Tony Iommi Is ‘Sure’ There’s More to Come From Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is still “sure” the band will work together again, even though they haven’t discussed specifics.
The British icons ended their touring career this past weekend with a final show in their home city of Birmingham, with the decision to bow out fueled by Iommi having to live with health issues surrounding his cancer treatment.
It had already been suggested that there might be more to come from Black Sabbath, although it wouldn’t involve touring. “It’s just the touring for me," Iommi told Planet Rock. "It’s time to stop roaming the world and be at home for a bit. When you’re touring you’ve got to go out for six, eight, 12 months or whatever, and you’ve got a schedule that you have to do. Now, if I want to do some TV for a month, I can do that.”
Iommi insisted he's still going to write music and "put stuff out,” even leaving open the possibility for more Black Sabbath records. “I don’t think we’ve ruled anything out, apart from me not wanting to tour any more," he said. "Who knows? We may do something. We haven’t spoken about it. We haven’t talked about anything, really – but I’m sure something can happen somewhere.”
Last year, Iommi told Ultimate Classic Rock he was considering a wide range of projects. “I’ve been offered quite a lot of stuff at the moment," he said. "It’s quite exciting. There are lots of different things coming in. It’s all there, and it needs some thought. I don’t want to rush into anything.”
While Black Sabbath seem to be serious about not touring again, that doesn't mean they won't perform live sometime. “I’m going to miss playing onstage – that’s been my whole life," Iommi said. "I’m sure it’s not going to end like that. I’m sure we might do a one-off show somewhere.”
Singer Ozzy Osbourne has already announced a return to his solo career. Bassist Geezer Butler hasn’t yet revealed whether he’s planning anything, but he said last year that his "life will be very empty without the band. I hope our music will be around for a very long time after we’ve gone.”
Black Sabbath Albums Ranked Worst to Best