was well received by fans, but less so by critics. ''Rolling Stone'' reviewer J. D. Considine gave the album one star, claiming "''Mob Rules'' finds the band as dull-witted and flatulent as ever".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Considine |first=J. D. |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/albums/album/150404/review/5947023/mob_rules |title=Rolling Stone Mob Rules Review |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=29 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216074527/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/albums/album/150404/review/5947023/mob_rules |archive-date=16 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Like most of the band's earlier work, time helped to improve the opinions of the music press. A decade after its release, AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia called ''Mob Rules'' "a magnificent record".<ref>{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mob-rules-mw0000194116 |title=Mob Rules – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> The album was certified Gold<ref name="riaa" /> and reached the top 20 on the UK chart. The album's title track, "The Mob Rules", which was recorded at [[John Lennon]]'s old house in England,<ref name="R2460156B" /> was also featured in the 1981 animated film ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]'', although the film version is an alternate take and differs from the album version.<ref name="R2460156B" />
Unhappy with the quality of 1980's ''[[Live at Last (Black Sabbath album)|Live at Last]]'', the band recorded another live album – titled ''[[Live Evil (Black Sabbath album)|Live Evil]] –'' during the ''Mob Rules'' world tour, across the United States in [[Dallas]], [[San Antonio]] and [[Seattle]], in 1982.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Live Evil |others=Black Sabbath |year=1983 |chapter=Mob Rules World Tour 1981–1982 |first=Hugh |last=Gilmour |pages=3–5 |type=CD booklet; 1996 reissue |publisher=Gimcastle/Castle Communications |id=ESM CD 333 |___location=England}}</ref> During the mixing process for the album, Iommi and Butler had a falling-out with Dio. Misinformed by their then-current mixing engineer, Iommi and Butler accused Dio of sneaking into the studio at night to raise the volume of his vocals.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marszalek |first=Julian |title=Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Recalls the ''Heaven and Hell'' Era |url=http://www.spinner.com/2010/04/02/black-sabbath-tony-iommi-interview/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320015547/http://www.spinner.com/2010/04/02/black-sabbath-tony-iommi-interview/|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 March 2012 |publisher=spinner.com|access-date=26 January 2019}}</ref> In addition, Dio was not satisfied with the pictures of him in the artwork.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goodman |first=Dean |title=Black Sabbath reunites without Ozzy |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20648014-1702,00.html |date=26 October 2006 |work=[[News Limited]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026184906/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C23599%2C20648014-1702%2C00.html |archive-date=26 October 2009 |access-date=13 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Butler also accused Dio and Appice of working on a solo album during the album's mixing without telling the other members of Black Sabbath.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Welch |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Welch |title=London Calling |magazine=Record |date=June 1983 |volume=2 |issue=8 |page=4}}</ref> "Ronnie wanted more say in things", Iommi said. "And Geezer would get upset with him and that is where the rot set in. ''Live Evil'' is when it all fell apart. Ronnie wanted to do more of his own thing, and the engineer we were using at the time in the studio didn't know what to do, because Ronnie was telling him one thing and we were telling him another. At the end of the day, we just said, 'That's it, the band is over'".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=118}} "When it comes time for the vocal, nobody tells me what to do. Nobody! Because they're not as good as me, so I do what I want to do", Dio later said. "I refuse to listen to ''Live Evil'', because there are too many problems. If you look at the credits, the vocals and drums are listed off to the side. Open up the album and see how many pictures there are of Tony, and how many there are of me and Vinny".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|pp=107–108}}
Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath in November 1982 to start [[Dio (band)|his own band]] and took drummer Vinny Appice with him. ''Live Evil'' was released in January 1983, but was overshadowed by Ozzy Osbourne's Platinum-selling album ''[[Speak of the Devil (Ozzy Osbourne album)|Speak of the Devil]]''.<ref name="riaa" />
=== 1982–1984: Gillan as singer and ''Born Again'' ===
[[File:Black Sabbath in 1983.jpg|thumb|upright|Black Sabbath in 1983. L-R: [[Ian Gillan]], [[Bev Bevan]] (bottom), Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler]]
The remaining original members, Iommi and Butler, began auditioning singers for the band's next release. [[Deep Purple]] and [[Whitesnake]]'s [[David Coverdale]], [[Samson (band)|Samson]]'s [[Nicky Moore]] and [[Lone Star (band)|Lone Star]]'s [[John Sloman]] were all considered, and Iommi states in his autobiography that [[Michael Bolton]] auditioned,{{sfn|Iommi|2012|pp=218–219}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN2FYIhGwaA | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/LN2FYIhGwaA| archive-date=28 October 2021 |title=Icons: Tony Iommi |publisher=GibsonTV |via=YouTube |access-date=19 February 2020 |date=13 February 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> though this claim has been disputed, with Butler suggesting that Iommi concocted the story as "a joke"<ref name="butler-memoire">{{cite book |last1=Butler |first1=Terence |title=Into the Void |date=2023 |publisher=[[Harper Collins]] |___location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-324250-0}}</ref> and Bolton insisting it was "only a rumour".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2020/03/toni-iommi-michael-bolton-audition-black-sabbath/ |title=Tony Iommi Recalls Michael Bolton Auditioning for Black Sabbath |access-date=15 November 2024 |last=Kaufman |first=Spencer |date=9 March 2020 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence.net]]}}</ref> The band settled on then-former Deep Purple vocalist [[Ian Gillan]] to replace Dio in December 1982.<ref name="AMG Biography" />{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=233–239}} The project was initially not to be called Black Sabbath, but pressure from the record label forced the group to retain the name.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=233–239}} The band entered [[The Manor Studio]]s in [[Shipton-on-Cherwell]], Oxfordshire, in June 1983 with a returned and newly sober [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] on drums.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=233–239}} "That was the very first album that I ever did clean and sober," Ward recalled. "I only got drunk ''after'' I finished all my work on the album – which wasn't a very good idea... Sixty to seventy per cent of my energy was taken up on learning how to get through the day without taking a drink and learning how to do things without drinking, and thirty per cent of me was involved in the album."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ron |last=Schroer |title=Bill Ward and the Hand of Doom – Part III: Disturbing the Peace |magazine=Southern Cross |issue=18 |date=October 1996 |page=22}} (Sabbath [[fanzine]])</ref>
''[[Born Again (Black Sabbath album)|Born Again]]'' (9 September 1983) was panned on release by critics. Despite this negative reception, it reached number four in the UK, and number 39 in the US<ref name="billboard_200" /> Even three decades after its release, AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia called the album "dreadful", noting that "Gillan's bluesy style and humorous lyrics were completely incompatible with the lords of doom and gloom".<ref name="Born Again AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-again-mw0000311503 |title=Born Again – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>
Unable to tour because of the pressures of the road, Ward quit the band. "I fell apart with the idea of touring," he later explained. "I got so much fear behind touring, I didn't talk about the fear, I drank behind the fear instead and that was a big mistake."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=20215 |title=From Jazz to Black Sabbath |date=16 February 2006 |publisher=AllAboutJazz.com |access-date=2 March 2008}}</ref> He was replaced by former [[The Move|Move]] and [[Electric Light Orchestra]] drummer [[Bev Bevan]] for the [[Born Again Tour|''Born Again'' '83–'84 world tour]],{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=233–239}} (often unofficially referred to as the 'Feighn Death Sabbath '83–'84' World Tour) which began in Europe with [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]], and later in the US with [[Quiet Riot]] and [[Night Ranger]]. The band headlined the 1983 [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading Festival]] in England, adding Deep Purple's "[[Smoke on the Water]]" to their encore.<ref>Dafydd Rees, Luke Crampton (1999). "Rock stars encyclopedia". p.104. DK Pub., 1999</ref>
The tour in support of ''Born Again'' included a giant set of the [[Stonehenge]] monument. In a move later parodied in the mockumentary ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'', the band made a mistake in ordering the set piece. Butler explained:
{{blockquote|We had Sharon Osbourne's dad, [[Don Arden]], managing us. He came up with the idea of having the stage set be Stonehenge. He wrote the dimensions down and gave it to our tour manager. He wrote it down in metres but he meant to write it down in feet. The people who made it saw fifteen metres instead of fifteen feet. It was 45 feet high and it wouldn't fit on any stage anywhere so we just had to leave it in the storage area. It cost a fortune to make but there was not a building on earth that you could fit it into.<ref name="Classic Rock Revisited interview" />}}
=== 1984–1987: Hiatus, Hughes as singer, ''Seventh Star'', and Gillen as singer ===
Following the completion of the ''Born Again'' tour in March 1984, vocalist Ian Gillan left Black Sabbath to re-join Deep Purple, which was reforming after a long hiatus. Bevan left at the same time, and Gillan remarked that he and Bevan were made to feel like "hired help" by Iommi. The band then recruited an unknown Los Angeles vocalist named [[David Donato (singer)|David Donato]] and Ward once again rejoined the band. The new line-up wrote and rehearsed throughout 1984, and eventually recorded a demo with producer [[Bob Ezrin]] in October. Unhappy with the results, the band parted ways with Donato shortly after.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> Disillusioned with the band's revolving line-up, Ward left shortly after stating "This isn't Black Sabbath". Butler would quit Sabbath next in November 1984 to form a solo band. "When Ian Gillan took over that was the end of it for me," he said. "I thought it was just a joke and I just totally left. When we got together with Gillan it was not supposed to be a Black Sabbath album. After we had done the album we gave it to [[Warner Bros.]] and they said they were going to put it out as a Black Sabbath album and we didn't have a leg to stand on. I got really disillusioned with it and Gillan was really pissed off about it. That lasted one album and one tour and then that was it."<ref name="Classic Rock Revisited interview">{{cite web |url=http://classicrockrevisited.com/Interviews05/geezerbutler.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829011113/http://classicrockrevisited.com/Interviews05/geezerbutler.htm |archive-date=29 August 2006 |title=Geezer Butler Interview |publisher=ClassicRockRevisited.com |access-date=2 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Following both Ward's and Butler's exits, sole remaining original member Iommi put Sabbath on hiatus, and began work on a solo album with long-time Sabbath keyboardist [[Geoff Nicholls]]. While working on new material, the original Sabbath line-up agreed to a spot at [[Bob Geldof]]'s [[Live Aid]] on 13 July 1985, performing at the [[Live Aid#John F. Kennedy Stadium|Philadelphia]] show.<ref name="MusicMight" />{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=233–239}} This event – which also featured reunions of [[the Who]] and [[Led Zeppelin]] – marked the first time the original line-up had appeared on stage since 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504968/live-aid-look-back.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805063607/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504968/live-aid-look-back.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 August 2011 |title=Live Aid: A Look Back at a Concert That Actually Changed the World |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=29 June 2005 |publisher=MTV Networks|access-date=24 April 2009}}</ref> "We were all drunk when we did Live Aid," recalled [[Geezer Butler]], "but we'd all got drunk separately."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Paul |last=Elliott |title=The last word |magazine=[[Kerrang!]] |date=20 September 1997 |page=62}}</ref>
Returning to his solo work, Iommi enlisted bassist [[Dave Spitz]] (ex-[[Great White]]), drummer [[Eric Singer]] and initially intended to use multiple singers, including [[Rob Halford]] of [[Judas Priest]], former Deep Purple and [[Trapeze (band)|Trapeze]] vocalist [[Glenn Hughes (English musician)|Glenn Hughes]], and former Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio. This plan did not work as he forecasted.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=233–239}} "We were going to use different vocalists on the album, guest vocalists, but it was so difficult getting it together and getting releases from their record companies. Glenn Hughes came along to sing on one track and we decided to use him on the whole album."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=123}}
[[File:Black Sabbath (1986).jpg|thumb|left|Black Sabbath in 1986. L-R: [[Dave Spitz]], [[Glenn Hughes (English musician)|Glenn Hughes]], Tony Iommi, [[Eric Singer]], and [[Geoff Nicholls]]]]
The band spent the remainder of the year in the studio, recording what would become ''[[Seventh Star]]'' (1986). Warner Bros. refused to release the album as a Tony Iommi solo release, instead insisting on using the name Black Sabbath.<ref name="Seventh Star AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/seventh-star-mw0000192998 |title=Seventh Star – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> Pressured by the band's manager, [[Don Arden]], the two compromised and released the album as "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi" in January 1986.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ann Vare |first=Ethlie |date=8 March 1986 |title=Sabbath's 'Seventh Star' Spotlights Iommi |magazine=Billboard |volume=98 |issue=10 |page=47 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> "It opened up a whole can of worms," Iommi explained. "If we could have done it as a solo album, it would have been accepted a lot more."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=122}} ''Seventh Star'' sounded little like a Sabbath album, incorporating instead elements popularised by the 1980s [[Sunset Strip]] hard rock scene. It was panned by the critics of the era, although later reviewers such as AllMusic gave album verdicts, calling the album "often misunderstood and underrated".<ref name="Seventh Star AMG Review" />
The new line-up rehearsed for six weeks preparing for a full world tour, although the band were eventually forced to use the Sabbath name. "I was into the 'Tony Iommi project', but I wasn't into the Black Sabbath moniker," Hughes said. "The idea of being in Black Sabbath didn't appeal to me ''whatsoever''. Glenn Hughes singing in Black Sabbath is like [[James Brown]] singing in [[Metallica]]. It wasn't gonna work."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=123}}{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=125}} Just four days before the start of the tour, Hughes got into a bar fight with the band's production manager John Downing which splintered the singer's [[Orbit (anatomy)|orbital bone]]. The injury interfered with Hughes' ability to sing, and the band brought in vocalist [[Ray Gillen]] to continue the tour with [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P.]] and [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]], although nearly half of the US dates would be cancelled because of poor ticket sales.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Robert |url=http://www.sabbathlive.com/lists/CG83BA.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229233848/http://www.sabbathlive.com/lists/CG83BA.html |archive-date=29 December 2007 |title=Sabbath Live Cancelled tourdates 1985 |publisher=SabbathLive.com |access-date=5 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Black Sabbath began work on new material in October 1986 at [[AIR Montserrat|AIR Studios]] in [[Montserrat]] with producer [[Jeff Glixman]]. The recording was fraught with problems from the beginning, as Glixman left after the initial sessions to be replaced by producer [[Vic Coppersmith-Heaven]]. Bassist Dave Spitz quit over "personal issues", and former [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] and [[Ozzy Osbourne]] bassist [[Bob Daisley]] was brought in. Daisley re-recorded all of the bass tracks, and wrote the album's lyrics, but before the album was complete, he left to join [[Gary Moore]]'s backing band, taking drummer [[Eric Singer]] with him.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> After problems with second producer Coppersmith-Heaven, the band returned to [[Morgan Studios]] in England in January 1987 to work with new producer [[Chris Tsangarides]]. While working in the United Kingdom, new vocalist Ray Gillen abruptly left Black Sabbath to form [[Blue Murder (band)|Blue Murder]] with guitarist [[John Sykes]] (ex-[[Tygers of Pan Tang]], [[Thin Lizzy]], [[Whitesnake]]) and then [[Badlands (American band)|Badlands]] with former Osbourne guitarist [[Jake E. Lee]]. The band auditioned a number of singers, including [[Jon Oliva]] of [[Savatage]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/jon-oliva-recalls-nearly-auditioning-for-black-sabbath-i-would-have-been-the-best-singer-for-them-besides-ozzy-osbourne |title=JON OLIVA Recalls Nearly Auditioning For BLACK SABBATH: 'I Would Have Been The Best Singer For Them Besides OZZY OSBOURNE' |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=3 May 2023|access-date=23 February 2024}}</ref>
=== 1987–1990: Martin joins, ''The Eternal Idol'', ''Headless Cross'', and ''Tyr'' ===
[[File:Tony Martin 1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Tony Martin (British singer)|Tony Martin]] was the band's lead vocalist from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1993 to 1997.]]
