Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne says he and the band were in shock when their new album, “13”, debuted at the top of the charts in several countries last month.
"I can't believe it," Osbourne told Sky News at the time. "We were number one all over the place: America, England, Germany, New Zealand, Canada…it's amazing. I don’t know what suddenly turned this around. We were all in shock here.”
“13” is Sabbath’s first studio album with Ozzy since 1978’s “Never Say Die,” and the singer explained why it took so long to get off the ground.
“It’s been in the cards for many years but for some reason or another it’s never materialized,” says Ozzy. “I’ve been doing my solo stuff and they’ve been doing whatever they’ve been doing. I knew in the back of my mind that one day I wanted to do this. But it's probably the best thing that ever happened to us, to break up all them years ago. This proves that we had something going for us."
While “13” sees a return of Osbourne to the Sabbath lineup, original drummer Bill Ward declined to participate in the reunion tour and album over a contractual dispute. The group recorded with Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine, while Ozzy’s solo drummer, Tommy Clufetos, has been handling live dates.
Black Sabbath will launch a North American tour in Houston on July 25.
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