Tony Iommi on upcoming North American tour - "It's going to be strange after all the album activity being back on stage again"

Following the worldwide chart success of their semi-reunion album, "13", Black Sabbath are gearing up for their upcoming 20-city North American trek which kicks off next week in Houston, Texas.

Guitar legend Tony Iommi states: "Getting ready for the tour of the USA and Canada. It's going to be strange after all the album activity being back on stage again. We're all really looking forward to getting going as the dates in New Zealand, Australia and Japan went so well!"

Purchase tickets from  Blacksabbath.com

Black Sabbath's North American tour dates:

July
25 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
27 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
29 - Tampa, FL - Live Nation Amphitheatre
31 - W. Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre

August
2 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
4 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
6 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
8 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
10 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
12 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center
14 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
16 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
18 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center
22 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
24 - Seattle, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre
26 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
28 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
30 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Center

September
1 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
3 - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Sports Arena

Read more details on Bravewords.com

Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, 22 July 2013

Black Sabbath legend at fundraiser in memory of a tragic Midland teenager killed in a road crash

Tony Iommi was a guest at a fundraiser organised to boost funds for the Mikey Abdou Foundation.

The charity aims to help underprivileged children in education in memory of the 19-year-old Solihull doctor’s son. Mikey Abdou and his friend Mike Dugmore were killed in a car crash in Aston Cantlow in January 2012. It will also help youngsters in Cairo as Mikey was part-Egyptian. Tony Iommi is a friend of the Abdou family.

The sell-out fundraiser, held at Hogarths Hotel in Dorridge, attracted 200 guests and raised more than £50,000.

“We were extremely grateful that Tony Iommi could be there to support the cause. Tony is a great friend of the family and again we were very fortunate and honoured to have him there." - states the Abdou family.

More information about the charity is available at by going to www.mikeyabdoufoundation.com

Read more on Birmingham Mail.

Birmingham Mail, 19 July 2013
Photo Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Black Sabbath albums We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll, Technical Ecstasy, Never Say Die! will be re-release this month

On July 30th, Rhino Records is releasing Black Sabbath's final two studio albums and only compilation of the '70s Ozzy Osbourne era. We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll, Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die!

We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll, released in February of 1976, draws on all of the band's six studio (and Ozzy Osbourne-era) albums to date, but pays special attention to their first two albums.

Technical Ecstasy, Black Sabbath's seventh studio record, was released in September of 1976. Technical Ecstasy continued the band's separation from its signature doom and darkness that had been such a trademark of the band's early career. While the album's lyrics dealt with topics such as drug dealers, prostitution, and transvestites, the music itself was seldom dark, and tracks like 'Rock 'n' Roll Doctor' and 'It's Alright' (the latter sung by drummer Bill Ward a decision supported by Ozzy Osbourne), were very different from Black Sabbath's earlier recordings.

Black Sabbath released their eighth studio album, Never Say Die!, in September of 1978. This would be the last studio album featuring Ozzy Osbourne prior to his leaving the band the following year.

Read more on Bravewords.com

Bravewords.com, 12 July 2013

Tony Iommi to guest on BBC Radio 6 Music's 'Radcliffe And Maconie' Show

Birmingham Legend - Mighty Tony Iommi will be interviewed on BBC Radio 6 Music's "Radcliffe And Maconie" show on Tuesday, July 9 at 2:30 p.m. U.K. time. Fans can listen to the program live via the Internet at BBC.co.uk.

Tony's interview to Artisan News from the times of his autobiography "Iron Man" release unveiled!

9 July 2013

Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” covered by children’s Orff Rock Band in Portugal

There has been no shortage of “Paranoid” covers throughout the years but no one has transformed the Black Sabbath staple quite like these creative youngsters. Meet the Orff rock band made up of a group of ambitious students in Portugal.

The music club kids infuse the classic tune with unexpected instrument choices like xylophones, recorders, flutes and metallophones creating their own unique take on the song. There’s something truly endearing about seeing the students join forces to sing out the chorus of the song as clips of their classmates playing the instrumental parts are intertwined throughout the video.

Let’s raise our horns to this teacher for encouraging a whole new generation of metal enthusiasts!

By Mary Ouellette for Loudwire, 29 June 2013

Tony Iommi's heavy leather guitar straps… and bracelets!

Black Sabbath’s guitar legend has hired Rachael at Heavy Leather NYC (Heavyleathernyc.com) to make his new guitar straps, designed by Shirts & Destroy.

"The guitars I use are pretty heavy and it makes a huge difference when you're playing a long show to have a comfortable strap," says Iommi. "That they also look great is a real bonus!"

