Black Sabbath gets all Paranoid at final Vancouver gig

By Steve Newton Every Black Sabbath freak has his fave Sabbath album. I for one have long trumpeted the supreme awesomeness of 1975's Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. Others point to the band's spooky self-titled debut of 1970 as its pinnacle achievement. But most of the Sabbath fans I've encountered tend to regard Paranoid--also released in 1970--as the heavy-metal … Continue reading Black Sabbath gets all Paranoid at final Vancouver gig

Black Sabbath reissues bring back memories of “War Pigs”-inspired furniture abuse

By Steve Newton I have hazy memories of the very first albums I ever owned, but there's three that stick out in my mind: Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies, Deep Purple's Fireball, and Black Sabbath's Paranoid. I used to play the hell out of them on an ancient stereo downstairs in my parents' "rumpus room". And my favourite … Continue reading Black Sabbath reissues bring back memories of “War Pigs”-inspired furniture abuse

Black Sabbath may yet tour with its original lineup, hints Ozzy Osbourne

For all those diehard Black Sabbath fans who saw the band in concert last year and went, "Man, that was wicked, but how cool would it have been with Bill Ward!", there is still hope. According to Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, the British metal legends intend to record one final album and embark on one final tour. … Continue reading Black Sabbath may yet tour with its original lineup, hints Ozzy Osbourne

Consider yourself warned about Sabbath’s Black Box

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton Now here's the ultimate stocking stuffer for that die-hard metal freak on your Christmas list. It's gonna cost you a fair chunk of cash--I just saw the Black Box going for $124 at A&B Sound--but little Timmy will be gaining invaluable insights into the roots of heavy … Continue reading Consider yourself warned about Sabbath’s Black Box

Black Sabbath’s new box set isn’t quite as wicked as its Black Box

By Steve Newton The hard-rock/metal world is all a-buzz with today's news that the mighty Black Sabbath will release a CD boxed set containing the band's first eight albums—the ones it recorded before Ozzy Osbourne got the boot and was replaced by Ronnie James Dio in 1979. That's all well and good. The more masterful Tony Iommi riffs … Continue reading Black Sabbath’s new box set isn’t quite as wicked as its Black Box

Black Sabbath minus Bill Ward equals Bill Sabbath t-shirt

When word first went out in November of 2011 that Black Sabbath was getting back together for its first studio album since 1978--and a worldwide tour to boot--hard-rock fans far and wide rejoiced. I was among them. But the shine came off the project later on when it was revealed that, due to financial squabbles, … Continue reading Black Sabbath minus Bill Ward equals Bill Sabbath t-shirt

The Sabbath Time Machine

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 18, 2013 By Steve Newton Black Sabbath (without Bill Ward) isn't giving any interviews in advance of its show at Rogers Arena this Thursday (Aug. 22), but that's okay with me. It just gives me an excuse to crawl back into my '70s time machine and reminisce, home movie-style, about what … Continue reading The Sabbath Time Machine