Black Sabbath Album Won't Feature Bill Ward

Black Sabbath’s new album won’t feature the band’s original drummer Bill Ward, Tony Iommi has confirmed.

Speaking at a Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund event in Los Angeles, the 64-year-old guitar legend revealed that Ward is definitely not taking part in the record.

Iommi told Blairing Out: "We'll always have a heart for Bill, but I think it's gone past that now, because it's gone on so long I don't see that happening at the moment."

Almost exactly a year ago, Bill Ward was at the Hollywood press conference when Sabbath announced their new album plans and scheduled Download Festival 2012 slot.

However, months before their live shows Bill Ward pulled out of the reunion citing a contract dispute.

Bill said at the time in a lengthy statement: "I can't help feeling some resentment towards the failure to reach an agreement, the failure to remember where we came from, the failure to be as brothers, as we once were.”

He added: "To be clear, I'm not blaming the other guys or finding any faults with them. I would think it can't be easy for them either, but this situation is just really sad."

The remaining Sabbath members – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler – have written 15 songs together in the studio and have recorded six of them.

Tentatively set for release in April 2013, the album will be their first together since 1978’s ‘Never Say Die’.