According to U.K.'s The People, BLACK SABBATH's planned world tour and festival appearances are expected to earn the musicians in excess of £100 million (around $159 million), meaning each member of the band could take home up to £25 million (approximately $40 million).
The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH has reunited and is recording its first album in 33 years, to be followed by a tour in 2012. Singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward confirmed the news on Friday morning (November 11) during an event at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, where the British band made its live debut on the exact same date in 1970, 41 years ago.
The quartet, largely considered the fathers of modern heavy metal, were joined at the event by producer Rick Rubin, who will produce the first collection of all-new material from the original group since 1978's "Never Say Die!"
SABBATH has signed a new deal with Vertigo Records, the band's original label, with distribution through Universal Republic in the U.S.
The new album is yet to be titled and will be released next fall. It will be the founding lineup's ninth studio set.
The band did attempt to record a new disc in 1998, but abandoned the attempt and released only two songs as part of a concert album called "Reunion".
BLACK SABBATH will headline the U.K,'s Download festival on June 10, with the album release to be followed by a worldwide headlining arena tour.
Following a reunion tour in 1998, SABBATH reunited sporadically in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005 for live dates. The foursome last appeared together at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006.
At their long-overdue induction, Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne spoke about the respect that SABBATH had earned over the years. "For a while, nobody would take us seriously," Iommi said. "But as we went on, the more we carried on, the more we proved, the more we stayed there, you know? And I think we got the respect from that." Ozzy added, "I never thought anybody liked us, and people on the Ozzfest would come to me and go, 'You were really one of our inspirations.' And I didn't really, I didn't believe it, you know?"
Photo below courtesy of Black-Sabbath.com
