Ozzy Osbourne Needs To Apologize, Says Black Sabbath Drummer Bill Ward

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has issued a statement saying that he is not interested in rejoining the legendary heavy metal band until frontman Ozzy Osbourne issues a public apology. In a report from Rolling Stone, the 66-year-old musician said that he has been in a feud with the band since 2012 and will not play with Black Sabbath on their reunion tour due to dissatisfaction with the terms of his contract back in 2011.

A message on Bill Ward’s Twitter page which he uploaded on March 15 simply said:

Read Bill’s statement on @BlackSabbath – https://t.co/z36VLHks3s

— Bill Ward (@billwarddrums) April 15, 2015

Ward issued the statement on his Facebook page, saying that he wanted Ozzy to take accountability for things said that were not true.

I will not participate in any musical undertakings until a righting of the wrongs spoken against me has been achieved…I’m looking for an honest accountability of all of Ozzy’s statements that I felt were untrue. I would want Ozzy to amend his opinions and exaggerations. I would want him to be forthcoming about his unrealistic viewpoints. And because I was chastised publicly, I would want him to amend publicly in his words, and not through an Ozzy representative, the nature of the wrongs.

According to The Guardian, Ozzy Osbourne and crew were set to reunite for a tour in November 2011, even announcing a new album and tour. However, Bill Ward was unhappy with the contract, saying it was “unsignable.” The rest of Black Sabbath continued without him, saying that they were “saddened to hear via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in [their] current [plans],” and that they had no choice but to “continue recording without him.”

Despite the rift, Ward said in his Facebook statement: “I have neither severed nor discontinued my relationship with Black Sabbath,” but Ward said he felt detached from vocalist Ozzy.

His rhetoric above all has brought me the most discord. The continuing misguided information about me has established a necessity on my part to confront these issues.

It’s not just Ward and Osbourne who are experiencing turmoil either. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has been battling with cancer since the beginning of the year. However, he has told the press that his illness will not stop him from playing.

At last week’s Ozzfest in Japan, Black Sabbath were scheduled to play but the line-up was changed to just Ozzy Osbourne, though there is no evidence to suggest this was due to the issues surrounding Bill Ward.

[Image Source: La Voix lactée]