BLACK SABBATH To Begin Mixing New Album In February

Eddie Trunk — co-host of the VH1 Classic television program "That Metal Show" who has a long-running radio show, "Friday Night Rocks", on New York's Q104.3 FM — conducted an interview with BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler for Hartke at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place January 24-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below. A few excerpts from the chat follow.

On the new BLACK SABBATH album:

Geezer: "We've finished recording it. Tony's [Iommi, guitar] back in England putting down a couple of solos. Then we start mixing it in February and it will be out in June.

"The provisional title is '13' — unless we can come up with something more constructive."

On Tony Iommi's health after he was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago:

Geezer: "He's doing well; he's really responding well. He has to go and have his medication every six weeks. But yeah, he's really coming along well; he's really doing well."

On BLACK SABBATH's touring plans:

Geezer: "We start at the end of April in New Zealand, then we go to Australia, then Japan. June, we'll be promoting the album, then July and August [is] USA. Then October is South America and Europe in November and December."

On how it feels to be back working with Ozzy Osbourne again:

Geezer: "It's great. We just have a lot of laughs and lot of fun."

On whether he has contributed lyrics to the new BLACK SABBATH album, like he has in the past:

Geezer: "Yeah, I've written most of the lyrics. Ozzy comes up with the titles and then gives me an inspiration to write the lyrics. I think we've got 16 songs and I've written 14 sets of lyrics."

On whether Brad Wilk (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),who plays on the new BLACK SABBATH album, or Tommy Clufetos (OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE),who played shows with the band last year, will sit behind the kit when BLACK SABBATH hits the road:

Geezer: "We're not sure yet; we don't know. 'Cause I think Brad's got commitments with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. So it'll probably be either Tommy or Brad, depending on their commitments."

On his plans to release another solo album:

Geezer: "When I finish this cycle for the SABBATH touring and album and everything else, we'll start work on the next GZR album. There's a lot of material written. It's just getting the time to record it. It'll probably be sometime next year."