TONY IOMMI Looks Back On 2019: 'It's Been An Interesting Year For Me And BLACK SABBATH'

BLACK SABBATH guitar legend Tony Iommi has posted his annual end-of-year/holiday greeting video in which he looked back on some of the highlights of 2019.

He said: "Hello, here we are again. Another Christmas. And here I am, wearing a BLACK SABBATH Christmas sweater. How about that?

"Well, it's been an interesting year for me and SABBATH. We started off at the beginning of the year getting a Grammy award, a 'Lifetime Achievement' award, which is brilliant — I mean, it's really great; it's the highest award you can have, Grammy-wise. And then, a few months afterwards, or a month afterwards, I went to Armenia with Ian Gillan [of DEEP PURPLE] for the 30th anniversary of the Rock Aid Armenia, which was fabulous. We had a great time there. We went to visit the school that we built, and that was lovely. And see all the kids and see all the people. They looked after us amazingly. That was so nice. And then, just recently, I went to Nashville, to the Gibson factory. I was invited there by the new owners, who, I've gotta tell you, are great. And they're so enthusiastic — lovely people. And I went around the factory and met all the people that work there, and they're so dedicated to what they do — all of them there now. And the Gibson product is lifted a million times, I tell you. They're so good, and wanna do the best, which is great for guitar players. So, that was lovely.

"But, anyway, I'm here to wish you a very merry Christmas and a really happy new year. Have a great year, and I'll look forward to seeing you next year."

In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

SABBATH wrote and recorded its 2013 reunion album, "13", and toured it all over the world while Iommi was going through treatment for his illness, with the guitarist having to fly back to England every six weeks.

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. 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 a few months over financial issues. SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on "13", which came out in June 2013.

This past June, Butler told Classic Rock magazine that he wasn't opposed to a a one-off BLACK SABBATH reunion. "If it came up, I wouldn't say never," the bassist said. "I can't imagine it ever happening, but then I said that about the SABBATH tour, and it happened, so who am I to know?"

Butler went on to say that he is still in contact with Iommi, but he has not spoken to Osbourne.

"I haven't seen Ozzy at all," Geezer said. "I've seen Tony and Bill at a couple of awards things we've done, and me and Tony stay in touch through e-mails, but that's about it. But it's good between us. It's like having brothers. You don't have to be in touch."