GEEZER BUTLER Says BLACK SABBATH Calling It Quits Is 'A Natural End To The Band'

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler spoke to Express & Star about the band's decision to call it quits after completing "The End" tour early next month.

"To come back and be friends with my buddies who I started up with all those years ago," Ozzy said, "it's a closure for me to have a chapter of my life which I can say, 'Well, we came, we saw, we had a good time, and now it's over.' And so it's like any relationship. I'm glad we ended up having more or less whatever has gone on between us over the years."

Butler added that the band couldn't carry on for much longer. "So the natural thing to do is to all agree on one last tour," he said. "And we all agreed that there won't be any more SABBATH after this. It's like a natural progression kind of thing; a natural end to the band."

BLACK SABBATH is bringing its storied career to a close in its native England, with seven shows booked there in January and February. The last two, on February 2 and February 4, will take place in SABBATH's hometown of Birmingham and will likely be their final shows.

BLACK SABBATH played its last show ever in the U.S. on November 12 at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The gig took place nearly five years to the day that the legendary act announced their reunion.

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Osbourne on vocals, Butler on bass, Tony Iommi on guitar, and Bill Ward on drums. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the '90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after just a few months. The remaining trio issued the "13" album in 2013 and backed it with a successful world tour — despite Iommi being treated for lymphoma since 2012.