The band enlisted heavy metal vocalist [[Tony Martin (British singer)|Tony Martin]] to re-record Gillen's tracks, and former [[Electric Light Orchestra]] drummer [[Bev Bevan]] to complete a few percussion overdubs.<ref name="MusicMight" /> Before the release of the new album Black Sabbath accepted an offer to play six shows at [[Sun City, North West|Sun City]], South Africa, during the apartheid era. The band drew criticism from activists and artists involved with [[Artists United Against Apartheid]], who had been boycotting South Africa since 1985.{{sfn|Drewett|2006|p=27}} Drummer Bev Bevan refused to play the shows, and was replaced by [[Terry Chimes]], formerly of [[the Clash]],<ref name="MusicMight" /> while Dave Spitz returned on bass.
After nearly a year in production, ''[[The Eternal Idol]]'' was released in November 1987 and ignored by contemporary reviewers. On-line internet era reviews were mixed. AllMusic said that "Martin's powerful voice added new fire" to the band, and the album contained "some of Iommi's heaviest riffs in years".<ref name="Eternal Idol AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-eternal-idol-mw0000193232 |title=Eternal Idol – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> ''Blender'' gave the album two stars, claiming the album was "Black Sabbath in name only".<ref name="Eternal Idol Blender Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2225 |title=Blender Eternal Idol Review |publisher=Blender.com |access-date=10 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019162809/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2225 |archive-date=19 October 2006}}</ref> The album would stall at No. 66 in the United Kingdom, while peaking at 168 in the US<ref name="billboard_200" /> The band toured in support of ''Eternal Idol'' in Germany, Italy and for the first time, Greece. In part due to a backlash from promoters over the South Africa incident, other European shows were cancelled.<ref name="Live Timeline">{{cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Robert |url=http://www.sabbathlive.com/80s-timeline.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211002803/http://www.sabbathlive.com/80s-timeline.html |archive-date=11 December 2007 |title=Sabbath Live Timeline 1980s |publisher=SabbathLive.com |access-date=10 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Bassist Dave Spitz left the band again shortly before the tour, and was replaced by [[Jo Burt]], formerly of [[Virginia Wolf]].
Following the poor commercial performance of ''The Eternal Idol'', Black Sabbath were dropped by both Vertigo Records and Warner Bros. Records, and signed with [[I.R.S. Records]].<ref name="MusicMight" /> The band took time off in 1988, returning in August to begin work on their next album. As a result of the recording troubles with ''Eternal Idol'', Tony Iommi opted to produce the band's next album himself. "It was a completely new start", Iommi said. "I had to rethink the whole thing, and decided that we needed to build up some credibility again".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=129}} Iommi enlisted former [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] drummer [[Cozy Powell]], long-time keyboardist Nicholls and session bassist [[Laurence Cottle]], and rented a "very cheap studio in England".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=129}}
Black Sabbath released ''[[Headless Cross (album)|Headless Cross]]'' in April 1989, and it was also ignored by contemporary reviewers, although AllMusic contributor Eduardo Rivadavia gave the album four stars and called it "the finest non-Ozzy or Dio Black Sabbath album".<ref name="Headless Cross AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/headless-cross-mw0000203923 |title=Headless Cross – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> Anchored by the number 62 charting single "Headless Cross", the album reached number 31 on the UK chart, and number 115 in the US<ref name="billboard_200" /> [[Queen (band)|Queen]] guitarist [[Brian May]], a good friend of Iommi's, played a guest solo on the song "When Death Calls". Following the album's release the band added touring bassist [[Neil Murray (British musician)|Neil Murray]], formerly of [[Colosseum II]], [[National Health]], [[Whitesnake]], [[Gary Moore]]'s backing band, and [[Vow Wow]].<ref name="AMG Biography" />
The unsuccessful ''Headless Cross'' US tour began in May 1989 with openers [[Kingdom Come (German band)|Kingdom Come]] and Silent Rage, but because of poor ticket sales, the tour was cancelled after just eight shows.<ref name="MusicMight" /> The European leg of the tour began in September, where the band were enjoying chart success. After a string of Japanese shows the band embarked on a 23 date Russian tour with [[Girlschool]]. Black Sabbath was one of the first bands to tour Russia, after [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] opened the country to western acts for the first time in 1989.<ref name="Live Timeline" />
The band returned to the studio in February 1990 to record ''[[Tyr (album)|Tyr]]'', the follow-up to ''Headless Cross''. While not technically a [[concept album]], some of the album's lyrical themes are loosely based on [[Norse mythology]].<ref name="MusicMight" /> ''Tyr'' was released on 6 August 1990, reaching number 24 on the UK albums chart, but was the first Black Sabbath release not to break the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US<ref name="billboard_200" /> The album would receive mixed internet-era reviews, with AllMusic noting that the band "mix myth with metal in a crushing display of musical synthesis",<ref name="Tyr AMG Review">{{cite web |last=Chrispell |first=James |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/tyr-mw0000690225 |title=Tyr – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> while ''Blender'' gave the album just one star, claiming that "Iommi continues to besmirch the Sabbath name with this unremarkable collection".<ref name="Tyr Blender Review">{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Ben |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2228 |title=Tyr Blender review |publisher=Blender.com |access-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019162755/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2228 |archive-date=19 October 2006}}</ref> The band toured in support of ''Tyr'' with [[Circus of Power]] in Europe, but the final seven United Kingdom dates were cancelled because of poor ticket sales.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Robert |url=http://sabbathlive.com/lists/CG90TYR.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219022836/http://sabbathlive.com/lists/CG90TYR.html |archive-date=19 December 2005 |title=Sabbath Live Timeline 1990s Cancelled shows |publisher=SabbathLive.com |access-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> For the first time in their career, the band's touring cycle did not include US dates.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Robert |url=http://www.sabbathlive.com/lists/90TYR.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060116055140/http://www.sabbathlive.com/lists/90TYR.html |archive-date=16 January 2006 |title=Sabbath Live Timeline 1990s |publisher=SabbathLive.com |access-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== 1990–1992: Dio rejoins and ''Dehumanizer'' ===
While on his ''[[Lock Up the Wolves]]'' US tour in August 1990, former Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio was joined onstage at the [[Roy Wilkins Auditorium]] by Geezer Butler to perform "Neon Knights". Following the show, the two expressed interest in rejoining Sabbath. Butler convinced Iommi, who in turn broke up the current line-up, dismissing vocalist Tony Martin and bassist Neil Murray. "I do regret that in a lot of ways," Iommi said. "We were at a good point then. We decided to [reunite with Dio] and I don't even know why, really. There's the financial aspect, but that wasn't it. I seemed to think maybe we could recapture something we had."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=129}}
Dio and Butler joined Iommi and [[Cozy Powell]] in autumn 1990 to begin the next Sabbath release. While rehearsing in November, Powell suffered a broken hip when his horse died and fell on the drummer's legs.<ref name="Blender Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2229 |title=Blender Dehumanizer Review |publisher=Blender.com |access-date=17 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019162836/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2229 |archive-date=19 October 2006}}</ref> Unable to complete the album, Powell was replaced by former drummer [[Vinny Appice]], reuniting the ''Mob Rules'' line-up, and the band entered the studio with producer [[Reinhold Mack]]. The year-long recording was plagued with problems, primarily stemming from writing tension between Iommi and Dio. Songs were rewritten multiple times.{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=128}} "It was just hard work," Iommi said. "We took too long on it, that album cost us a million dollars, which is bloody ridiculous."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=129}} Dio recalled the album as difficult, but worth the effort: "It was something we had to really wring out of ourselves, but I think that's why it works. Sometimes you need that kind of tension, or else you end up making the Christmas album".<ref name="Iommi & Dio Interview">{{cite news |last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=65255 |title=Interview with Ronnie James Dio and Tony Iommi |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |access-date=17 March 2008 |date=13 January 2007}}</ref>
The resulting ''[[Dehumanizer]]'' was released on 22 June 1992. In the US, the album was released on 30 June 1992 by [[Reprise Records]], as Dio and his [[Dio (band)|namesake band]] were still under contract to the label at the time. While the album received mixed {{nowrap|reviews,<ref name="Blender Review" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.revelationz.net/index.asp?ID=2381e |title=Revelation Z Magazine ''Dehumanizer'' Review |publisher=RevolutionZ.net |access-date=17 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604221624/http://www.revelationz.net/index.asp?ID=2381e |archive-date=4 June 2008}}</ref>}}, it was the band's biggest commercial success in a decade.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> Anchored by the top 40 rock radio single "TV Crimes", the album peaked at number 44 on the ''Billboard 200.''<ref name="billboard_200" /> The album also featured "Time Machine", a version of which had been recorded for the 1992 film ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]''. Additionally, the perception among fans of a return of some semblance of the "real" Sabbath provided the band with much needed momentum.
Sabbath began touring in support of ''Dehumanizer'' in July 1992 with [[Testament (band)|Testament]], [[Danzig (band)|Danzig]], [[Prong (band)|Prong]], and [[Exodus (band)|Exodus]]. While on tour, former vocalist Ozzy Osbourne announced his first retirement, and invited Sabbath to open for his solo band at the final two shows of his ''[[No More Tears|No More Tours]]'' tour in [[Costa Mesa, California]]. The band agreed, aside from Dio, who told Iommi, "I'm not doing that. I'm not supporting a clown."{{sfn|Iommi|2012}} Dio spoke of the situation years later:
{{blockquote|I was told in the middle of the tour that we would be opening for Ozzy in Los Angeles. And I said, "No. Sorry, I have more pride than that." A lot of bad things were being said from camp to camp, and it created this horrible schism. So by [the band] agreeing to play the shows in L.A. with Ozzy, that, to me, spelled out reunion. And that obviously meant the doom of that particular project.<ref name="Iommi & Dio Interview" />}}
Dio quit Sabbath following a show in [[Oakland, California]] on 13 November 1992, one night before the band were set to appear at Osbourne's retirement show. Judas Priest vocalist [[Rob Halford]] stepped in at the last minute, performing two nights with the band.<ref>{{cite web |last=Henderson |first=Tim |url=http://www.bravewords.com/features/1000484 |title=Rob Halford Reminisces About Covering For OZZY! |publisher=BraveWords |access-date=17 March 2008 |archive-date=24 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124013153/http://www.bravewords.com/features/1000484 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Iommi and Butler joined Osbourne and former drummer Ward on stage for the first time since 1985's [[Live Aid]] concert, performing a brief set of Sabbath songs. This set the stage for a longer-term reunion of the original line-up, though that plan proved short-lived. "Ozzy, Geezer, Tony and Bill announced the reunion of Black Sabbath – again," remarked Dio. "And I thought that it was a great idea. But I guess Ozzy didn't think it was such a great idea... I'm never surprised when it comes to whatever happens with them. Never at all. They are very predictable. They don't talk."<ref>Swedish TV interview, broadcast April 1994, transcribed by Ola Malmström in Sabbath [[fanzine]] ''Southern Cross'' No. 14, p18, October 1994</ref>
=== 1992–1997: Martin rejoins, ''Cross Purposes'', and ''Forbidden'' ===
Drummer [[Vinny Appice]] left the band following the reunion show to rejoin Ronnie James Dio's solo band, later appearing on Dio's ''[[Strange Highways]]'' and ''[[Angry Machines]]''. Iommi and Butler enlisted former [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] drummer [[Bobby Rondinelli]], and reinstated former vocalist [[Tony Martin (British singer)|Tony Martin]]. The band returned to the studio to work on new material, although the project was not originally intended to be released under the Black Sabbath name. As Geezer Butler explains:
{{blockquote|It wasn't even supposed to be a Sabbath album; I wouldn't have even done it under the pretence of Sabbath. That was the time when the original band were talking about getting back together for a reunion tour. Tony and myself just went in with a couple of people, did an album just to have, while the reunion tour was (supposedly) going on. It was like an Iommi/Butler project album.{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=130}}}}
Under pressure from their record label, the band released their seventeenth studio album, ''[[Cross Purposes]]'', on 8 February 1994, under the Black Sabbath name. The album received mixed reviews, with ''Blender'' giving the album two stars, calling [[Soundgarden]]'s 1994 album ''[[Superunknown]]'' "a far better Sabbath album than this by-the-numbers potboiler".<ref>{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Ben |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2226 |title=Blender Cross Purposes Review |publisher=Blender.com |access-date=18 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019162651/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2226 |archive-date=19 October 2006}}</ref> AllMusic's Bradley Torreano called ''Cross Purposes'' "the first album since ''Born Again'' that actually sounds like a real Sabbath record".<ref>{{cite web |last=Torreano |first=Bradley |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cross-purposes-mw0000107297 |title=Cross Purposes – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> The album just missed the Top 40 in the UK reaching number 41, and also reached 122 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US ''Cross Purposes'' contained the song "Evil Eye", which was co-written by [[Van Halen]] guitarist [[Eddie Van Halen]], although uncredited because of record label restrictions.<ref name="MusicMight" /> Touring in support of ''Cross Purposes'' began in February with [[Morbid Angel]] and [[Motörhead]] in the US The band filmed a live performance at the [[Hammersmith Apollo]] on 13 April 1994, which was released on VHS accompanied by a CD, titled ''[[Cross Purposes Live]]''. After the European tour with [[Cathedral (band)|Cathedral]] and Godspeed in June 1994, drummer Bobby Rondinelli quit the band and was replaced by original Black Sabbath drummer Ward for five shows in South America.
