LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ozzy Osbourne's bandmates in British heavy metal group Black Sabbath have reunited without the singer for a planned tour early next year, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The threesome have joined forces with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who sang in the band during two stints in the 1980s and 1990s after Osbourne was ousted for his prodigious drug abuse, but will bill themselves as "Heaven and Hell."

Lest anyone think that Osbourne has been ostracized again, representatives for the so-called "Prince of Darkness" issued a separate statement, announcing "there is only one Black Sabbath," and that he would join forces with his old Birmingham buddies for a tour and new album late next year.


THE 21st CENTURY IN PICTURES

Ways of Living
View Slideshow

Original Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and Dio "are working on a project together which has nothing to do with Black Sabbath," the statement said. "However, Ozzy wishes Tony and Ronnie much success in their project together."

The members of Heaven and Hell -- Dio, Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward -- were not available for comment. The group's spokeswoman said Dio and Iommi were in England writing songs together.

The combo takes its name from the first album Dio recorded with Black Sabbath in 1980. This lineup recorded another studio album in 1981 and a live album in 1982, after which Dio quit. He reportedly complained there were not enough photos of him in the live album artwork, while Iommi reportedly referred to the diminutive head-banger as a "little Hitler."

After a stint at the helm of a successful 1980s metal band bearing his last name, Dio briefly rejoined Black Sabbath a decade later, by which time Iommi was the only original member left and the group had lost most of its fans.

The founding foursome, famed for such jarring metal anthems as "Paranoid" and "War Pigs," buried their various hatchets in the mid-1990s for a successful series of tours, although plans for a new album never came to fruition. After years of being snubbed, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Osbourne concurrently found mainstream notoriety as a reality TV star, thanks to his role as the perpetually confused paterfamilias in MTV's "The Osbournes."

I don't think it's the same without him.

I am looking forward to seeing what Tony Iommi, Geezer, and Bill have in store
with Ronnie James Dio back with them!!! I wished I had seen Sabbath with Dio
back then in the 80's, and now under the new moniker Heaven and Hell, I just might!! :rock: Right now the albums Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules are two of my favorite Sabbath albums.

Did I mention I met Tony Iommi at last year's Ozzfest? :cool:

WHy do I have a feeling the Black Sabbath boys just don't want to deal with Sharon Osbourne?

;)

WHy do I have a feeling the Black Sabbath boys just don't want to deal with Sharon Osbourne?

;):yeahthat :nod: Can you blame them? I think $haron still holds a grudge for the band, especially toward Tony Iommi, for kicking out her widdle Ozzy Wozzy in 1979. :crybaby:

I was discussing about Tony, Ozzy and the gang at the local on Halloween and one of my girl friends said BS WAS and still IS only Tony Iommi. Maybe Ozzy should have fought back and defended his right to be in the band and not ousted, but he didn't do it...why?! aaahh, the mysteries of rock bands! I like all the BS line-ups as long as they don't go whimpy and start playing Darkness-oriented sh*t. Sure, I'd like to see Ozzy join up and bring BS up there where it belongs.....again!!!

I was discussing about Tony, Ozzy and the gang at the local on Halloween and one of my girl friends said BS WAS and still IS only Tony Iommi. Maybe Ozzy should have fought back and defended his right to be in the band and not ousted, but he didn't do it...why?! aaahh, the mysteries of rock bands! I like all the BS line-ups as long as they don't go whimpy and start playing Darkness-oriented sh*t. Sure, I'd like to see Ozzy join up and bring BS up there where it belongs.....again!!!You have to remember that when Black Sabbath fired Ozzy back in 1979, he had become a self-destructive, unpredictable, chemically dependent individual who was nearly impossible to work with. He had left on his own back in 1977 for a short while before coming back, but was unhappy about the poppy direction the band had taken (1978's Never Say Die). Tony was getting more into "progressive" jazz styles and the band was no longer what people had come to expect. It's rather strange that people in bands with substance abuse problems weren't ordered to check into rehab and dry out back then. Ozzy has considered himself to be more of a "weak" person, and Tony a bit more agressive of the two. Ozzy felt rather intimidated by him, so when $haron hooked him up with Randy Rhoads and formed his own band, it was a godsend. Black Sabbath was about to call it quits until they teamed up with Ronnie James Dio and came up with a new heavy sound. It's still strange after all these years that that Black Sabbath only seems to exist as a "nostalgia" outfit that comes together for the occasional Ozzfest, since Ozzy says he doesn't want to do another album with them, while Tony has been waiting for quite a while to put out new music.

Cool read...thanx. Syd Barrett might still be alive today had that happened in his time! I never liked Never Say Die either, but I just knew all along that Tony would have come back strong with his style of rock someday...and he did! All bands go thru their "whimpy hour" as I call it (eg. Kiss with "Dynasty"), but the kick-ass ones always come back to the good vibes sooner or later!