Iommi recently donated his used guitar strings to Wear Your Music, an organisation that turns used guitar strings into jewelry. All profits made from the sale of Tony's guitar strings will go to the Nordoff-Robbins charity. Having sliced off the ends of three fingers in a factory accident when first starting out Tony switched to very light gauge strings. These make his bracelets especially unique.

Rock Recycled Bracelets are hand-wrapped with sterling silver to create a one-of-a-kind bangle style bracelet. Each bracelet uses a different number and color of strings, depending on what is available at the time of purchase. They do not have the artists initials on them and are not soldered. For this, and the option to add a clasp, see the Classic Style.

Purchase your bracelet on WearYourMusic.org

And for those who wasn’t able to catch Tony’s interview on the BBC TV's "Hard Talk" other day, watch the whole event on Youtube video:

28 June 2013 
Photo courtesy Lorraine Parker

Tony Iommi to guest on BBC's “HARDtalk”

 A rare chance to catch Tony Iommi on BBC television the world over - Tony will be interviewed on BBC's television progam "HARDtalk" today, Wednesday, June 26.

In the U.K., "HARDtalk" is broadcast on the BBC News channel on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 00.30 and 04.30 a.m. The program can also be seen on BBC Two at 10.35 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also catch up on recent editions of the program in the U.K. on BBC iPlayer.

Outside the U.K., "HARDtalk" is broadcast Monday to Thursday on BBC World News channel, watch at 04:30 and 00:30 Thursday 27th.

Asked about whether the band had performed in a way that played up to their Satanic image,Tony Iommi told HARDtalk's Shaun Ley they had "dabbled" in the occult in the early days, but said they had never been Satanists. 

"It was creating music, and that's all I do. I don't try to create anything to destroy people or to upset anybody," he added.

Iommi also discussed the band's past drug use: "If I'd have known, what I know now, I certainly would not have dabbled to that extent. I don't think any of us would."

Visit the BBC World News web site for transmission times in your region.

26 June 2013
Photo Vertigo

Congratulations to Tony and guys! Sabbath is the winner of Metal Hammer Golden Gods 2013!

Metal Hammer has just announced the winner of the Golden Gods 2013 in the category Best UK Band - without any doubt - Black Sabbath!

Our boys have beaten a whole list of competitors, leaving behind Motorhead, Paradise Lost, Bring Me The Horizon and Bullet For My Valentine!

The heavy metal godfathers have made a real triumphant return with epic “13” – actually on the top of UK, USA, New Zealand charts!

CONGRATULATIONS TO TONY, OZZY AND GEEZER !
GLORIOUS SABBATH! MIGHTY SABBATH! BEST BAND EVER!

Thank you all, loyal die hards, who supported and continues to support our guys! You voted day and night, and what a great satisfaction to see Sabbath on the top!

GLORY TO SABBATH FOREVER AND EVER!!!

19 June 2013

Black Sabbath’s “13” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart!

Great success for our guys - after 35 years since Tony and his bandmates Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler recorded an album together, there was no telling how the band’s new disc “13” would perform on the charts. But now the numbers are out and the album is a huge success, landing at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an impressive 155,000 copies sold in the United States during its first week out.

The album marks Black Sabbath’s first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard chart and remarkably it’s only the band’s second Top 10 entry (1971′s Master of Reality hit No. 8). Earlier in the week, “13” also topped the UK chart, making it the band’s first album to hit No. 1 on that tally since 1970′s Paranoid.

The first-week sales total in the U.S. for “13” more than triples the next entry on the chart.

Black Sabbath will embark on a full North American tour beginning July 25 in Houston and finishing up in Los Angeles on Sept. 3.

The band recently announced that there will probably be ANOTHER ALBUM after “13” and they hope for the drummer Bill Ward’s return!

All we can say now is – Amen! Hope this will be real! Rock on Sabbath! You are the best!

19 June 2013

Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Black Sabbath are Top of the Pops!

The band have set a new UK chart record for the longest gap between number one albums, overtaking Rod Stewart who set a similar record last month.

"13" has entered the official UK. chart at position No. 1. The album sold 13,000 copies more than the No. 2 entry, "BE" by Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye.

"13" has entered the official Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) chart at position No. 4. This is the British metal legends' first Australian Top Ten album since "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" back in 1974.

"13" is likely to sell between 120,000 and 130,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on June 11 via Vertigo/Universal Republic.

"13" is on the top of the charts in New Zealand!

\\M// LONG LIVE BLACK SABBATH!!! \\M//

  17 June 2013