This still blows me away -- the drums on the new Black Sabbath album, 13, were played by Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine/ Audioslave.
The whole thing has been very tight-lipped, but I just read this in an interview with Geezer Butler:
On having RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk play on the new BLACK SABBATH album:
Butler: "That was [producer] Rick Rubin's idea, 'cause he wanted to have… He didn't want a typical heavy metal drummer on the album, 'cause it's not really a heavy metal album; it's more of a rock… heavy rock. And Rick Rubin suggested having Brad, 'cause he's more in the vein of [original BLACK SABBATH drummer] Bill Ward. So we jammed with him and he sounded great with the stuff, so we went with that … It's sort of back to the way we used to be in the '70s; that's his feel — sort of a jazzy, bluesy feel to him, and that's the way the music is now. It was great working with him."
Once I got over the shell shock, I can totally see this. So much of rock drumming nowadays has that heavy handedness to it without the subtlety and swing, but Brad does have that (and we haven't heard him play anything new in years!). This could sound really cool!
I'm certainly in the "No Bill Ward = no Black Sabbath" camp, but am I curious to hear it? Sure.
Originally Posted by vanlatte
Potts wrote:
I get "it" but I don't agree with the Bill Ward = No Black Sabbath line of thinking. Lets be realistic from a non-musician point of view, Sabbath is all about Iommi, Ozzy and riffs.
Welcome to the Drum Forum, man. 
I'll politely disagree. I think a large element of Sabbath's sound comes from how the drums have a lighter and more fluid feel than many of the rock/ metal counterparts of the day. I mean, heck, Bill Ward was a lighter hitter than John Bonham and Ian Paice... yet Sabbath is heavier.
But of course, I'm a drummer, so I'll hear it differently. Though I think most non-musicians, as you said, will think about riffs and Ozzy's voice, if we put in the drummer from some modern rock band, it will sound decidedly non-Black Sabbath since the feel is so different.
But just my opinion!
SYMBOLIC wrote:What happened to Bill Ward?
There was a much-publicized "disagreement" between Ward and the Sabbath camp/ management where Bill felt he wasn't being offered fair compensation. So in short, money... no idea what the back and forth literally entailed, but he basically spelled out that he thought the offer was insulting.
Very bummer - his playing is a huge element to their sound and what I enjoy, but he's a man with strong convictions, and who knows where the dollar sign lay.
In the end, the fans lose.
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