Should BLACK SABBATH Play Its Final Shows Without BILL WARD? MEGADETH, TESTAMENT Members Weigh In

October 23, 2015

In the four-minute clip below, METAL ALLEGIANCE members David Ellefson (also of MEGADETH),Alex Skolnick (also of TESTAMENT),Mark Menghi and Mike Portnoy (ex-DREAM THEATER; also of THE WINERY DOGS) discuss whether BLACK SABBATH should play its final reunion shows without original drummer Bill Ward.

Ward once again insisted in a recent interview that he is quite capable of playing a full concert with the group, despite the bandmembers themselves saying the opposite. Ward stepped away from the SABBATH reunion in early 2012, while the group hinted that he was not in good enough physical shape to either record or tour.

Speaking with Rei Nishimoto of Ghost Cult magazine, Ward said: "I was never in a position where I was never able to drum. It's really sad that those statements made about me that inferred that I wasn't able to drum.

"When I'm in the studio, I can play in the studio. I was laying down tracks. We settled in 2011. By August 2011, I was already training and getting trained. You have to ramp up to go out on tour so that takes a different attitude. I started getting into shape for a tour. Touring is completely different to me than being in the studio. So I was already doing that work."

He reiterated: "Never at any time was my drumming impaired, my health impaired or my ability to play drums. I'm so angry about those suggestions and that was going on."

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne told The Pulse Of Radio during the band's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

Ward was reportedly insulted when SABBATH offered him a contract stipulating that he would only play a portion of the show each night, with another drummer along to take over.

Brad Wilk played drums on SABBATH's latest album, "13", while Tommy Clufetos was behind the kit for the group's world tour.

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