You have to remember that when Black Sabbath fired Ozzy back in 1979, he had become a self-destructive, unpredictable, chemically dependent individual who was nearly impossible to work with. He had left on his own back in 1977 for a short while before coming back, but was unhappy about the poppy direction the band had taken (1978's Never Say Die). Tony was getting more into "progressive" jazz styles and the band was no longer what people had come to expect. It's rather strange that people in bands with substance abuse problems weren't ordered to check into rehab and dry out back then. Ozzy has considered himself to be more of a "weak" person, and Tony a bit more agressive of the two. Ozzy felt rather intimidated by him, so when $haron hooked him up with Randy Rhoads and formed his own band, it was a godsend. Black Sabbath was about to call it quits until they teamed up with Ronnie James Dio and came up with a new heavy sound. It's still strange after all these years that that Black Sabbath only seems to exist as a "nostalgia" outfit that comes together for the occasional Ozzfest, since Ozzy says he doesn't want to do another album with them, while Tony has been waiting for quite a while to put out new music.

Cool read...thanx. Syd Barrett might still be alive today had that happened in his time! I never liked Never Say Die either, but I just knew all along that Tony would have come back strong with his style of rock someday...and he did! All bands go thru their "whimpy hour" as I call it (eg. Kiss with "Dynasty"), but the kick-ass ones always come back to the good vibes sooner or later!OMG, I saw the Dynasty tour in 1979, it was cool and all, but looking back the costumes and everything were a little TOO much, and for KISS to do a DISCO tune was the unpardonable sin!! :eek: No surprise that after that, they began to decline, and not even taking off their makeup helped them a few years later.

....but you must admit that they did make a cool comeback with "Psycho Circus".

....but you must admit that they did make a cool comeback with "Psycho Circus".Oh yes!! I meant to say that not everything they did was all that bad, like "I Love It Loud", "Lick It Up", "Tears Are Falling", "Heaven's On Fire", "Unholy", and "Psycho Circus" are all great songs. I read that when Ace and Peter rejoined the band, they still caused problems that made them leave in the first place.

What the hell is Kiss doing in a thread about a GOOD band?

Gene Simmons alone is worth the whole band!! Luckily music is subjective!

According to a posting on Spain's MariskalRock.com web site, Ronnie James Dio revealed during an appearance at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour event in London Monday night (Nov. 6) that HEAVEN AND HELL — the new band featuring Dio alongside original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — will headline next year's Download festival, set to take place in June 2007 at Donington Park, Leicestershire, England. The group, named after the first post-Ozzy Osbourne SABBATH album, is expected to announce many other festival appearances during 2007.

Ronnie James Dio recently spent time in the U.K. "kicking around ideas" with Tony Iommi for a couple of new tracks to be included on SABBATH's forthcoming box set, "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years". In addition, according to Ozzy, a BLACK SABBATH tour with Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward will kick off late 2007 to coincide with the group's first new studio album featuring that lineup since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

Dio was honored with the "Metal Guru" award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour event, which was organized by Classic Rock magazine.


New Sabbath next year!!! :rock:

New Sabath!!!! New Sabbath!!!

Gene Simmons alone is worth the whole band!! Luckily music is subjective!

As a musician, I can say with all assuredness that Kiss has nothing to do with music. Those guys can't play their way out of a wet paper bag! Its all show and no go with those geezers. If it smells - it sells.

i dont understand Iommi

he and DIO have had public falling outs several times
and yet they get back together again?

i dont understand Iommi

he and DIO have had public falling outs several times
and yet they get back together again?

Its all about the money. Green green, dollar dollar bills y'all...

dont get me wrong
i LOVE Sabbath
im one of the few who saw them in concert with GLENN HUGES on vocals during the SEVENTH STAR tour

but i just think Dio is sort of a nutcase and they ALL KNOW it will self destruct before the tour ends!

I heard their solo albums and I might even agree with you there, but Kiss as a whole seem to dish out good vibes, I mean, they're not Darkness or similar crap......on my wavelength anyway:crazy:


As a musician, I can say with all assuredness that Kiss has nothing to do with music. Those guys can't play their way out of a wet paper bag! Its all show and no go with those geezers. If it smells - it sells.

HEAVEN AND HELL — the new band featuring legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) alongside original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler — was interviewed earlier in the week in England by VH1 Classic VJ Eddie Trunk for a program that will air sometime in January. During his weekly radio show, "Friday Night Rocks", on New York's Q104.3 FM last night (Friday, November 24), Trunk offered the following recap of his chat with the members of HEAVEN AND HELL about their upcoming recording and touring activities (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):

"There was a lot of speculation that this band was now being called HEAVEN AND HELL and not BLACK SABBATH because of something to do with legalities or Sharon Osbourne or whatever the case may be. That is NOT the case. Tony Iommi owns the name BLACK SABBATH, and he and Ronnie James Dio decided that it would be best to call this lineup something else because they felt that after SABBATH with Ozzy went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it would probably be a little bit disrespectful and a little bit confusing to that name and that band that's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to call their reunion with Dio BLACK SABBATH again. So they decided — it was strictly up to them; it was their decision internally — to instead call it something else. That's why the live shows are being billed as HEAVEN AND HELL. But it is a little bit confusing because the record that is gonna come out is gonna be called 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years'.

