Bill Ward Will Not Play Black Sabbath Reunion Shows, Periphery Reveal Guest Soloists + More

Posted on May 15th 2012 5:40PM by Amy Sciarretto Comments

Kevin Winter

Bill Ward will not be playing with Black Sabbath at all this summer, to be 100 percent clear. The drummer issued a statement about the matter that is quite lengthy. Miscommunication seems to be at the heart of the fact that he will not be participating at a handful of gigs.

He posted: "I sincerely regret to inform you that after a final effort to participate in the upcoming Sabbath shows a failure to agree has continued. At this time I have to inform you that I won't be playing with Black Sabbath at the Birmingham gig dated May 19, 2012, nor will I be playing at Download on June 10, 2012.

Further, I will not be playing at Lollapalooza on August 3, 2012. It is with a very sad heart that I bring you this news. I am sincerely passionate in my desire to play with the band, and I'm very, very sorry that it's fallen to this. This statement is even more painstaking to write, as I was particularly excited to play alongside Tony Iommi after the recent treatments he underwent. I wanted that to become a reality." Read the rest of the statement on his Facebook page, as it is very detailed. [Facebook]

Periphery will release their new album on July 3 and it'll feature Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci dropping a solo. The Faceless' Wes Hauch and The Aristocrats' Guthrie Govan also contribute their own solos. We've heard of multiple vocal guest appearances, but three guest guitarists is rare, not to mention cool. [Guitar World]

Watch Refused Live in Brooklyn, 2012

The Refused reunion continues through the summer. The Swedish punk/hardcore heroes will hit Western Canada in August, stopping in Calgary on Aug. 24; in Edmonton on Aug. 25; and in Vancouver on Aug. 27. [ThePRP]

Our friends at MetalSucks tipped us off to the new song "West Ruth Ave" by The Night Flight Orchestra, a rock band featuring vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid from Soilwork and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo from Arch Enemy. It appears on their album Internal Affairs, which drops June 8. No, it's not like anything you'd expect from these metal masters. The song is available for streaming (and a "Like") via the Coroner Records Facebook page. It's pretty rawkin'! No shrieks. No growls. Just a '70s, cruisin' in a convertible vibe. Did someone put .38 Special on our computer speakers?
[Coroner Records Facebook]

Revocation have been added to Scion Fest. It takes place June 2 in Tampa, Florida. Singer Dave Davidson said, "We are very pleased to be a part of this year's Scion Rock Fest. We can't wait to tear it up and check out all the sick bands that are playing. Floridians, prepare for the onslaught!" [Via Press Release]

Morgoth's first-ever live CD/DVD set Cursed to Live celebrates the band's 20th anniversary of Cursed. Check out this video clip of "Isolated" from the Live at Way of Darkness festival in 2011. [Century Media YouTube]

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