[[File:Butlernov95.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Geezer Butler performing with Black Sabbath in 1995]]
Following the touring cycle for ''Cross Purposes'', bassist Geezer Butler quit the band for the second time. "I finally got totally disillusioned with the last Sabbath album, and I much preferred the stuff I was writing to the stuff Sabbath were doing".{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=130}} Butler formed a solo project called [[GZR]], and released ''[[Plastic Planet]]'' in 1995. The album contained the song "Giving Up the Ghost", which was critical of Tony Iommi for carrying on with the Black Sabbath name, with the lyrics: ''You plagiarised and parodied / the magic of our meaning / a legend in your own mind / left all your friends behind / you can't admit that you're wrong / the spirit is dead and gone''{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=51}} ("I heard it's something about me..." said Iommi. "I had the album given to me a while back. I played it once, then somebody else had it, so I haven't really paid any attention to the lyrics... It's nice to see him doing his own thing – getting things off his chest. I don't want to get into a rift with Geezer. He's still a friend."<ref name="ReferenceA">''Southern Cross'' No.19, March 1997</ref>
Following Butler's departure, newly returned drummer Ward once again left the band. Iommi reinstated former members Neil Murray on bass and Cozy Powell on drums, effectively reuniting the 1990 ''Tyr'' line-up. The band enlisted [[Body Count (band)|Body Count]] guitarist [[Ernie C]] to produce the new album, which was recorded in London in autumn of 1994. The album featured a guest vocal on "Illusion of Power" by Body Count vocalist [[Ice-T]].{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=131}} The resulting ''[[Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)|Forbidden]]'' was released on 8 June 1995, but failed to chart in the US<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Black Sabbath |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/black-sabbath/ |access-date=5 July 2023 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=July 2023}} The album was widely panned by critics; AllMusic's Bradley Torreano said "with boring songs, awful production, and uninspired performances, this is easily avoidable for all but the most enthusiastic fan";<ref>{{cite web |last=Torreano |first=Bradley |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/forbidden-mw0000172344 |title=Forbidden – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> while ''Blender'' magazine called ''Forbidden'' "an embarrassment... the band's worst album".<ref>{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Ben |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2230 |title=Blender Forbidden review |publisher=Blender.com |access-date=20 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019162815/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2230 |archive-date=19 October 2006}}</ref>
Black Sabbath embarked on a world tour in July 1995 with openers [[Motörhead]] and [[Tiamat (band)|Tiamat]], but two months into the tour, drummer Cozy Powell left the band, citing health issues, and was replaced by former drummer [[Bobby Rondinelli]]. "The members I had in the last lineup – Bobby Rondinelli, Neil Murray – they're great, great characters..." Iommi told Sabbath fanzine ''Southern Cross''. "That, for me, was an ideal lineup. I wasn't sure vocally what we should do, but Neil Murray and Bobby Rondinelli I really got on well with."<ref name="ReferenceA" />
After completing Asian dates in December 1995, Tony Iommi put the band on hiatus, and began work on a solo album with former Black Sabbath vocalist [[Glenn Hughes (English musician)|Glenn Hughes]], and former Judas Priest drummer [[Dave Holland (drummer)|Dave Holland]]. The album was not officially released following its completion, although a widely traded bootleg called ''Eighth Star'' surfaced soon after. The album was officially released in 2004 as ''[[The 1996 DEP Sessions]]'', with Holland's drums re-recorded by session drummer [[Jimmy Copley]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Eduardo |first=Rivadavia |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dep-sessions-1996-mw0000396989 |title=The DEP Sessions: 1996 – Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>
In 1997, Tony Iommi disbanded the current line-up to officially reunite with Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath line-up. Vocalist Tony Martin claimed that an original line-up reunion had been in the works since the band's brief reunion at Ozzy Osbourne's 1992 [[Costa Mesa, California|Costa Mesa]] show, and that the band released subsequent albums to fulfill their record contract with I.R.S. Records. Martin later recalled ''Forbidden'' (1995) as a "filler album that got the band out of the label deal, rid of the singer, and into the reunion. However I wasn't privy to that information at the time".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tonymartin.net/qanda.html |title=Tony Martin.net Q&A |publisher=TonyMartin.net |access-date=20 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221032549/http://www.tonymartin.net/qanda.html |archive-date=21 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[I.R.S. Records]] released a [[compilation album]] in 1996 to fulfill the band's contract, titled ''[[The Sabbath Stones]]'', which featured songs from ''Born Again'' (1983) to ''Forbidden'' (1995).
=== 1997–2006: Osbourne rejoins and ''Reunion'' ===
In the summer of 1997, Iommi, Butler and Osbourne reunited to coheadline the [[Ozzfest]] tour alongside Osbourne's solo band. The line-up featured Osbourne's drummer [[Mike Bordin]] filling in for Ward. "It started off with me going off to join Ozzy for a couple of numbers," explained Iommi, "and then it got into Sabbath doing a short set, involving Geezer. And then it grew as it went on... We were concerned in case Bill couldn't make it – couldn't do it – because it was a lot of dates, and important dates... The only rehearsal that we had to do was for the drummer. But I think if Bill had come in, it would have took a lot more time. We would have had to focus a lot more on him."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Peter |last=Scott |title=Tony Iommi interview |magazine=Southern Cross [Sabbath fanzine] No. 20 |date=October 1997 |page=14}}</ref>
[[File:Black Sabbath 1999-12-16 Stuttgart.jpg|thumb|Black Sabbath on stage in [[Stuttgart]] in December 1999 (left to right: Butler, Osbourne, Iommi, Ward)]]
In December 1997, the group was joined by Ward, marking the first reunion of the original quartet since Osbourne's 1992 "retirement show". This line-up recorded two shows at the [[National Exhibition Centre|Birmingham NEC]], released as the double album ''[[Reunion (Black Sabbath album)|Reunion]]'' on 20 October 1998. The album reached number eleven on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref name="billboard_200" /> went platinum in the US<ref name="riaa" /> and spawned the single "[[Iron Man (song)|Iron Man]]", which won Sabbath their first [[Grammy Award]] in 2000 for [[Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance|Best Metal Performance]], 30 years after the song was originally released. ''Reunion'' featured two new studio tracks, "[[Psycho Man (Black Sabbath song)|Psycho Man]]" and "Selling My Soul", both of which cracked the top 20 of the ''Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks'' chart.<ref name="billboard_200" />
Shortly before a European tour in the summer of 1998, Ward had a heart attack and was temporarily replaced by former drummer [[Vinny Appice]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68263 |title=HEAVEN AND HELL Drummer: RONNIE JAMES DIO Is 'Singing Better Than He Has Ever Sung' |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=8 April 2008 |date=5 March 2007}}</ref> Ward returned for a US tour with openers [[Pantera]], which began in January 1999 and continued through the summer, headlining the annual Ozzfest tour.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> Following these appearances, the band was put on hiatus while members worked on solo material. Iommi released his first official solo album, ''[[Iommi (album)|Iommi]]'', in 2000, while Osbourne continued work on ''[[Down to Earth (Ozzy Osbourne album)|Down to Earth]]'' (2001).
Sabbath returned to the studio to work on new material with all four original members and producer [[Rick Rubin]] in the spring of 2001,<ref name="AMG Biography" /> but the sessions were halted when Osbourne was called away to finish tracks for his solo album in the summer.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Saraceno |first=Christina |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5932210/sabbath_scrap_disturbed_dates |title=Sabbath Scrap Disturbed Dates |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=8 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617164614/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5932210/sabbath_scrap_disturbed_dates |archive-date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> "It just came to an end..." Iommi said. "It's a shame because [the songs] were really {{nowrap|good".<ref name="Blabbermouth Iommi">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=25029 |title=BLACK SABBATH Guitarist Says It's A 'Shame' The Band Didn't Complete New Studio Album |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=8 April 2008 |date=23 July 2004}}</ref>}} Iommi commented on the difficulty getting all the members together to work:
{{blockquote|It's quite different recording now. We've all done so much in between. In [the early] days there was no mobile phone ringing every five seconds. When we first started, we had nothing. We all worked for the same thing. Now everybody has done so many other things. It's great fun and we all have a good chat, but it's just different, trying to put an album together.<ref name="Blabbermouth Iommi" />}}
In March 2002, Osbourne's [[Emmy Award|Emmy]]-winning reality show ''[[The Osbournes]]'' debuted on [[MTV]], and quickly became a worldwide hit.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> The show introduced Osbourne to a broader audience and, to capitalise, the band's back catalogue label [[Sanctuary Records]] released a double live album, ''[[Past Lives (Black Sabbath album)|Past Lives]]'' (2002), which featured concert material recorded in the 1970s, including the ''[[Live at Last (Black Sabbath album)|Live at Last]]'' (1980) album. The band remained on hiatus until the summer of 2004 when they returned to headline Ozzfest 2004 and 2005. In November 2005, Black Sabbath were inducted into the [[UK Music Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/ukmusic/nominees.shtml |title=UK Music Hall of Fame 2005 |work=BBC Radio 2|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref> and in March 2006, after eleven years of eligibility—Osbourne famously refused the Hall's "meaningless" initial nomination in 1999<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Uhelszki |first=Jaan |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ozzy-says-no-thanks-to-hall-of-fame-79479/ |title=Ozzy Says "No Thanks" to Hall of Fame |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=5 October 1999 |access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref>—the band were inducted into the US [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Sprague |first=David |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/9438157/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_2006_black_sabbath |title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006: Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne recalls his band's heavy, scary journey |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=8 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603174719/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/9438157/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_2006_black_sabbath |archive-date=3 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> At the awards ceremony [[Metallica]] played two Sabbath songs, "[[Sabotage (Black Sabbath album)|Hole in the Sky]]" and "[[Iron Man (song)|Iron Man]]" in tribute.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50050 |title=METALLICA: Video Footage of BLACK SABBATH Rock Hall Induction, Performance Posted Online |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=8 April 2008 |date=23 March 2006 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616124018/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50050 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== 2006–2010: ''The Dio Years'' and Heaven and Hell ===
{{Main|Heaven & Hell (band)}}
[[File:Iommi at the Forum.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Tony Iommi in 2007 with Heaven & Hell]]
While Ozzy Osbourne was working on [[Black Rain (Ozzy Osbourne album)|new solo album]] material in 2006, [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Records]] released ''[[Black Sabbath: The Dio Years]]'', a compilation of songs culled from the four Black Sabbath releases featuring Ronnie James Dio. For the release, Iommi, Butler, Dio, and Appice reunited to write and record three new songs as Black Sabbath. ''The Dio Years'' was released on 3 April 2007, reaching number 54 on the ''Billboard'' 200, while the single "The Devil Cried" reached number 37 on the ''Mainstream Rock Tracks'' chart.<ref name="billboard_200" /> Pleased with the results, Iommi and Dio decided to reunite the Dio era line-up for a [[Heaven and Hell 2007 Tour|world tour]]. While the line-up of Osbourne, Butler, Iommi, and Ward was still officially called Black Sabbath, the new line-up opted to call themselves Heaven & Hell, after the album of the same title, to avoid confusion. When asked about the name of the group, Iommi stated "it really is Black Sabbath, whatever we do... so everyone knows what they're getting [and] so people won't expect to hear 'Iron Man' and all those songs. We've done them for so many years, it's nice to do just all the stuff we did with Ronnie again."<ref name="Black Sabbath member history" /> Ward was initially set to participate, but dropped out before the tour began due to musical differences with "a couple of the band members".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=135471 |title=Ward on Quitting Heaven & Hell: I Was Uncomfortable With Some Things Surrounding The Project |last=Russell |first=Tom |date=20 February 2010 |work=Blabbermouth |access-date=21 February 2010}}</ref> He was replaced by former drummer [[Vinny Appice]], effectively reuniting the line-up that had featured on the ''Mob Rules'' (1981) and ''Dehumanizer'' (1992) albums.
