Rockers Bid Farewell and Thank You to Black Sabbath
Tonight (Feb. 4) in their hometown of Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath play what appears to be their final show ever as they conclude their lengthy 'The End' tour. It's one of the most heart-wrenching days in heavy metal's history, which stretches back to 1970 when Sabbath released their eponymous debut, altering the course of music forever — and for the better.
Their influence is undeniable in the purest sense of the word as every heavy music act, rock or metal, are indebted to Birmingham's innovators. The godfathers of metal, Sabbath's fingerprints are everywhere and we caught up with some of the band's metal peers as they reflected on the finality of Black Sabbath.
"I never say goodbye," says Anthrax bassist Frank Bello. "Number one, I can't imagine a world without Sabbath, so I never say goodbye because I'll always pray and I'll be bugging Geezer [Butler] for this about a one-off show somewhere and hopefully that we'll be able to see somewhere. So, I never say never because Sabbath is forever."
Of course, how could we get the thoughts of the metal community without talking to the world's biggest Sabbath fanatic, Zakk Wylde? He's obviously close to the Sabbath camp having served as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist for years and even has his own tribute band, dubbed Zakk Sabbath. "Lord Iommi is basically the architect of the music that we all love," he said. "When you actually create a genre of music, it's incredible. They created jazz or classical or blues then you have this other form of music; it's called Sabbath."
In addition to the comments by Bello and Wylde, the video above also features testimonials by members of Disturbed and Suicide Silence.
Black Sabbath's final performance will be held at the Genting Arena in the band's hometown of Birmingham, closing it out where it all started with the humble beginnings as Polka Tulk in 1968.
From all of us at Loudwire, an eternity of thanks to Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for their pioneering efforts and Farewell, but Never Say Die!
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