On Feb. 5, Black Sabbath announced “Back to the Beginning,” a homecoming show and farewell to the four fathers of heavy metal. On Jul. 5, the original band will reunite in Birmingham, UK, for the first time in decades and for Ozzy Osbourne’s last performance. For a man who has tentatively “retired” on several occasions, a surprise reappearance is never out of the question. Yet, this time feels shockingly real. Perhaps it is the increasingly publicized progression of his Parkinson’s. Perhaps it is that he can no longer walk. Still, it is hard to believe that someone like Ozzy Osbourne, who has consistently cheated death for half a decade, might finally have to hang it up for good.
Almost fifty-five years before they announced their final show, the original members of Black Sabbath released their debut album, and in the process, invented what we now know as heavy metal. A variety of factors, such as guitarist Tony Iommi’s finger injury, the band’s upbringing in post-war England and a plethora of readily available drugs culminated in the development of a new sound that took the blues-edged hard rock of the time and sucked the joy out of it, instead infusing it with a heavy dose of reality.
Black Sabbath formed around singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward in the late ’60s. Their first album was released in 1970, featuring a distorted image of a black, hooded figure in front of a worn house. The gatefold opened up to present inverted crosses, fueling rumours that the band were Satanists. The music itself is alarmingly loud and potent, with the title track “Black Sabbath” being the cornerstone around which the nascent genre developed. Its simple riff features the “devil’s interval,” a dissonant tritone that was once believed to be evil. Its lyrics address this directly:
“Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan’s sitting there, he’s smiling
Watches those flames get higher and higher”
Black Sabbath’s music turns to the ugly and the real for thematic inspiration. Their second album featured novel themes in “War Pigs” (The Vietnam War), “Paranoid” (mental illness), and “Hand of Doom” (opioid addiction). They were as far removed as possible from the romping sex rockers of the ‘50s and the illusory hippie music of joy and love and all things colourful. By their third album, they had foreshadowed the birth of stoner and doom metal. They tuned their guitars down 1-and-½ steps to C# to accommodate for Iommi’s injured fingers. Iommi’s weighted, fuzzy tone and slow, brooding riffs on his humbucking Gibson SG encapsulated the fear and anger of an entire generation. On Master of Reality, Butler and Osbourne’s lyrics address the fear of nuclear war and the apocalypse in “Children of the Grave” and “Into the Void.” They also write a heartfelt ode to cannabis in the stomping “Sweet Leaf.”
Black Sabbath’s incalculable influence can be heard in almost every heavy rock band that arose during the ‘70s, yet they remained wholly unique. Tony Iommi’s slow, caveman riffing was unlike that of any of his peers. Butler and Ward’s blues-tinged rhythms and jazz-based fills were successfully taken up by few of their protégés. And Osbourne’s ear-splitting, keening tenor and bluesy delivery were never quite mastered by any other. By the end of the decade, they had left an indelible mark on the foundation of heavy music despite falling apart themselves. Drug use and bad management shattered the band’s integrity and Osbourne’s dire habits began to threaten his life. He was fired in 1979.
The band continued with the legendary Ronnie James Dio as frontman. Osbourne returned as a solo artist with 1980’s multi-platinum selling Blizzard of Ozz, featuring guitar prodigy Randy Rhoads. With hits from “Crazy Train” to “Mr. Crowley,” Osbourne soon became a household name in his own right and rigorously toured the US. It was on such a tour in 1981 that he unknowingly bit the head off of a live bat, thinking it was fake, on stage in Des Moines, Iowa. Such stories began to define his legacy as rock-and-roll’s madman and unpredictable booze-cruiser, which only made him more beloved. But tragedy struck on tour in 1982 when a plane struck Osbourne’s tour bus, killing his costume designer Rachel Youngblood and Randy Rhoads. Osbourne fell into a serious depression following the loss of his guitarist and dearest friend at the age of 25. For the remainder of the decade, he toured with guitarists Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde. After several stints in rehabilitation facilities, he entered the ’90s healthier and as successful as ever.
1991’s No More Tears was a commercial success, and was followed by Osbourne’s first of many farewell tours, this one dubbed “No More Tours.” He returned within three years for the “Retirement Sucks” tour. Next came Ozzfest, the annual metal festival he started in 1996. The last Ozzfest was held in 2018, followed by Osbourne’s “No More Tours II” farewell tour. In 2017, Black Sabbath reunited for “The End Tour” with Osbourne but without Ward, who was dealing with health issues. They played their heartfelt final show in Birmingham and have been retired since.
Come February, Ozzy Osbourne has returned once again. But this time it really does feel different. In the eight years since, his hair has faded into silver and his Parkinson’s has rendered him immobile. Despite his track record, it appears that this show really will be his last. With the return of Bill Ward, “Back to the Beginning” will be their first full reunion in decades, and their final show. To support them are giants of the genre: Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Gojira, Mastodon, all united to pay tribute to those they are most indebted to. Proceeds from the show go to Cure Parkinson’s and children’s hospitals in Birmingham.
Josh Yiu is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at jy793@cornell.edu.