Heaven & Hell toured the US with openers [[Megadeth]] and [[Machine Head (band)|Machine Head]], and recorded a live album and DVD in New York on 30 March 2007, titled ''[[Live from Radio City Music Hall (Heaven & Hell album)|Live from Radio City Music Hall]]''. In November 2007, Dio confirmed that the band had plans to record a new studio album, which was recorded in the following year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Elliott |first=Mike |url=http://www.komodorock.com/interviews/interviews/komodo-rock-talks-with-ronnie-james-dio-200711012460/ |title=Komodo Rock Talks With Ronnie James Dio |publisher=Komodorock.com |access-date=8 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320074153/http://www.komodorock.com/interviews/interviews/komodo-rock-talks-with-ronnie-james-dio-200711012460/ |archive-date=20 March 2008}}</ref> In April 2008 the band announced the upcoming release of a new box set and their participation in the [[Metal Masters Tour]], alongside [[Judas Priest]], [[Motörhead]] and [[Testament (band)|Testament]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=95359 |title=JUDAS PRIEST Frontman On 'Metal Masters' Tour: 'We Insisted on a Classic Metal Package' |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=21 April 2008}}</ref> The box set, ''[[The Rules of Hell]]'', featuring remastered versions of all the Dio fronted Black Sabbath albums, was supported by the Metal Masters Tour. In 2009, the band announced the title of their debut studio album, ''[[The Devil You Know (Heaven & Hell album)|The Devil You Know]]'', released on 28 April.<ref name=billb09>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269438/heaven-hell-feeling-devilish-on-new-album |title=Heaven & Hell Feeling Devilish on New Album |access-date=13 February 2009 |last=Cohen |first=Jonathan |date=10 February 2009 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Howard Appelbaum}}</ref>
On 26 May 2009, Osbourne filed suit in a federal court in New York against Iommi alleging that he illegally claimed the band name. Iommi noted that he had been the only constant band member for its full 41-year career and that his bandmates relinquished their rights to the name in the 1980s, therefore claiming more rights to the name of the band. Although in the suit, Osbourne was seeking 50% ownership of the trademark, he said that he hoped the proceedings would lead to equal ownership among the four original members.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Harris |first=Chris |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ozzy-osbourne-suing-tony-iommi-for-black-sabbath-name-20090529 |title=Ozzy Osbourne Suing Tony Iommi For Black Sabbath Name |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=29 May 2009|access-date=10 February 2013|archive-date=11 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080536/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ozzy-osbourne-suing-tony-iommi-for-black-sabbath-name-20090529|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In March 2010, Black Sabbath announced that along with [[Metallica]] they would be releasing a limited edition single together to celebrate [[Record Store Day]]. It was released on 17 April 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/108571/black_sabbath |title=News: Black Sabbath and Metallica to issue limited edition split single|access-date=6 April 2010 |publisher=[[idiomag]]}}</ref> Ronnie James Dio died on 16 May 2010 from stomach cancer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8685851.stm |title=Heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio dies at 67 |work=BBC News |date=16 May 2010|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> In June 2010, the legal battle between Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi over the trademarking of the Black Sabbath name ended, but the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/ozzy-and-iommi-settle-sabbath-legal-battle/ |title=Ozzy And Iommi Settle Sabbath Legal Battle |date=5 June 2010 |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |access-date=6 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610224542/http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/ozzy-and-iommi-settle-sabbath-legal-battle |archive-date=10 June 2010}}</ref>
=== 2010–2014: Second Osbourne reunion and ''13'' ===
[[File:Black Sabbath (2013).jpg|thumb|left|Black Sabbath live in Brazil, 2013 (left to right: [[Tommy Clufetos]], Butler, Osbourne, Iommi)]]
In a January 2010 interview while promoting his biography ''[[I Am Ozzy]]'', Osbourne stated that although he would not rule it out, he was doubtful there would be a reunion with all four original members of the band. Osbourne stated: "I'm not gonna say I've written it out forever, but right now I don't think there's any chance. But who knows what the future holds for me? If it's my destiny, fine."<ref>{{cite news |title=Ozzy: Sabbath not regrouping |date=25 January 2010 |agency=Associated Press |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2010/01/25/12611346-wenn-story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713181810/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2010/01/25/12611346-wenn-story.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=13 July 2012 |work=Canoe|access-date=25 January 2010}}</ref> In July, Butler said that there would be no reunion in 2011, as Osbourne was already committed to touring with his solo band.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/geezer-butler-no-black-sabbath-reunion-in-2011/ |title=Blog Archive " Geezer Butler: No Black Sabbath Reunion In 2011 |magazine=Metal Hammer |date=10 December 2010 |access-date=4 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520042901/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/geezer-butler-no-black-sabbath-reunion-in-2011/ |archive-date=20 May 2011}}</ref> However, by that August they had already met up to rehearse together, and continued to do so through the autumn.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=921243007921360&id=109213359124333 |title=Bill Ward – Bill addresses Ozzy's Facebook post. 1. You... |via=Facebook|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> On 11 November 2011, Iommi, Butler, Osbourne, and Ward announced that they were reuniting to record a new album with a full tour in support beginning in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15705500 |title=Veteran rockers Black Sabbath announce reunion |work=BBC News |date=12 November 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> Guitarist Iommi was diagnosed with [[lymphoma]] on 9 January 2012, which forced the band to cancel all but two shows ([[Download Festival]], and [[Lollapalooza]] Festival) of a previously booked European tour.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-16474807 |title=Tony Iommi to undergo treatment for lymphoma |work=BBC News |date=9 January 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |title=Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi: 'I've Had the Last Dose of Chemotherapy' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=27 March 2012 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbaths-tony-iommi-ive-had-the-last-dose-of-chemotherapy-20120327|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=22 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522000815/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbaths-tony-iommi-ive-had-the-last-dose-of-chemotherapy-20120327|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was later announced that an intimate show would be played in their hometown [[Birmingham]]. It was the first concert since the reunion and the only indoors concerts that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metaltraveller.com/en/gigs/black_sabbath/birmingham_2012.html |title=Black Sabbath reunion concert |publisher=Metal Traveller |date=21 May 2012|access-date=22 May 2012}}</ref> In February 2012, drummer Ward announced that he would not participate further in the band's reunion until he was offered a "signable contract".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16867216 |title=Black Sabbath Bill Ward drummer delays band reunion |work=BBC News |date=3 February 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>
On 21 May 2012, at the [[O2 Academy Birmingham|O2 Academy]] in Birmingham, Black Sabbath played their first concert since 2005, with [[Tommy Clufetos]] playing the drums.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/18145654 |title=Reunited Black Sabbath play Birmingham gig |work=BBC News |date=21 May 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> In June, they performed at the [[Download Festival]] at the [[Donington Park motorsports circuit]] in Leicestershire, England, followed by the last concert of the short tour at [[Lollapalooza]] Festival in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crookes |first=Del |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/18391342 |title=Black Sabbath and Soundgarden close Download festival |work=BBC News |date=11 June 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kot |first=Greg |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-lollapalooza-day-1-lollapalooza-opening-day-reviewed-20120803,0,1929815.column |title=Lollapalooza Day 1: Black Sabbath, Black Keys and Passion Pit's black thoughts |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=4 August 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> Later that month, the band started recording an album.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/GZRMusic/status/237598810912718848 |title=Geezer Butler at Twitter |publisher=Twitter |date=20 August 2012|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> On 13 January 2013, the band announced that the album would be released in June under the title ''[[13 (Black Sabbath album)|13]]''. [[Brad Wilk]] (formerly of [[Rage Against the Machine]] and [[Audioslave]]) was chosen as the drummer, and [[Rick Rubin]] was chosen as the producer.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-announce-new-album-13-due-out-in-june-20130113 |title=Black Sabbath Announce New Album, '13,' Due Out in June |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=13 January 2013|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=11 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211155425/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-announce-new-album-13-due-out-in-june-20130113|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|Mixing]] of the album commenced in February.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=185651 |title=Black Sabbath To Begin Mixing New Album in February |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=31 January 2013|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=4 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204001901/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=185651|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 12 April 2013, the band released the album's track listing. The standard version of the album features eight new tracks, and the deluxe version features three bonus tracks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/black-sabbath-bonus-songs-13-deluxe-edition/ |title=Black Sabbath Adds Bonus Songs To '13' Deluxe Edition |first=Dave |last=Lifton |publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=19 April 2013|access-date=19 April 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Brad Wilk.jpg|thumb|[[Brad Wilk]] performed as a session drummer on Black Sabbath's final studio album ''13'' (2013).]]
The band's first single from ''13'', "[[God Is Dead?]]", was released on 19 April 2013.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1558856/black-sabbath-god-is-dead-single-review |title=Black Sabbath, 'God Is Dead?': Single Review |first=Gary |last=Graff |magazine=Billboard |date=19 April 2013|access-date=19 April 2013}}</ref> On 20 April 2013, Black Sabbath commenced their first Australia/New Zealand tour in 40 years followed by a North American Tour in Summer 2013.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-book-four-north-american-dates-20130416 |title=Black Sabbath Book Four North American Dates |first=Eric D. |last=Dandton |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=16 April 2013|access-date=19 April 2013|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002908/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-book-four-north-american-dates-20130416|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1559624/black-sabbath-expands-north-american-tour |title=Black Sabbath Expands North American Tour |magazine=Billboard |access-date=10 October 2020}}</ref> The second single of the album, "End of the Beginning", debuted on 15 May in a ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]'' episode, where all three members appeared.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-to-premiere-new-single-on-csi-season-finale-20130410 |title=Black Sabbath to Premiere New Single on 'CSI' Season Finale |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=Andy |last=Greene |date=10 April 2013|access-date=19 April 2013|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209062958/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-to-premiere-new-single-on-csi-season-finale-20130410|url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2013, ''13'' topped both the [[UK Albums Chart]] and the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], becoming their first album to reach number one on the latter chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Keith |last=Caulfield |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1567354/black-sabbath-earns-first-no-1-album-on-billboard-200-chart |title=Black Sabbath Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=19 June 2013| access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Daniel |last=Lane |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/black-sabbath-make-chart-history-with-first-number-1-album-in-nearly-43-years-2287/ |title=Black Sabbath make chart history with first Number 1 album in nearly 43 years |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |date=16 June 2013|access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> In 2014, Black Sabbath received their first [[Grammy Award]] since 2000 with "God Is Dead?" winning [[Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance|Best Metal Performance]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-god-is-dead-wins-2014-grammy-best-metal-performance/ |title=Black Sabbath's 'God Is Dead?' Wins 2014 Grammy for Best Metal Performance |last=Childers |first=Chad |date=26 January 2014 |website=[[Loudwire]]|access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref>
In July 2013, Black Sabbath embarked on a North American Tour (for the first time since July 2001), followed by a Latin American tour in October 2013. In November 2013, the band started their European tour which lasted until December 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lupe.at/marktplatz/tickets/ |title=Tickets kaufen und verkaufen im kostenlosen Marktplatz für Kleinanzeigen |website=Lupe.at|access-date=15 July 2021}}</ref> In March and April 2014, they made 12 stops in North America (mostly in Canada) as the second leg of their North American Tour before embarking in June 2014 on the second leg of their European tour, which ended with a concert at London's [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-announce-2014-north-american-tour-dates/ |title=Black Sabbath Announce 2014 North American Tour Dates |publisher=Loudwire.com |date=14 November 2013 |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref>
=== 2014–2017: Cancelled twentieth album, ''The End'', and disbandment ===
On 29 September 2014, Osbourne told ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' that Black Sabbath would begin work on their twentieth studio album in early 2015 with producer [[Rick Rubin]], followed by a final tour in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-to-begin-work-on-new-studio-album-next-year/ |title=Black Sabbath To Begin Work on New Studio Album Next Year |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=29 September 2014 |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="finaltour">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-to-begin-work-on-new-studio-album-next-year/ |title=Black Sabbath To Embark on Final Tour in 2016, Says Ozzy Osbourne |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=28 April 2015 |access-date=28 April 2015}}</ref> In an April 2015 interview, however, Osbourne said that these plans "could change", and added, "We all live in different countries and some of them want to work and some of them don't want to, I believe. But we are going to do another tour together."<ref name="finaltour" />
[[File:Black Sabbath farewell.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Black Sabbath at the [[Genting Arena]], Birmingham, in February 2017]]
