BLACK SABBATH Bassist Talks About New Solo CD, This Year's OZZFEST

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler recently spoke to Metal-Exiles.com about his upcoming "solo" album, "Ohmwork", and SABBATH's headlining appearance at this year's Ozzfest. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

Metal-Exiles.com: Your last GZR came out in 1997, why did it take so long for you to come out with the third CD?

Geezer: "I think most of it had to do with the BLACK SABBATH stuff that has been going on as well as finding another direction. The last album I did, the GEEZER album 'Black Science', had a lot of keyboards and it did not work. It sounded great in my studio but when I took into another studio I realized it was going to take months to do. When I go into the studio it has to be raw and to the point. I like to do things quickly because I do not have much patience."

Metal-Exiles.com: I read that you did this in ten days, like the early days of SABBATH.

Geezer: "Yeah, if you polish things to much then it loses the feeling I think. Towards later days of SABBATH instead of going in and knocking out what songs we did in rehearsal we would polish them to death."

Metal-Exiles.com: Will you be able to take GZR out after Ozzfest is over?

Geezer: "Ozzfest came up well after the album was done and when I was in the middle of putting together my own tour. I would love to take the band out on tour after the Ozzfest is over."

Metal-Exiles.com: Speaking of Ozzfest, what do you think of SABBATH going out again?

Geezer: "It was a surprise because we just did it last year and I do not know if this will be Ozzy's last year or not. It was out of the blue that Sharon called up and asked me if I would do it."

Metal-Exiles.com: Do you think that SABBATH are still relevant?

Geezer: "We still have a following and it is nice to be able to play the old songs."

Metal-Exiles.com: How does it feel to come out on stage with SABBATH touring with all of these bands and knowing that you are an originator and you started all of this and still doing it better in some cases?

Geezer: "It is nice because when we first started people put us down, said we were not relevant, said our music was not real music, totally put us down. It is nice all these years later to be still playing it and be acclaimed for doing it. When you see all of these bands citing you as influences it makes you feel relevant."

Metal-Exiles.com: Did you see yourself being here over 35 years later?

Geezer: "Absolutely not, back when we first started I was 18 we thought 25 year old people were old people and pop groups would last a few years and could not go on because they were to old. We grew up in an are when you just could not be old. It was like THE WHO song, I hope I die before I get old, but now it seems like the older bands are bigger than ever. Now we get a mixed crowd where you have kids and up to old blokes like me."

Read Geezer Butler's entire interview with Metal-Exiles.com at this location.