Is '13' The Last BLACK SABBATH Album?

The long wait ends on Tuesday (June 11) when three members of the original BLACK SABBATH, minus drummer Bill Ward, release "13", their first studio album together in 35 years. Singer Ozzy Osbourne told The Pulse Of Radio that he feels his first SABBATH album since 1978's "Never Say Die!" is a perfect bookend to the band's career, whether it's the last thing they ever do or not. "I never felt that 'Never Say Die!' was the finished album of the SABBATH run," he said. "And, for whatever reason, if we don't do another studio album, I think this one will round it off. I mean, this is where I would have liked to have been at the end of SABBATH, my days with SABBATH. But you know, life has a funny way of twisting things around, and if we do do another album, it'd be great, but if we don't, this will be a nice way to round it up. The only sad thing is that Bill never played on it."

Is it possible that SABBATH will do just one album after all this time? Bassist Geezer Butler told Billboard that he was glad that he, Ozzy and guitarist Tony Iommi "were able to come together and do one final album," although he added, "Well, I guess you should never say never. It could be, though. We'll see how this album goes, see what happens."

Ozzy said in the same interview, "Let's put it this way, it's taken us 35 years to do this one. So if there's gonna be (another) album there's gonna be an album but I don't want to say if there's going to be a follow-up. I wouldn't mind doing another SABBATH album with them, though."

Brad Wilk of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE played drums on the new disc with Ward sitting it out due to a contract dispute. Ozzy's solo drummer Tommy Clufetos is behind the kit for live work.

Although "God Is Dead?" is the first song that most fans have heard so far from the disc, Butler said SABBATH will play "three or four" new ones on its upcoming North American tour, which begins on July 25 in The Woodlands, Texas.