On 3 September 2015, it was announced that Black Sabbath would embark on their final tour, titled [[The End Tour|The End]], from January 2016 to February 2017.<ref name="blacksabbath1">{{cite web |url=http://www.blacksabbath.com/events.html |title=The Official Black Sabbath Website ❎ Black Sabbath Tour Dates |website=Blacksabbath.com |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-announces-the-end-world-tour/ |title=Black Sabbath Announces 'The End' World Tour |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=3 September 2015 |access-date=3 September 2015}}</ref> Numerous dates and locations across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand were announced.<ref name="blacksabbath1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYCvRV5ME3w | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906122909/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYCvRV5ME3w| archive-date=6 September 2015 |title=Black Sabbath: The End Tour Announcement |via=YouTube |date=19 May 2012 |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> The final shows of The End tour took place at the [[Genting Arena]] in their home city of [[Birmingham]], England on 2 and 4 February 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ozzy expects to 'shed a few tears' at Black Sabbath farewell show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38841175 |publisher=BBC |date=3 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/199237/9 |title=Black Sabbath To Bring 'The End' Tour to the UK And Ireland |publisher=Stereoboard.com |date=10 June 2016 |access-date=27 June 2016}}</ref> On 26 October 2015, it was announced the band consisting of Osbourne, Iommi and Butler would be returning to the [[Download Festival]] on 11 June 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ozzy.com/us/news/black-sabbath-announced-saturday-headliner-download-2016 |title=black sabbath announced saturday headliner download 2016 |date=20 October 2015 |website=Ozzy|access-date= 28 October 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151025045207/http://www.ozzy.com/us/news/black-sabbath-announced-saturday-headliner-download-2016|archive-date= 25 October 2015|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://downloadfestival.co.uk/lineup-poster |title=line-up poster |date=20 October 2015 |website=Download Festival|access-date= 28 October 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151029085549/http://downloadfestival.co.uk/lineup-poster|archive-date= 29 October 2015}}</ref> Despite earlier reports that they would enter the studio before their farewell tour, Osbourne stated that there would not be another Black Sabbath studio album.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ozzy-osbourne-why-there-wont-be-another-black-sabbath-studio-album/ |title=Ozzy Osbourne: Why There Won't Be Another Black Sabbath Studio Album |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=30 October 2015 |access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref> However, an 8-track CD entitled ''[[The End (Black Sabbath EP)|The End]]'' was sold at dates on the tour. Along with some live recordings, the CD includes four unused tracks from the ''13'' sessions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.black-sabbath.com/2016/01/new-sabbath-music-only-at-shows/ |title=New Sabbath Music – ONLY AT SHOWS |date=14 January 2016 |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref>
On 4 March 2016, Iommi discussed future re-releases of the [[Tony Martin (British singer)|Tony Martin]]-era catalogue: "We've held back on the reissues of those albums because of the current Sabbath thing with Ozzy Osbourne, but they will certainly be happening... I'd like to do a couple of new tracks for those releases with Tony Martin... I'll also be looking at working on ''[[Cross Purposes]]'' and ''[[Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)|Forbidden]]''."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://loudwire.com/tony-iommi-hopes-write-tony-martin-black-sabbath-album-reissues/?trackback=tsmclip |title=Tony Iommi Wants to Write With Tony Martin |website=Loudwire.com |date=4 March 2016 |access-date=16 April 2016}}</ref> Martin had suggested that this could coincide with the 30th anniversary of ''[[The Eternal Idol]]'', in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1283065658374210&id=311422092205243 |title=Tony Martin – Wouldn't 2017 be a perfect time for a... |via=Facebook |date=5 March 2016 |access-date=16 April 2016}}</ref> In an interview that August, Martin added "[Iommi] still has his cancer issues of course and that may well stop it all from happening but if he wants to do something I am ready."<ref>{{cite web |title=Tony Martin (ex-Black Sabbath) on RockOverdose:"If Iommi wants to do something together,I am Ready!" |url=https://rockoverdose.gr/tony-martin-ex-black-sabbath-rockoverdoseif-iommi-wants-something-together/ |website=Rock Overdose.gr |publisher=Rockoverdose.gr|access-date=28 March 2018 |date=August 2016}}</ref> On 10 August 2016, Iommi revealed that his cancer was in remission.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |title=Black Sabbath Guitarist Tony Iommi's Cancer in Remission |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-guitarist-tony-iommis-cancer-in-remission-w433686 |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=28 August 2016 |date=10 August 2016|archive-date=28 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328231036/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-guitarist-tony-iommis-cancer-in-remission-w433686|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Asked in November 2016 about his plans after Black Sabbath's final tour, Iommi replied, "I'll be doing some writing. Maybe I'll be doing something with the guys, maybe in the studio, but no touring."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gottlieb |first1=Jeb |title=Tony Iommi on Black Sabbath's Final Shows, His Cancer Battle and Future Plans: Exclusive Interview |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tony-iommi-interview-2016/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=3 November 2016|access-date=5 November 2016}}</ref> The band played their final concert on 4 February 2017 in Birmingham. The final song was streamed live on the band's Facebook page and fireworks went off as the band took their final bow.<ref name="finalshow" /> The band's final tour was not an easy one, as longstanding tensions between Osbourne and Iommi returned to the surface.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lifton |first1=Dave |title=Ozzy Osbourne Wants One Last Black Sabbath Show With Bill Ward |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ozzy-osbourne-bill-ward-last-show/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=5 June 2019 |date=25 May 2019}}</ref> Iommi stated that he would not rule out the possibility of one-off shows, "I wouldn't write that off, if one day that came about. That's possible. Or even doing an album, 'cause then, again, you're in one place. But I don't know if that would happen."<ref>{{cite web |title=Black Sabbath Reaches 'The End' As Band Performs Final Concert in Birmingham (Video) |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-reaches-the-end-as-band-performs-final-concert-in-birmingham-video/ |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=5 February 2017|access-date=5 February 2017}}</ref> In an April 2017 interview, Butler revealed that Black Sabbath had considered making a blues album as the follow-up to ''13'', but added that, "the tour got in the way."<ref>{{cite web |title=Geezer Butler Says Black Sabbath Contemplated Making Blues Album As Follow-Up To '13' |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/geezer-butler-says-black-sabbath-contemplated-making-blues-album-as-follow-up-to-13/ |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=5 April 2017|access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref>
On 7 March 2017, Black Sabbath announced their disbandment through posts made on their official social media accounts.<ref name="nme" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kaufman |first1=Gil |title=Black Sabbath Officially Call It Quits After 49 Years |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7717189/black-sabbath-split-the-end-facebook |magazine=Billboard|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Toney |first1=Jordan |title=After 49 years, Black Sabbath have split up |url=http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/after_49_years_black_sabbath_have_split_up |website=Alternative Press|access-date=8 March 2017 |date=8 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Munro |first1=Scott |title=Black Sabbath officially announce The End |url=http://teamrock.com/news/2017-03-08/black-sabbath-officially-announce-the-end |website=Classic Rock|access-date=8 March 2017 |date=8 March 2017}}</ref>
=== 2017–2024: Post-final tour activities ===
In a June 2018 interview with [[ITV News]], Osbourne expressed interest in reuniting with Black Sabbath for a performance at the [[2022 Commonwealth Games]] which would be held in their home city Birmingham.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ozzy Osbourne Would Like Black Sabbath To Play 2022 Commonwealth Games In Birmingham |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ozzy-osbourne-would-like-black-sabbath-to-play-2022-commonwealth-games-in-birmingham/ |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=7 June 2018|access-date=15 June 2018}}</ref> Iommi said that performing at the event as Black Sabbath would be "a great thing to do to help represent Birmingham. I'm up for it. Let's see what happens."<ref>{{cite web |author=Cole, Paul |title=Not quite The End? Black Sabbath would reform for Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/black-sabbath-commonwealth-games-birmingham-14786704 |website=[[Birmingham Mail]] |date=15 June 2018|access-date=15 June 2018}}</ref> He also did not rule out the possibility for the band to reform only for a one-off performance rather than a full-length tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/tony-iommi-doesnt-rule-out-one-off-black-sabbath-reunion-if-we-do-anything-it-will-be-very-short/ |title=TONY IOMMI Doesn't Rule Out One-Off BLACK SABBATH Reunion: If We Do Anything, It Will Be Very Short |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=12 September 2019|access-date=12 September 2019}}</ref> Iommi was later announced to be part of the opening ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games alongside [[Duran Duran]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi To Open Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbaths-tony-iommi-to-open-birmingham-2022-commonwealth-games |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |access-date=20 July 2022 |language=en |date=19 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Alderslade |first1=Merlin |title=Tony Iommi and Duran Duran to perform at 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Birmingham |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/tony-iommi-and-duran-duran-to-perform-at-2022-commonwealth-games-opening-ceremony-in-birmingham |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=Louder Sound |date=20 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> On 8 August 2022, Osbourne and Iommi made a surprise reunion to end the closing ceremony of the [[2022 Commonwealth Games]] at the [[Alexander Stadium]] in Birmingham. They were joined by 2017 Black Sabbath touring musicians [[Tommy Clufetos]] and [[Adam Wakeman]] for a medley of "Iron Man" and "Paranoid".<ref name="rollingstone.com" /><ref>{{Cite news |title=Ozzy Osbourne Stages Surprise Black Sabbath Reunion at 2022 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/ozzy-osbourne-surprise-commonwealth-games-black-sabbath-paranoid-1235124234/ |access-date=4 October 2022 |date=9 August 2022}}</ref>
In September 2020, Osbourne stated in an interview that he was no longer interested in a reunion: "Not for me. It's done. The only thing I do regret is not doing the last farewell show in Birmingham with Bill Ward. I felt really bad about that. It would have been so nice. I don't know what the circumstances behind it were, but it would have been nice. I've talked to Tony a few times, but I don't have any of the slightest interest in doing another gig. Maybe Tony's getting bored now."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ozzy-osbourne-no-black-sabbath-show/ |title=OZZY OSBOURNE NO LONGER WANTS ANOTHER BLACK SABBATH SHOW |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=6 September 2020 |author=Kielty, Martin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ozzy-osbourne-says-he-doesnt-have-the-slightest-interest-in-playing-any-more-black-sabbath-shows/ |title=OZZY OSBOURNE Says He Doesn't Have 'The Slightest Interest' In Playing Another BLACK SABBATH Show |work=Blabbermouth |date=6 September 2020}}</ref> Butler also ruled out the possibility of any future Black Sabbath performances in an interview with Eonmusic on 10 November 2020, stating that the band were over: "There will definitely be no more Sabbath. It's done."<ref>{{cite web |title=GEEZER BUTLER Rules Out More BLACK SABBATH Shows, Says Band Is 'Done' |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/geezer-butler-rules-out-more-black-sabbath-shows-says-band-is-done/ |website=Blabbermouth |access-date=10 November 2020 |date=10 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=GEEZER BUTLER Officially Calls Time on BLACK SABBATH – "It's Done" |url=http://bravewords.com/news/geezer-butler-officially-calls-time-on-black-sabbath-it-s-done |website=BraveWords |date=10 November 2020 |access-date=10 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Iommi however, pondered the possibility of another reunion tour in an interview with ''[[The Mercury News]]'', stating that he "would like to play with the guys again" and that he missed the audiences and stage.<ref>{{cite web |title=TONY IOMMI On Possibility Of BLACK SABBATH Reunion: 'I Would Like To Play With The Guys Again' |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/tony-iommi-on-possibility-of-black-sabbath-reunion-i-would-like-to-play-with-the-guys-again/ |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |access-date=11 March 2021 |date=11 March 2021}}</ref> Ward stated in an interview with [[Eddie Trunk]] that he no longer had the ability or chops to perform with Black Sabbath in concert, but expressed that he would love to make another album with Osbourne, Butler and Iommi.<ref>{{cite web |title=BILL WARD Admits He No Longer Has The 'Chops' And 'Ability' To Perform With BLACK SABBATH |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bill-ward-admits-he-no-longer-has-the-chops-and-ability-to-perform-with-black-sabbath/ |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |access-date=16 March 2021 |date=12 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Scarlett |first1=Elizabeth |title=Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward says he would "love" Black Sabbath to reunite for a new album |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/black-sabbath-drummer-bill-ward-says-he-would-love-black-sabbath-to-reunite-for-a-new-album |website=Classic Rock Magazine |access-date=16 March 2021 |language=en |date=16 March 2021}}</ref>
Despite ruling out the possibility of another Black Sabbath reunion, Osbourne revealed in an episode of ''Ozzy Speaks'' on [[Ozzy's Boneyard]] that he was working with Iommi, who appeared as one of the guests for his thirteenth solo album, ''[[Patient Number 9]]'' (2022).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ozzy-osbournes-new-album-to-feature-guest-appearances-by-jeff-beck-eric-clapton-tony-iommi-and-zakk-wylde/ |title=OZZY OSBOURNE's New Album To Feature Guest Appearances By JEFF BECK, ERIC CLAPTON, TONY IOMMI And ZAKK WYLDE |work=Blabbermouth |date=1 October 2021}}</ref> In an October 2021 interview with the ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]'', Ward revealed that he had kept "in contact" with his former bandmates and stated that he was "very open-minded" to the possibility of recording another Black Sabbath album: "I haven't spoken to the guys about it, but I have talked to a couple of people in management about the possibility of making a recording."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bill-ward-wants-original-black-sabbath-to-make-new-album-im-very-open-minded-about-doing-it/ |title=BILL WARD Wants Original BLACK SABBATH To Make New Album: 'I'm Very Open-Minded' About Doing It |work=Blabbermouth |date=7 October 2020}}</ref>
On 30 September 2020, Black Sabbath announced a new [[Dr. Martens]] shoe collection. The partnership with the British footwear company celebrated the 50th anniversaries of the band's ''Black Sabbath'' and ''Paranoid'' albums, with the boots depicting artwork from the former.<ref>{{cite news |title=Black Sabbath announce new Dr. Martens shoe collection |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/black-sabbath-announce-new-dr-martens-shoe-collection-2764342 |access-date=30 September 2020 |agency=NME}}</ref> On 13 January 2021, the band announced that they would reissue both ''Heaven & Hell'' and ''Mob Rules'' as expanded deluxe editions on 5 March 2021, with unreleased material included.<ref>{{cite web |title=BLACK SABBATH: 'Heaven And Hell' And 'Mob Rules' Deluxe Editions To Include Previously Unreleased Recordings |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-heaven-and-hell-and-mob-rules-deluxe-editions-to-include-previously-unreleased-recordings/ |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |access-date=13 January 2021 |date=13 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Irwin |first1=Corey |title=Black Sabbath Announce Reissues of Classic Dio-Fronted Albums |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/black-sabbath-reissues-dio-heaven-and-hell-mob-rules/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=en |date=13 January 2021}}</ref>
