Black Sabbath Respond to Bill Ward’s ‘Final Effort’ Statement

Black Sabbath have released a brief statement in response to Bill Ward’s lengthy statement from earlier in the week. In his lengthy screed, the band’s original drummer declaring that his “final effort” to reach an agreement that would enable him to join the band’s upcoming reunion shows had failed.

Obviously and wisely deciding that they wouldn’t be able to match Ward word-for-word, the other three members of Black Sabbath — Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler — have gone the minimalist route, reminding everyone that there are two sides to every story, reporting that they have indeed found a replacement drummer (our money’s on Ozzy’s current drummer, Tommy Clufetos) and that they’ll see their fans out on tour. You can read their full statement below:

We have decided not to make any detailed comment on Bill’s latest statement. There are two sides to every story. We have been working hard at rehearsals making excellent progress after Tony’s treatments and we have engaged a substitute drummer for the forthcoming shows. See you at Download.

–Black Sabbath, 5/17/12