As Music Feeds reported back in June, the mostly reformed Black Sabbath have been working away on what will be the band’s first record to include Ozzy Osbourne since Never Say Die! in 1978. Having written 15 new songs for the upcoming album, a new report from Metal Injection reveals that 12 tracks will make the LP, while the remaining three will exist as bonus tracks, according to Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler.
Of those 15 tracks, one of the titles has been revealed as God Is Dead, which, as noted by Ultimate Classic Rock, follows in the tradition of less-than-positive song names from Sabbath such as War Pigs and Children of the Grave. Loudwire reports that Ozzy is currently working on vocals with producer Rick Rubin at Shangri La Studios in Malibu, California. Apparently the singer and producer are working on songs in groups of five, with the first lot currently underway.
Ultimate Classic Rock states that Sabbath axeman Tony Iomni already completed all the guitar tracks in England earlier in 2012. With Butler currently recording bass overdubs with Ozzy and Rubin, Ultimate Classic Rock presumes basic drum tracks must be completed, meaning it’s increasingly unlikely that original drummer Bill Ward will rejoin the fold (due to contract disputes).
As for when fans can expect the new Black Sabbath record, Ozzy has previously stated that next year is a safe bet, and it will also have something to do with the album title.
“Next year – 2013 – is a good clue of what we’ll call the album.”, Ozzy told NME