In September 2022, Osbourne reiterated that he was unwilling to reunite with Black Sabbath, stating that if the band were to make another album, he would not sing on it. However, he remained open to working with Iommi on more solo projects following the latter's involvement on ''Patient Number 9''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hustlerslovers.com/ozzy-osbourne-says-he-wouldnt-do-another-black-sabbath-album/ |title=Ozzy Osbourne says he wouldn't do another Black Sabbath album |date=17 September 2022 | access-date=18 September 2022 | archive-date=22 September 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922021149/https://hustlerslovers.com/ozzy-osbourne-says-he-wouldnt-do-another-black-sabbath-album/ | url-status=dead}}</ref> Osbourne later retired from touring in February 2023 after not sufficiently recovering from medical treatment, putting the possibility of another Black Sabbath reunion in concert in further doubt.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Brandle |first1=Lars |title=Ozzy Osbourne Can No Longer Tour Following Spinal Injury |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/ozzy-osbourne-no-longer-tour-spinal-injury-1235209296/ |access-date=1 February 2023 |magazine=Billboard |date=1 February 2023}}</ref> Butler, who had retired in June 2023,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Colothan |first=Scott |date=14 June 2023 |title=Geezer Butler confirms his retirement and says Black Sabbath is still 'put to bed' |work=planetradio.co.uk |url=https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/geezer-butler-retired/ |access-date=18 June 2023}}</ref> insisted that Black Sabbath had been "put to bed",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laing |first=Rob |date=15 June 2023 |title=Geezer Butler rules out future gigs with Black Sabbath and explains retirement from touring in general |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/geezer-butler-rules-out-future-gigs-with-black-sabbath-and-explains-retirement |access-date=18 June 2023 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}}</ref> until August 2023 when he stated that he was open to performing a one-off show, but expressed that he had "no desire to tour again" with Black Sabbath.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Irwin |first1=Corey |title=Geezer Butler Open to One-Off Black Sabbath Reunion |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/geezer-butler-black-sabbath-reunion/?fbclid=IwAR0YRQNcaa4b9aIvNpOItfW7PeUy2YrGIzMxVJBSilZU_lKnJ3Mpt9WCbPU_aem_AUIabILeoDbjxkGy4BAjNNyzAVDFJC3jJrYWyM1_Kn1zBH8G56LszZGfXZPyG8kipck&mibextid=Zxz2cZ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=30 August 2023 |language=en |date=28 August 2023}}</ref> According to Iommi, the band were offered, but turned down, a reunion at [[Power Trip (music festival)|Power Trip]] in October 2023,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/tony-iommi-explains-why-black-sabbath-turned-down-offer-to-play-this-years-power-trip-festival |title=TONY IOMMI Explains Why BLACK SABBATH Turned Down Offer To Play This Year's POWER TRIP Festival |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=1 January 2024 |date=26 June 2023}}</ref> where Osbourne was initially scheduled to headline the festival's second date; he eventually cancelled his appearance and was replaced by [[Judas Priest]], due to health issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/judas-priest-officially-replaces-ozzy-osbourne-at-power-trip-festival |title=JUDAS PRIEST Officially Replaces OZZY OSBOURNE At POWER TRIP Festival |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=1 January 2024 |date=11 July 2023}}</ref> In May 2024, Osbourne renewed interest in a reunion of the original line-up, admitting he was sad that Ward was not part of the final tour and that "it wasn't Black Sabbath that finished it. It's unfinished. If they wanted to do one more gig with Bill, I would jump at the chance."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/ozzy-osbourne-wants-to-play-one-more-black-sabbath-show-with-bill-ward-i-would-jump-at-the-chance |title=OZZY OSBOURNE Wants To Play One More BLACK SABBATH Show With BILL WARD: 'I Would Jump At The Chance' |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=18 May 2024 |date=16 May 2024}}</ref> Iommi, Butler and Ward all later expressed interest in the possibility of a one-off reunion show featuring the original line-up.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/tony-iommi-on-ozzy-osbournes-desire-to-play-one-last-black-sabbath-concert-with-bill-ward-itd-be-a-nice-idea |title=TONY IOMMI On OZZY OSBOURNE's Desire To Play One Last BLACK SABBATH Concert With BILL WARD: 'It'd Be A Nice Idea' |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=24 May 2024 |date=24 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/geezer-butler-has-been-in-touch-with-ozzy-osbourne-every-day-says-he-would-love-to-play-one-final-black-sabbath-concert |title=GEEZER BUTLER Has Been In Touch With OZZY OSBOURNE 'Every Day', Says He 'Would Love' To Play One Final BLACK SABBATH Concert |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=29 May 2024 |date=29 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/bill-ward-i-would-love-to-play-one-final-concert-with-black-sabbath |title=BILL WARD: 'I Would Love To Play' One Final Concert With BLACK SABBATH |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=25 July 2024 |date=25 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hadusek |first1=Jon |date=11 December 2024 |title=Ozzy Osbourne Wants His Final Concert to Include Black Sabbath Reunion |language=en-GB |work=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |url=https://consequence.net/2024/12/ozzy-osbourne-final-concert-black-sabbath-reunion/|access-date=11 December 2024}}</ref>
The [[Birmingham Royal Ballet]] presented ''Black Sabbath: The Ballet'' which premiered at the [[Birmingham Hippodrome]] in September 2023, before touring to [[Theatre Royal, Plymouth]] and [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]] in October.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Murray |first1=Jessica |date=27 April 2023 |title='Hate to be predictable': Acosta brings Black Sabbath ballet to Birmingham |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/apr/27/carlos-acosta-black-sabbath-ballet-birmingham |access-date=4 August 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
A box set of [[Tony Martin (British singer)|Tony Martin]]-era albums, ''[[Anno Domini 1989–1995]]'', was released on 31 May 2024 and includes remasters of ''[[Headless Cross (album)|Headless Cross]]'', ''[[Tyr (album)|Tyr]]'' and ''[[Cross Purposes]]'' and a remixed version of ''[[Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)|Forbidden]]''; each disc of the box set (except ''Tyr'') includes one bonus track.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-box-set-of-tony-martin-era-recordings-anno-domini-1989-1995-to-arrive-in-may |title=BLACK SABBATH: Box Set Of TONY MARTIN-Era Recordings, 'Anno Domini 1989–1995', To Arrive In May |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=21 March 2024 |date=21 March 2024}}</ref>
=== 2025: Final reunion and death of Ozzy Osbourne ===
{{Main|Back to the Beginning}}
[[File:Back to the Beginning 2025 5.jpg|thumb|Black Sabbath performing their final show, titled [[Back to the Beginning]], on 5 July 2025]]
On 5 February 2025, Osbourne announced that the original line-up of Black Sabbath would reform for one final charity show at [[Villa Park]], Birmingham on 5 July. Titled [[Back to the Beginning]], it was the final gig for both Osbourne and the group. It was Black Sabbath's first concert in eight years and also marked the first time in twenty years that the original line-up of the band had performed together. Proceeds from the show went to support Cure Parkinsons, [[Birmingham Children's Hospital]] and [[Acorns Children's Hospice]]. [[Tom Morello]] was the show's musical director. Osbourne said, "I'm not going to get up there and do a half-hearted Ozzy looking for sympathy. What's the fucking point in that? I'm not going up there in a fucking wheelchair."<ref name=rs_wheelchair /> In addition to a solo performance by Osbourne, the supporting acts for the show included [[Metallica]], [[Guns N' Roses]], [[Tool (band)|Tool]], [[Slayer]], [[Pantera]], [[Gojira (band)|Gojira]], [[Alice in Chains]], [[Halestorm]], [[Lamb of God (band)|Lamb of God]], [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]], [[Mastodon (band)|Mastodon]] and [[Rival Sons]], and included "additional performances from" Morello, [[Steven Tyler]], [[Billy Corgan]], [[Slash (musician)|Slash]], [[David Draiman]], [[Sammy Hagar]], [[Fred Durst]], former [[Judas Priest]] guitarist [[K. K. Downing]], former [[Megadeth]] bassist [[David Ellefson]], and three former members of Osbourne's solo band ([[Rudy Sarzo]], [[Jake E. Lee]] and [[Mike Bordin]]).<ref name="Blabbermouth.net" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c805m3l02v5o |title=Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath announce final show |work=BBC News |date=5 February 2025 |accessdate=5 February 2025}}</ref><ref name=rs_wheelchair>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/black-sabbath-birmingham-villa-park-gig-ozzy-osbourne-final-live-performance-tickets-47392/ |title=Black Sabbath announce huge hometown gig for Ozzy Osbourne's final live performance |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=5 February 2025 |accessdate=5 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/guns-n-roses-tool-and-rival-sons-added-to-black-sabbaths-final-show-in-birmingham |title=GUNS N' ROSES, TOOL And RIVAL SONS Added To BLACK SABBATH's Final Show In Birmingham |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=17 February 2025 |date=17 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/steven-tyler-and-members-of-soundgarden-added-to-black-sabbaths-final-concert |title=STEVEN TYLER And Members Of SOUNDGARDEN Added To BLACK SABBATH's Final Concert |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=9 May 2025 |date=2 May 2025}}</ref> Despite being billed as a final concert, Iommi, Butler and Ward did not rule out recording new music as Black Sabbath.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://loudwire.com/will-black-sabbath-record-another-album/ |title=Will Black Sabbath Ever Record Another Album? The Band Weighs In |work=Loudwire |date=2 July 2025 |accessdate=5 July 2025}}</ref> A 100-minute concert film of the show, titled ''Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow'', will receive a theatrical release in early 2026, and will be released to DVD and Blu-ray later that same year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Shafer |first=Ellise |title=Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's Final Concert Film to Release in 2026 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=18 July 2025 |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-final-concert-film-release-2026-1236464523/ | access-date=18 July 2025}}</ref>
One week before the concert, the four original band members were made [[Freedom of the City|Freemen of the City of Birmingham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Black Sabbath awarded the Freedom of the City of Birmingham |url=https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/1591/black_sabbath_awarded_the_freedom_of_the_city_of_birmingham |access-date=2 July 2025 |publisher=Birmingham City Council |language=en}}</ref> Run by Central BID, the event was supported by two exhibitions. One was in [[Victoria Square, Birmingham|Victoria Square]], in place from 25 June to 28 September, featuring boards showcasing the band's origins, history, success, as well as album covers and unseen photos of the group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnfield |first=Stacey |date=26 June 2025 |title=First look at Black Sabbath Birmingham outdoor photo exhibition |url=https://www.centralbid.co.uk/first-look-at-black-sabbath-birmingham-outdoor-photo-exhibition/ |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=Central BID Birmingham |language=en-US}}</ref> The other was a painted mural on the wall on Navigation Street, on the bridge over the track entering [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham New Street]] station.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 July 2025 |title=Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath bow out: Rock's wildest frontman prepares for one last show |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2d008yrppwo |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Osbourne died of a heart attack on 22 July 2025, seventeen days after his final performance.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/ozzy-osbourne-pioneering-heavy-metal-singer-black-sabbath-frontman-die-rcna42423 |title=Ozzy Osbourne, pioneering heavy metal singer and Black Sabbath frontman, dies at 76 |first1=Ethan |last1=Sacks |first2=Corky |last2=Siemaszko |publisher=NBC News |date=22 July 2025 |accessdate=22 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.sky.com/story/ozzy-osbourne-dies-just-weeks-after-farewell-show-13400248 |title=Ozzy Osbourne dies just weeks after farewell show |first=Gemma |last=Peplow |publisher=Sky News |date=22 July 2025 |accessdate=22 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/ozzy-osbournes-cause-of-death-revealed|title=OZZY OSBOURNE's Cause Of Death Revealed|publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=August 5, 2025|date=August 5, 2025}}</ref> Eight days later, on 30 July, his funeral procession passed through [[Broad Street, Birmingham|Broad Street]], stopping at Black Sabbath Bridge, for [[Sharon Osbourne]] and family to mourn and read messages left by supporters.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 Jul 2025 |title=Funeral cortège planned for Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne through the centre of Birmingham |url=https://www.itv.com/news/central/2025-07-29/funeral-cortege-to-be-held-for-ozzy-osbourne-through-the-centre-of-birmingham |access-date=30 Jul 2025 |website=ITV News}}</ref>
== Musical style ==
Black Sabbath were a [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band.<ref name="Elflein 2017">{{cite book |last=Elflein |first=Dietmar |year=2017 |chapter=Iron and Steel: Forging Heavy Metal's Song Structures or the Impact of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest on Metal's Musical Language |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EL_OCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 |editor1-last=Brown |editor1-first=Andy R. |editor2-last=Kahn-Harris |editor2-first=Keith |editor3-last=Scott |editor3-first=Niall |editor4-last=Spracklen |editor4-first=Karl |title=Global Metal Music and Culture: Current Directions in Metal Studies |___location=London |publisher=[[Routledge]] |pages=35–42 |isbn=978-1-138-06259-7}}</ref> The band have also been cited as a key influence on genres including [[stoner rock]],<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/stoner-metal-ma0000011961 |title=Stoner Metal | Significant Albums, Artists and Songs |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> [[grunge]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/grunge-ma0000002626 |title=Grunge | Significant Albums, Artists and Songs |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref> [[doom metal]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/doom-metal-ma0000004496 |title=Doom Metal | Significant Albums, Artists and Songs |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> and [[sludge metal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://applause.uterwincenter.com/black-sabbath-iron-men/ |title=Black Sabbath at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas July 27, 2013 |publisher=Applause.uterwincenter.com |date=17 June 2013 |access-date=18 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613155455/https://applause.uterwincenter.com/black-sabbath-iron-men/ |archive-date=13 June 2017}}</ref> Early on, Black Sabbath were influenced by [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[the Beatles]], [[Fleetwood Mac]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers]], [[Blue Cheer]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], and [[Iron Butterfly]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iommi.com/archive/the_holy_sabbath.htm |title=The Holy Sabbath: Ozzy and Tony talk drugs, the devil and how they invented heavy metal |website=Iommi.com |publisher=Rolling Stone|access-date=9 August 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228025633/http://iommi.com/archive/the_holy_sabbath.htm|archive-date=28 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-s-geezer-butler-talks-lyrical-inspiration-rock-band-iron-man-movies/ |title=Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler talks lyrical inspiration, 'Rock Band', 'Iron Man' Movies |website=Blabbermouth|access-date=9 October 2015 |date=29 June 2010}}</ref>
Although Black Sabbath went through many line-ups and stylistic changes, their core sound focused on ominous lyrics and doomy music,<ref name="Black Sabbath's song review" /> often making use of the musical [[tritone]], also called the "devil's interval".{{sfn|Lewis|2001|p=72}} While their Ozzy-era albums such as ''[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]'' (1973) had slight compositional similarities to the [[progressive rock]] genre that was growing in popularity at the time,<ref>{{cite web |author=Steve Huey |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sabotage-mw0000652467 |title=Sabotage – Black Sabbath | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref> standing in stark contrast to popular music of the early 1970s, Black Sabbath's dark sound was dismissed by rock critics of the era.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> Much like many of their early heavy metal contemporaries, the band received virtually no airplay on rock radio.{{sfn|Barnet|Burriss|2001|pp=87–88}}
