CARMINE APPICE Argues BLACK SABBATH Isn't A Heavy Metal Band: 'They're Heavy Hard Rock'

Legendary drummer Carmine Appice was recently interviewed on "The Adventures Of Pipeman", which airs on W4CY Radio. When host The Pipeman noted that bands like QUIET RIOT weren't considered real heavy metal back in the early 1980s at the start of the thrash metal movement with bands like METALLICA and SLAYER, Carmine concurred. "Even SLAYER. They weren't that buzzsaw guitar back in the day," Appice said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "All those bands. BIOHAZARD. I mean, all those bands — they were hard rock. And then as the, per se, metal movement moved on and everybody started having that buzzsaw, METALLICA kind of buzzsaw guitars and fast bass drums like Lars [Ulrich]. And I think that's where it all started. All that stuff that's going on today started with METALLICA — in my eyes. I mean, I [could] be wrong. But for me, and all the stuff before that, including BLACK SABBATH, was hard rock. I mean, BLACK SABBATH was just, to me, like another LED ZEPPELIN coming out of Birmingham. I mean, we played gigs with BLACK SABBATH back in the day when they first came out with CACTUS… We were rock blues and so was BLACK SABBATH. I mean, 'Paranoid', to me, back in the day was like a 'Communication Breakdown' [LED ZEPPELIN] kind of thing. And then as it went along and went along, I mean, their sound got thicker, but it still didn't have that buzzsaw sound. That's my own opinion. Everybody says SABBATH is heavy — they're heavy hard rock."

Last year, Carmine confirmed to Ultimate Guitar that BLACK SABBATH offered him the drummer position in the band before his brother Vinny landed the gig. "They wanted me, but at the time, I was playing with Rod [Stewart], and we were playing 20,000-seat gigs," he said. "So, my publicist who worked for Warner Brothers, which was the label SABBATH was on, said to me, 'Carmine, SABBATH is looking for a drummer. Would you consider it?' But at the time, SABBATH was not doing well, and they couldn't even sell out one night at the same places Rod was selling out six nights at. So, for me, black sabbath was a much smaller gig. And with Rod, I had a percentage of the take, so that was good for me, too. So, at that point, I felt like SABBATH wasn't a good gig for me, and I told my publicist I wasn't interested. Now, from there, they listened to my brother's album he did with Rick Derringer, and they loved his sound. So, connections were made, and when Tony Iommi met with Vinny, he said he was listening to that album constantly. In the end, it was good that Vinny got the gig because that started his career. Even though he had played with Rick Derringer, for Vinny, that was an important gig, and it gave him a huge leg up."

Asked what he might have brought to the table that differed from Vinny if he had taken the gig, Carmine said: "I might have brought some different drum sounds; I might have some songwriting stuff. In pretty much every band that I was with, I ended up getting involved with the songwriting, not only the drums. There are some similarities between my style and my brothers, but I think there are a lot of differences, too. It's known that I was an influence on Vinny, but he does his own thing. He hits the hell out of the drums, but then again, so do I. [Laughs]"

Appice is the original drummer of VANILLA FUDGE, with whom he still records and performs today. He has also played with CACTUS and BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, in addition to spending stints in the bands of Ozzy Osbourne and Rod Stewart, co-writing the latter's No. 1 hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"Carmine was named the 28th greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Appice is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished showmen in rock and is the recipient of numerous awards, including dozens of gold- and platinum-selling records. Carmine has broken new ground in every aspect of his career as a performer, as a teacher, and as a writer, and he continues to inspire drummers and listeners throughout the world with his originality and his unwavering dedication to the art of drumming.

Carmine's autobiography, "Stick It!: My Life Of Sex, Drums, And Rock 'N' Roll", was released in May 2016 by Chicago Review Press.

Under the moniker APPICE, Carmine and his brother Vinny released "Sinister", their first joint studio album, in October 2017 through SPV/Steamhammer.