Black Sabbath

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BBC vinyl auction

The BBC is selling off rare Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, The Beatles and er, Bathory albums from its Gramophone Library if you want to expand your vinyl collection

By Paul Brannigan published

The BBC are to auction off a staggering 285,000 vinyl records over the next year-and-a-half, starting from January 30

Brian May and Tony Iommi jamming

"It's basic. It's not technical by any means": Watch Brian May solo while Tony Iommi plays the riff from Paranoid

By Fraser Lewry published

Queen's Brian May "commits sacrilege" by playing a solo over the top of the riff of Black Sabbath's Paranoid

Photos of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Nightwish, Slipknot and Killswitch Engage performing live

“Kirk Hammett said, ‘Ah, Cannibal Corpse – that’s an interesting name!’” 20 legendary metal bands remember their first shows

By Matt Mills published

Everybody starts somewhere! Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slipknot and more remember their first times onstage.

Tony Iommi

"I am writing... and it's sounding really good": Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi looks back on a "fun" 2023, and promises long-awaited box set release plus new music

By Paul Brannigan published

You'll be hearing more from heavy metal's greatest ever riff writer this year

The band Dio pose in 1983

"It was a very magical time. The right people came together at the right moment": Ronnie James Dio's track-by-track guide to Dio's classic Holy Diver

By Geoff Barton published

Many believed Ronnie James Dio was finished when he quit Black Sabbath, but he proved the doubters wrong with an all-time classic

Glenn Hughes

“I’m so fortunate not to have died. I’ve overdosed, been pistol-whipped, shot at, stabbed, run over in a car... and I’m still here”: Glenn Hughes, The Voice of Rock, has lived the lives of 10 men, and he's not finished yet

By Paul Brannigan published

Glenn Hughes, The Voice of Rock, looks back upon a lifetime of fabulous, and sometimes terrifying, rock 'n' roll adventures

Ozzy Osbourne performing live

Ozzy slams clickbait death hoax video: "I'm not dead. I'm not going any-f***ing-where."

By Stef Lach published

Black Sabbath icon Ozzy Osbourne gives his take on internet death hoaxes – and reiterates desire to return to the stage

Ozzy Osbourne (inset) and Noddy Holder

"He used to do it all the time": Noddy Holder reckons Ozzy Osbourne started the tradition of shaving a sleeping drunk's eyebrows

By Fraser Lewry published

Slade's Noddy Holder looks back fondly on some Ozzy Osbourne-related shenanigans

Black Sabbath sat on a bench in 1970

“Everybody thought they were gonna get blown to bits!” The track-by-track guide to Black Sabbath’s Paranoid

By Joe Daly published

From War Pigs to Fairies Wear Boots, this is everything you need to know about each song on Black Sabbath’s chart-topper

Ozzy Osbourne

"I’ve never felt comfortable about that title" Ozzy Osbourne explains why he doesn't like being called metal

By Merlin Alderslade published

The Godfather of metal would rather you didn't call him that, actually

Queen Of The Damned poster, Iron Maiden Somewhere Back In Time art and Metal For Muthas art

The 10 greatest compilation albums in heavy metal history

By Will Marshall published

From greatest hits to rarity-stacked soundtracks, these are the best compilations in the history of heaviness

Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs onstage

“I don’t mean to be arrogant, but we had the goods. We knew what we were doing”: how Bad Company hit the bullseye with their classic second album Straight Shooter

By Jon Hotten published

Bad Company’s second album, Straight Shooter, was the one that sealed their superstardom

Lemmy of Motorhead onstage in 1981

“Black Sabbath are afraid of us blowing them offstage. I’d feel the same in their position”: Lemmy, Ozzy and the story of legendary 80s rock festival the Heavy Metal Holocaust

By Dave Ling published

In August 1981, 40,000 rabid fans descended on an English football ground to watch Motörhead headline the Heavy Metal Holocaust. And it got chaotic

Photos of Serj Tankian and Tony Iommi performing onstage

System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian and Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi have teamed up for a brand new single, Deconstruction

By Matt Mills published

System Of A Down’s singer and Black Sabbath’s guitarist collaborated with Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian to release a brand new song for charity

Lzzy Hale Halestorm

Lzzy Hale: 10 records that changed my life

By Liz Scarlett published

Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale talks the albums that changed her life, from Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper to Sevendust and Disturbed

Green Lung standing in front of a large rock

"We haven’t had to take the devil's bargain just yet": meet Green Lung, the occult rockers who've stumbled on a formula for infernal success

By Rich Hobson published

Green Lung's horror theatricality and Zeppelin-style folk diversify the doom diet beyond Black Sabbath alone

Ozzy Osbourne

"I won't go on stage until I've slaughtered 15 puppy dogs": Ozzy Osbourne on the most ridiculous rumour he's heard about himself

By Liz Scarlett published

The Prince of Darkness says his bloodthirsty reputation once got him stopped from entering a circus because the performers thought he would try to kill the lions

Gene Simmons and Geezer Butler circa 1974

"Our intention was to go out on stage and destroy all living things": How Gene Simmons intimidated Geezer Butler when Kiss supported Black Sabbath

By Paul Elliott published

Kiss supported Black Sabbath for three dates on the Sabotage tour, and Gene Simmons remembers it well

Ozzy Osbourne lifting Randy Rhoads on his shoulder onstage in 1982

Ozzy Osbourne ponders making new music with A.I. Randy Rhoads riffs: “I’m open for anything, if it was good quality.”

By Matt Mills published

The Prince Of Darkness says he’s “open” to using A.I. riffs based on recordings by his late guitarist Randy Rhoads

Ozzy Osbourne on Lodge Street, Aston, in 1995

In 1995 Ozzy Osbourne revisited his old school in Birmingham: The kids didn't know who he was

By Fraser Lewry published

In which Ozzy Osbourne shows the BBC the band name he carved into the brickwork outside his childhood home