As the band's primary songwriter, Tony Iommi wrote the majority of Black Sabbath's music, while Osbourne would write vocal melodies, and bassist Geezer Butler would write lyrics. The process was sometimes frustrating for Iommi, who often felt pressured to come up with new material: "If I didn't come up with anything, nobody would do anything."{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=76}} On Iommi's influence, Osbourne later said:
{{blockquote|Black Sabbath never used to write a structured song. There'd be a long intro that would go into a jazz piece, then go all folky... and it worked. Tony Iommi—and I have said this a zillion times—should be up there with the greats. He can pick up a guitar, play a riff, and you say, "He's gotta be out now, he can't top that." Then you come back, and I bet you a billion dollars, he'd come up with a riff that'd knock your fucking socks off.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Sprague |first=David |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/9438157/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_2006_black_sabbath |title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006: Black Sabbath |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=25 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603174719/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/9438157/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_2006_black_sabbath |archive-date=3 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> }}
Beginning with their third album, ''[[Master of Reality]]'' (1971), Black Sabbath began to feature [[guitar tunings|tuned-down]] guitars.<ref name="AMG Biography" /> In 1965, before forming Black Sabbath, guitarist Tony Iommi suffered an accident while working in a [[sheet metal]] factory, losing the tips of two fingers on his right hand. Iommi almost gave up music, but was urged by the factory manager to listen to [[Django Reinhardt]], a [[jazz]] guitarist who lost the use of two fingers in a fire.{{sfn|Rosen|1996|p=135}} Inspired by Reinhardt, Iommi created two thimbles made of plastic and leather to cap off his missing fingertips. The guitarist began using lighter strings, and detuning his guitar, to press the strings with his [[prosthesis]] more comfortably. Early in the band's history Iommi experimented with different [[dropped tuning]]s, including C{{music|sharp}} tuning, or 3 semitones down, before settling on E{{music|flat}}/D{{music|sharp}} tuning, or a half-step down from standard tuning.<ref name=inter>{{cite web |url=http://iommi.com/images/spread.jpg |title=Tony Iommi interview |access-date=1 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305020833/http://iommi.com/images/spread.jpg |archive-date=5 March 2009}}</ref>
== Legacy ==
[[File:Black Sabbath bench, Birmingham 2024-07-19.jpg|thumb|Black Sabbath bench on Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street in the band's home city [[Birmingham]]]]
Black Sabbath has sold over 70 million records worldwide,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.black-sabbath.com/ |title=Black Sabbath Is Back |publisher=black-sabbath.com |date=11 November 2011|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref> including a [[RIAA]]-certified 15 million in the US.<ref name="riaa">{{cite web |url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database |title=RIAA Searchable Database |website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |access-date=8 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830055854/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database|archive-date=30 August 2014}}</ref> They are one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time. The band helped to create the genre with ground-breaking releases such as ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]'' (1970), an album that ''Rolling Stone'' magazine said "changed music forever",<ref name="The Holy Sabbath">{{cite magazine |last=Diehl |first=Matt |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5939997/the_holy_sabbath |title=The Holy Sabbath |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=25 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617164618/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5939997/the_holy_sabbath |archive-date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and called the band "[[the Beatles]] of heavy metal".<ref name="The Greatest Artists">{{cite magazine |last=Navarro |first=Dave |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/black-sabbath-20110420 |title=100 Greatest Artists of All Time: 85) Black Sabbath |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=8 February 2013 |date=3 December 2010|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002947/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/black-sabbath-20110420|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Time'' magazine called ''Paranoid'' "the birthplace of heavy metal", placing it in their Top 100 Albums of All Time.<ref name="The 100 Albums">{{cite magazine |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2006/11/02/the-all-time-100-albums/ |title=All Time 100 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=25 April 2008 |date=2 November 2006}}</ref>
[[MTV]] placed Black Sabbath at number one on their Top Ten Heavy Metal Bands and [[VH1]] placed them at number two on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |title=Greatest Metal Artists of All Time |publisher=MTV |access-date=29 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319045933/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |archive-date=19 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1hardrock.htm |title=Rock the Net-VH1: 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists|access-date=9 April 2009}}</ref> VH1 ranked Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" the number one song on their 40 Greatest Metal Songs countdown.<ref name="Blabbermouth Iron Man">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51784 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413161551/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51784 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=BLACK SABBATH's 'Iron Man' Tops VH1 List As the Greatest Metal Song of All Time |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=3 May 2006}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked the band number 85 in their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".<ref name="The Greatest Artists" /> AllMusic's William Ruhlmann said:
{{blockquote|Black Sabbath has been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style. The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[Blue Cheer]], and [[Vanilla Fudge]] to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasising screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies. If their predecessors clearly came out of an electrified blues tradition, Black Sabbath took that tradition in a new direction, and in so doing helped give birth to a musical style that continued to attract millions of fans decades later.<ref name="AMG Biography" />}}
According to ''Rolling Stone''{{'s}} Holly George-Warren, "Black Sabbath was the heavy metal king of the 1970s."<ref name="HGW">{{cite book|editor1-last=George-Warren|editor1-first=Holly |year=2001 |title=The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll |edition=2005 |publisher=Fireside |isbn=978-0-7432-9201-6 |pages=81–82}}</ref> Although initially "despised by rock critics and ignored by radio programmers", the group sold more than 8 million albums by the end of that decade.<ref name="HGW" /> "''The'' heavy metal band..." marvelled Ronnie James Dio. "A band that didn't apologise for coming to town; it just stepped on buildings when it came to town."<ref>Ronnie James Dio interview with [[Tommy Vance]] for [[BBC Radio 1]]'s ''[[Friday Rock Show]]''; broadcast 21 August 1987; transcribed by editor Peter Scott for Sabbath [[fanzine]] ''Southern Cross'' No. 11, October 1996, p27</ref>
=== Influence and innovation ===
Black Sabbath have influenced many acts including [[Judas Priest]],<ref name="RnR Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/ |title=Black Sabbath |publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]|access-date=8 March 2010|archive-date=28 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628090320/http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Iron Maiden]],<ref name="Blabbermouth Iron Maiden">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=27275 |title=IRON MAIDEN Bassist Talks About His Technique And Influences |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=24 September 2004 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616171058/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=27275 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 August 2012 |title=Am I Evil / Diamond Head |url=http://www.diamond-head.net/article1.JPG |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825015447/http://www.diamond-head.net/article1.JPG |archive-date=25 August 2012 |access-date=15 July 2021}}</ref> [[Slayer]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Metallica]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Korn]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogcritics.org/greg-ginn-interview/?amp |first1=Eric |last1=Olsen |title=Greg Ginn Interview |date=21 November 2003 |access-date=19 May 2021 |website=blogcritics.org |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043748/https://blogcritics.org/greg-ginn-interview/?amp |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Venom (band)|Venom]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Guns N' Roses]],<ref name="RnR Hall of Fame" /> [[Body Count (band)|Body Count]],<ref name="All Music">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/body-count-mn0000078191 |title=Body Count |website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=13 April 2012}}</ref> [[Alice in Chains]],<ref>{{cite book |title=15 Most Influential Albums |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCou4cnn-ZkC&q=soundgarden+stoner+rock+%7C&pg=PA84 |last1=Kolsterman |first1=Chuck |last2=Mlner |first2=Greg |last3=Pappademas |first3=Alex |series=Spin |date=April 2003 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]],<ref name="MTV">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |title=MTVNews.com: The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time |publisher=MTV |access-date=8 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315030804/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |archive-date=15 March 2010}}</ref> [[Disturbed (band)|Disturbed]],<ref name="Disturbed">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=121271|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104175145/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=121271|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2013 |title=DISTURBED Guitarist: Don't Call Us 'Nu Metal' |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=8 March 2010 |date=3 June 2009}}</ref> [[Death (metal band)|Death]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Opeth]],<ref name="Blabbermouth Opeth">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=80477 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205022428/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=80477 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 December 2012 |title=OPETH Pays Tribute To Classic Heavy Metal Artists |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=10 September 2007}}</ref> [[Pantera]],<ref name="Guitar World" /> [[Megadeth]],<ref name="Rolling Stone Renion Review">{{cite magazine |last=Turman |first=Katherine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5921802/black_sabbath |title=Black Sabbath – Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, December 31, 1998 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=25 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617172801/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/articles/story/5921802/black_sabbath |archive-date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Sepultura]],<ref>{{cite web |date=29 May 2022 |title=Sepultura's Andreas Kisser: 10 Albums That Changed My Life |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/andreas-kisser-sepultura-10-albums |access-date=31 May 2022 |publisher=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|loudersound.com]]}}</ref> [[the Smashing Pumpkins]],<ref>Di Perna, Alan. "Zero Worship", ''Guitar World''. December 1995.</ref> [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=77507 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629021051/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=77507 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2012 |title=BLACK SABBATH Bassist: 'It's Great When Bands Cite Us As Their Influence |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=25 July 2007}}</ref> [[Foo Fighters]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=71459 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413162715/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=71459 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=HEAVEN AND HELL, MEGADETH Perform in Los Angeles; Photos Available |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=29 April 2007}}</ref> [[Testament (band)|Testament]],<ref>{{cite web |date=8 April 2020 |title=Testament Family Tree — The Metal |url=https://www.givememetal.com/thrashmetaltrees/testament-family-tree |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=givememetal.com}}</ref> [[Fear Factory]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=73036 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413175145/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=73036 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=Ex-FEAR FACTORY Axeman DINO CAZARES Talks Guitars |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=22 May 2007}}</ref> [[Candlemass (band)|Candlemass]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Lehtinen |first=Aurto |title=Heart of Steel: Interviews – CANDLEMASS – Messiah Marcolin |url=http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/candlemass.htm |publisher=metal-rules.com|access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> [[Godsmack]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=28660 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413181601/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=28660 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=GODSMACK'S Next Album Will Rock in a Bluesier Way |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=2 November 2004}}</ref> [[Corrosion of Conformity]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2012 |title=Interview: Corrosion Of Conformity's Reed Mullin |url=https://chicagoist.com/2012/03/02/interview_corrosion_of_conformitys.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106000751/https://chicagoist.com/2012/03/02/interview_corrosion_of_conformitys.php |archive-date=6 November 2017 |access-date=16 November 2024 |website=Chicagoist |quote=At the time, we were listening to a lot of punk, but we also liked [[the Stooges]] and Sabbath. Sabbath was a major influence.}}</ref> and [[Van Halen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/van-halen-mn0000260206/related |title=Van Halen: Influences |website=AllMusic|access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref> Two Gold-selling [[tribute album]]s have been released, ''[[Nativity in Black]] Volume 1 & 2'', including covers by [[Sepultura]], [[White Zombie (band)|White Zombie]], [[Type O Negative]], [[Faith No More]], [[Machine Head (band)|Machine Head]], [[Primus (band)|Primus]], [[System of a Down]], and [[Monster Magnet]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/monster-magnet-mn0000495455/related |title=Monster Magnet – Influences |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref>
[[Metallica]]'s [[Lars Ulrich]], who, along with bandmate [[James Hetfield]] inducted Black Sabbath into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2006, said "Black Sabbath is and always will be synonymous with heavy metal",<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=49540 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413190408/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=49540 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=METALLICA Induct BLACK SABBATH into ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: Photos Available |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=14 March 2006}}</ref> while Hetfield said "Sabbath got me started on all that evil-sounding shit, and it's stuck with me. Tony Iommi is the king of the heavy riff."<ref name="Influence">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=41860 |title=Metal/Hard Rock Musicians Pay Tribute To BLACK SABBATH's 'Paranoid' |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=18 September 2005 |archive-date=30 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030212918/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metal-hard-rock-musicians-pay-tribute-to-black-sabbath-s-paranoid/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Guns N' Roses]] guitarist [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] said of the ''Paranoid'' album: "There's just something about that whole record that, when you're a kid and you're turned onto it, it's like a whole different world. It just opens up your mind to another dimension...''Paranoid'' is the whole Sabbath experience; very indicative of what Sabbath meant at the time. Tony's playing style—doesn't matter whether it's off ''Paranoid'' or if it's off ''Heaven and Hell''—it's very distinctive."<ref name="Influence" /> [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]] guitarist [[Scott Ian]] said "I always get the question in every interview I do, 'What are your top five metal albums?' I make it easy for myself and always say the first five Sabbath albums."<ref name="Influence" />
