Black Sabbath will be ending its career in 2016 with a massive tour called The End, as well as a small b-sides EP of the same name to be sold on the tour only. While the band has made it painfully clear that this will absolutely, without a doubt be its last tour, the band never really ruled out another record. Guitarist Tony Iommi said he didn't want to do one because Geezer Butler probably didn't want to do one, and Ozzy wasn't sure if fans wanted one at all.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, but Ozzy and Butler seem to have changed their tone on the possibility of a new record.
Geezer Butler: “…At the time, we were given six months to write and record an album and I said, ‘There’s absolutely no way we can do it in six months.’ Then they came up with, ‘Well, you can do a blues album,’ you know, just eight 12-bar blues songs and that’s it. It’s like, ‘No. This is Black Sabbath. It’s not the Earth blues band anymore.’ It was ridiculous.”
Ozzy Osbourne: “Time ain’t on our side. By the time we’d have written and recorded another album, it would have been another three years. … I’m not saying I’ll never record with Tony or Geezer again, but I don’t think I want to go touring again with Black Sabbath after this.”
Geezer Butler: “There’s nothing stopping us from doing another album after the tour. We just couldn’t possibly spend three years in the studio and then do a final tour. We’ll probably all be dead by then.”
I mean, Sabbath isn't really going back on its word here because the group never collectively said "absolutely not," unlike this coming tour. So maybe we'll hear one more peep from Sabbath sometime 2017 or so? If not, I'm still of the persuasion that 13 was a solid farewell.