"Now, here's the other misinformation that is out there: Everyone is calling this a box set — it is not; it is a single-CD collection. And it'll have on it songs from 'Heaven and Hell', 'Mob Rules' and 'Dehumanizer' and also at least two new songs that the band are recording as we speak; they were doing it while we were there in England. Also some speculation out there as to who the drummer's gonna be. I know that Bill Ward was not part of our TV interview. I don't have any confirmation just yet as to who the drummer will gonna be — Bill or Vinny Appice; there's conflicting information about that. But I can tell you that Geezer and Tony and Ronnie had written three songs, they were gonna record three — one was a slow song, one was mid-tempo and one was a fast song. They are gonna pick two to put on this album. So it's not a box set. Somewhere down the line there probably will be a box set that'll package all the Dio-SABBATH albums together, but this is not it — it's a single-disc collection with tracks from the three studio albums previous and also the two new songs and it'll be out sometime in February, with a tour under the name of HEAVEN AND HELL to follow in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

"It's exciting news to have these guys working together again, and I can tell you, talking to Iommi both on camera and off, he is extremely excited about the opportunity to work with Dio again and do a long set — he wants to play a two-hour shows live because — quite honestly, without saying it… I mean, let's be honest, there are limitations as to what Ozzy can do these days as a vocalist; there are zero limitations when it comes to a guy like Dio. They may or may not do Ozzy-era material; that's also being worked out."

Eddie also mentioned that a New York City concert date for HEAVEN AND HELL has already been booked but that he was unable to divulge the exact details because he has been "sworn to secrecy."

Reliable sources informed BLABBERMOUTH.NET on November 23 that drummer Vinny Appice (DIO, BLACK SABBATH) is currently in the U.K laying down drums on the two new tracks that will be included on "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years". In addition, Appice will be manning the drums on the upcoming HEAVEN AND HELL tour.

Appice, 49, joined BLACK SABBATH in 1980, and appeared on the albums "Mob Rules" (1981) and the album recorded on that tour, "Live Evil" (1983). In late 1982, before "Live Evil" even hit the shelves, he left SABBATH with vocalist Ronnie James Dio and formed the band DIO. He appeared on the DIO albums "Holy Diver" (1983), "The Last in Line" (1984), "Sacred Heart" (1985), "Intermission" (1986), and "Dream Evil" (1987). In 1992 Appice returned to BLACK SABBATH (with Ronnie James Dio) for the "Dehumanizer" album and tour.

As previously reported, Dio recently revealed to Classic Rock magazine that HEAVEN AND HELL will likely headline next year's Monsters of Rock festival.

Monsters of Rock returned to the U.K. festival scene at Milton Keynes Bowl this past summer, with DEEP PURPLE as headliners. Now it looks like it will return in 2007, with HEAVEN AND HELL on the bill.

Now I'm even more confused.

;)

Thanx for that read ABP!!! Sharon sure rulz Qzzy's life, hehehehehhehe!!! I wanna get even more into H&H's projects.

sharon SAVED ozzys life and career

sharon SAVED ozzys life and careerShe sure saved his reputation by over-exposing him with "The Osbournes" reality show, making him look like a dope, and by trashing Maiden's set at the San Bernadino Ozzfest because she's so thin-skinned, jealous, and unprofessional.

And she has the nerve to call herself "the true Iron Maiden". :rolleyes:

I like the albums that Black Sabbath made with Ozzy, but I admit that I know next to nothing about any of the albums they made after Sabotage. So without Ozzy, Black Sabbath isn't Black Sabbath in my mind. That being said, after the events of the last five years or so, I look at Ozzy as being sort of a joke. He truly sold out by doing that MTV reality show.

I believe Tony Iommi was the mastermind behind BS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roeDzHj9Q5A&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMpYZOuDPqQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkbMd3Bygzs&NR

Thanx!!

Here are H&H:

Here are H&H:

Here's another one of this group>

I like the albums that Black Sabbath made with Ozzy, but I admit that I know next to nothing about any of the albums they made after Sabotage. So without Ozzy, Black Sabbath isn't Black Sabbath in my mind. That being said, after the events of the last five years or so, I look at Ozzy as being sort of a joke. He truly sold out by doing that MTV reality show.As a matter of fact, Black Sabbath did come close to breaking up in 1979 after they kicked Ozzy out. Fortunately, they met up with Ronnie James Dio and discussed working with him. They liked his ideas and his vocal style and decided to stick with him. I think Sabbath with Dio was very much Sabbath, their two albums with him in the early 80's are definitive metal. The last two albums with Ozzy did not fully represent Sabbath, they had gotten too polished on Technical Ecstasy, and Tony started going jazzy on Never Say Die. Ozzy was so drunk and stoned half the time, and so unwilling to put out anything that they felt they had no choice but to let him go. Which ultimately turned out to be a good thing for Ozzy. What the band would have been like, or how metal would have turned out, in the 80's if he had stayed in the band, is an interesting thought.

Of course, when they started going with Ian Gillan in 1983 and dozens of other vocalists is a big question mark about how Sabbath was really Sabbath.
I did manage to see a revamped Sabbath with Tony Martin on vocals in 1995, and the show was very good.