[[Lamb of God (band)|Lamb of God]]'s [[Chris Adler]] said: "If anybody who plays heavy metal says that they weren't influenced by Black Sabbath's music, then I think that they're lying to you. I think all heavy metal music was, in some way, influenced by what Black Sabbath did."<ref name="LOG Influence">{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=Anthony |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88379 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413180515/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88379 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2013 |title=LAMB OF GOD To Switch Record Labels For Non-U.S. Territories |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=25 April 2008 |date=14 January 2008}}</ref> Judas Priest vocalist [[Rob Halford]] commented: "They were and still are a groundbreaking band...you can put on the first Black Sabbath album and it still sounds as fresh today as it did 30-odd years ago. And that's because great music has a timeless ability: To me, Sabbath are in the same league as the Beatles or [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]. They're on the leading edge of something extraordinary."<ref name="MTVGreatest">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |title=The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time |publisher=MTV |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306130342/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/index2.jhtml |archive-date=6 March 2013}}</ref> On Black Sabbath's standing, [[Rage Against the Machine]] guitarist [[Tom Morello]] states: "The heaviest, scariest, coolest riffs and the apocalyptic Ozzy wail are without peer. You can hear the despair and menace of the working-class Birmingham streets they came from in every kick-ass, evil groove. Their arrival ground hippy, flower-power psychedelia to a pulp and set the standard for all heavy bands to come."<ref name="MTVGreatest" /> [[Phil Anselmo]] of [[Pantera]] and [[Down (band)|Down]] stated that "Only a fool would leave out what Black Sabbath brought to the heavy metal genre".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/phil-anselmo-only-a-fool-would-leave-out-black-sabbath/ |title=Phil Anselmo: Only A Fool Would Leave Out Black Sabbath |publisher=metalhammer.co.uk |access-date=13 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725031555/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/phil-anselmo-only-a-fool-would-leave-out-black-sabbath/ |archive-date=25 July 2013}}</ref>
According to [[Tracii Guns]] of [[L.A. Guns]] and former member of [[Guns N' Roses]], the main riff of "[[Paradise City]]" by [[Guns N' Roses]], from ''[[Appetite for Destruction]]'' (1987), was influenced by the song "Zero the Hero" from the ''[[Born Again (Black Sabbath album)|Born Again]]'' album.<ref>Martin Popoff, ''The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time'', Ecw Press, 2002, p.135</ref> [[King Diamond (band)|King Diamond]] guitarist [[Andy LaRocque]] affirmed that the clean guitar part of "Sleepless Nights" from ''[[Conspiracy (King Diamond album)|Conspiracy]]'' (1989) is inspired by Tony Iommi's playing on ''[[Never Say Die!]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kkdowning.net/Interviews/larocque.htm |title=Andy LaRocque interview |publisher=kkdowning.net |date=May 2008 |access-date=27 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202701/http://www.kkdowning.net/Interviews/larocque.htm |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>
In addition to being pioneers of heavy metal, they also have been credited for laying the foundations for heavy metal subgenres [[stoner rock]],<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ratliff |first=Ben |date=22 June 2000 |title=Rated R review |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/233746/review/5943680 |access-date=19 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203020527/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/233746/review/5943680 |archive-date=3 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[sludge metal]],<ref name="AMG-Eyehategod">{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eyehategod-mn0000127103 |title=Eyehategod – Biography |website=AllMusic|access-date=9 February 2013}}</ref> [[thrash metal]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Torreano |first=Bradley |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/symptom-of-the-universe-mt0012259115 |title=Symptom of the Universe – Song Review |website=AllMusic|access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> [[black metal]] and [[doom metal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/grunge-ma0000002626 |title=Grunge |website=AllMusic|access-date=15 September 2012}}</ref> Sabbath has had a significant impact on alternative music, being cited as an influence by [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]],<ref>Azerrad, Michael. "Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana". p. 103. Doubleday, 1994</ref> [[Soundgarden]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=24 February 2015 |title=Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti' at 40: Soundgarden's Kim Thayil Looks Back |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/led-zeppelins-physical-graffiti-at-40-soundgardens-kim-thayil-looks-back-191933/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607155640/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/led-zeppelins-physical-graffiti-at-40-soundgardens-kim-thayil-looks-back-191933/2/ |archive-date=7 June 2023 |access-date=16 November 2024 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |quote=Ultimately, we started to re-embrace the [[Led Zeppelin|Zeppelin]], [[The Beatles|Beatles]], Sabbath and [[Pink Floyd]]. I think they were always there. At some point, we had to look back and say, 'This has a lot to do with our upbringing.' It's a weird story, but it may explain why, for a few years, we denied the Zeppelin-Sabbath influence}}</ref> and [[Dinosaur Jr.]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Jason |date=January 1997 |title=SEBADOH – Lou Barlow interview by Jason Gross (January 1997) |url=https://www.furious.com/perfect/sebadoh.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205091343/https://www.furious.com/perfect/sebadoh.html |archive-date=5 December 2023 |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=Perfect Sound Forever |quote=Dinosaur was really influenced by [[Neil Young]] and Black Sabbath and also a lot of... not exactly [[indie rock]], since that wasn't around then. There was stuff like [[The Birthday Party (band)|the Birthday Party]], [[Scratch Acid]] and [[Sonic Youth]].}}</ref> Rock critic [[Simon Reynolds]] writes that when late 1980s bands such as [[Tad (band)|Tad]] and [[the Butthole Surfers]] "revived Black Sabbath's ponderous riffs, it felt like a daring challenge to the approved canon of [[underground rock]]", and that "Sabbath-style heaviness" became the norm after the commercial emergence of grunge.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Pop View: The Perils of Loving Old Records Too Much |journal=The New York Times |date=5 December 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/arts/pop-view-the-perils-of-loving-old-records-too-much.html |access-date=21 January 2025}}</ref>
Tony Iommi has been credited as the pioneer of lighter gauge guitar strings. The tips of his fingers were severed in a steel factory,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Graff |first=Gary |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/465276/black-sabbath-reunion-coming-were-talking-says-tony-iommi |title=Black Sabbath Reunion Coming? 'We're Talking,' Says Tony Iommi |magazine=Billboard |date=7 November 2011|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref> and while using thimbles (artificial finger tips) he found that standard guitar strings were too difficult to bend and play. He found that there was only one size of strings available, so after years with Sabbath he had strings custom made.<ref>Rosen, Steven. "Black Sabbath – Uncensored on the Record". p.1928. Coda Books Ltd. Retrieved 19 June 2012</ref>
Culturally, Black Sabbath have exerted a huge influence in both television and literature and have in many cases become synonymous with heavy metal. In the film ''[[Almost Famous]]'', [[Lester Bangs]] gives the protagonist an assignment to cover the band with the immortal line: 'Give me 500 words on Black Sabbath'. Contemporary music and arts publication ''Trebuchet Magazine'' has put this to practice by asking all new writers to write a short piece (500 words) on Black Sabbath as a means of proving their creativity and voice on a well documented subject.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trebuchet-magazine.com/honest-and-unmerciful-writers-on-black-sabbath/ |title=Honest and Unmerciful – Writers on Black Sabbath |publisher=Trebuchet Magazine |date=9 August 2012|access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref>
== Band members ==
{{Main|List of Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell members}}
'''Original line-up'''
*[[Tony Iommi]] – guitars {{small|(1968–2006, 2011–2017, 2025)}}
*[[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] – drums {{small|(1968–1980, 1983, 1984, 1994, 1997–2006, 2011–2012, 2025)}}
*[[Geezer Butler]] – bass {{small|(1968–1979, 1980–1984, 1987, 1990–1994, 1997–2006, 2011–2017, 2025)}}
*[[Ozzy Osbourne]] – vocals, harmonica {{small|(1968–1977, 1978–1979, 1997–2006, 2011–2017, 2025; died 2025)}}
== Discography ==
{{Main|Black Sabbath discography}}
'''Studio albums'''
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[Black Sabbath (album)|Black Sabbath]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Master of Reality]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Vol. 4 (Black Sabbath album)|Vol. 4]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Sabotage (Black Sabbath album)|Sabotage]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Technical Ecstasy]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Never Say Die!]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Mob Rules (album)|Mob Rules]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Born Again (Black Sabbath album)|Born Again]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Seventh Star]]'' (1986)
* ''[[The Eternal Idol]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Headless Cross (album)|Headless Cross]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Tyr (album)|Tyr]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Dehumanizer]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Cross Purposes]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)|Forbidden]]'' (1995)
* ''[[13 (Black Sabbath album)|13]]'' (2013)
{{div col end}}
== Tours ==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* Polka Tulk Blues/Earth Tour 1968–1969
* Black Sabbath Tour 1970
* Paranoid Tour 1970–1971
* Master of Reality Tour 1971–1972
* Vol. 4 Tour 1972–1973
* Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Tour 1973–1974
* Sabotage Tour 1975–1976
* [[Technical Ecstasy Tour]] 1976–1977
* [[Never Say Die! Tour (Black Sabbath)|Never Say Die! Tour]] 1978
* [[Heaven & Hell Tour]] 1980–1981
* [[Mob Rules Tour]] 1981–1982
* [[Born Again Tour]] 1983
* Seventh Star Tour 1986
* Eternal Idol Tour 1987
* Headless Cross Tour 1989
* Tyr Tour 1990
* Dehumanizer Tour 1992
* Cross Purposes Tour 1994
* Forbidden Tour 1995
* [[Ozzfest lineups by year#Ozzfest 1997|Ozzfest Tour 1997]]
* European Tour 1998
* Reunion Tour 1998–1999
* [[Ozzfest lineups by year#Ozzfest 1999|Ozzfest Tour 1999]]
* US Tour 1999
* European Tour 1999
* [[Ozzfest lineups by year#Ozzfest 2001|Ozzfest Tour 2001]]
* [[Ozzfest lineups by year#Ozzfest 2004|Ozzfest Tour 2004]]
* European Tour 2005
* [[Ozzfest lineups by year#Ozzfest 2005|Ozzfest Tour 2005]]
* [[Black Sabbath Reunion Tour]], 2012–2014<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.black-sabbath.com/tourdates/ |title=Tour Dates – Black Sabbath Online |publisher=Black-sabbath.com |access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref>
* [[The End Tour]] 2016–2017
{{div col end}}
== See also ==
* [[List of cover versions of Black Sabbath songs]]
* [[Heavy metal groups]]
== References ==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist}}
== Sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Barnet |first1=Richard D. |last2=Burriss |first2=Larry L. |others=Foreword by Paul D. Fischer |title=Controversies of the Music Industry |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-313-31094-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/controversiesofm0000barn}}
* {{cite book |last=Drewett |first=Michael |title=Popular Music Censorship in Africa |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7546-5291-5}}
* {{cite book |last=McIver |first=Joel |year=2006 |title=Sabbath Bloody Sabbath |___location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-1-84449-982-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Iommi |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Iommi |title=Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-306-82145-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780306821455}}
* {{cite book |last=Koskoff |first=Ellen |title=Music Cultures in the United States |___location=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-415-96589-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewis |first=James R. |year=2001 |title=Satanism Today: An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore, and Popular Culture |___location=Santa Barbara, California |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-292-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Osbourne |first1=Ozzy |author-link1=Ozzy Osbourne |last2=Ayres |first2=Chris |year=2010 |title=I Am Ozzy |___location=New York |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |isbn=978-0-446-56989-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/iamozzy0000osbo}}
* {{cite book |last=Rosen |first=Steven |title=The Story of Black Sabbath: Wheels of Confusion |publisher=Castle Communications |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-86074-149-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Sharpe-Young |first=Garry |title=Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: The Battle for Black Sabbath |publisher=Zonda Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-9582684-2-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin Charles |year=2006 |title=The Essential Rock Discography |___location=New York |publisher=Canongate |edition=8th |volume=1 |isbn=978-1-84195-827-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Thompson (author) |year=2004 |title=Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story |___location=Toronto |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1-55022-618-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Dave |title=Rock Formations: Categorical Answers to How Band Names Were Formed |___location=San Jose, California |publisher=Cidermill Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-9748483-5-8}}
* {{cite book |last1=Butler |first1=Geezer |title=Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond |date=2023 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-324252-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2PGWEAAAQBAJ&q=geezer+butler+into+the+void+book |language=en}}
{{refend}}
== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{Rockhall}}
* {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=mn0000771438}}
* {{discogs artist|Black Sabbath}}
* {{IMDb name|1277292}}
{{Black Sabbath}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Black Sabbath
|list =
{{Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance}}
{{Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Heaven & Hell}}
{{Ozzy Osbourne}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Black Sabbath| ]]
[[Category:1968 establishments in England]]
[[Category:2017 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:English heavy metal musical groups]]
[[Category:English musical quartets]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:I.R.S. Records artists]]
[[Category:Kerrang! Awards winners]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2006]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2017]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1968]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2011]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2025]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Vertigo Records artists]]
| |||
