Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has confirmed he will not play a part in the band’s reunion shows this year.
Last February, Ward threatened to withdraw from the Sabbath comeback tour – which subsequently had to be largely cancelled due to Tony Iommi‘s cancer diagnosis – writing that he would be “…unable to continue unless a ‘signable’ contract is drawn up; a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band.”
Now, in a new statement released on his official website, Ward has revealed he was offered the chance to play on just three songs when Black Sabbath headline the Download festival next month, an offer he was not willing to take up.
“I was not willing to participate in that offer. I was not prepared to watch another drummer play a Sabbath set, while I was to play only three songs,” he says.
“Again, for me, it’s all or nothing,” he continued after claiming he had been asked to play the band’s forthcoming show at the Birmingham Academy with no guarantees of staying on after that.
“I had to say ‘no’ to Birmingham on the principle of wanting to play all the shows. Saying no to Birmingham is very difficult for me. My family grew up in Birmingham. Black Sabbath grew up in Birmingham.”