Black Sabbath never says die
Tammy Robinson

Most people do not think of Blues or Jazz when you utter the name Black Sabbath, yet that is the way the band first started out. Black Sabbath played Blues and Jazz in local pubs in their home town of Birmingham in the early years.

They had been experimenting with a new sound and thought they would try it out as a final song at one of their hometown shows to see what the reaction from the crowd would be.

Imagine expecting another Blues tune and instead you hear War Pigs. The crowd went crazy. There was no name for the kind of sounds they made, so someone made up the term Heavy Metal.

The way guitarist Toni Iommi describes knowing that Black Sabbath had made it in Rock and Roll history is, "when I made my first million. Ha! Ha!"

During Black Sabbath’s career the band released eight records. The last studio album to be recorded was Never Say Die, which was recorded in Toronto. The original members have worked together on two occasions since 1978. Now the original Black Sabbath is back on the road with a new double CD entitled Reunion. They reunited in Toronto on Febraury 9th.

Returning to Toronto has also brought back some memories for the band. Iommi remarks, "I have fond memories of going to the Gasworks (on Yonge St.), and a really good Scottish pub on Bloor St."

When asked how the name Black Sabbath originated, bass player Geezer Butler explained how he was experimenting with black magic at the time.

"I painted my apartment black," he explains, "over the windows and doors, and I hung silver crosses on the walls. One day this thing appeared to me, and it just stood there looking at me. It scared me so bad that the next day I went and bought a can of orange paint and painted my apartment over in orange." Thus, the name Black Sabbath was thought to be appropriate.

When asked how it felt to be playing their songs again 20 years later, Butler replied, "It feels great since we haven’t played them in so long. It feels like such a different state of mind than when we recorded them. You know, when you record a song, and then you are playing it a lot on tour, you probably hear it at least 500 times. But when you go back to something after 20 odd years it makes them feel really special, like yeah, we did that and I’m proud that we did."

Unlike some of the heavy metal bands that emerged, such as Kiss, Black Sabbath concentrated on the music, not the visual effects.

The heavy bass and crazy guitar riffs mixed with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals is what made Black Sabbath. Without the drumming of Bill Ward however, it would not be the same.

It is not until the original four members come together that you get a feeling of power in the music and this is what made Black Sabbath so revolutionary.

The Reunion show sold out, and for a good reason. Even if you don’t like Black Sabbath you can appreciate the show as a historical event.

Accompanying Black Sabbath on their Reunion tour are two good bands, Pantera and The Deftones.