Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi revealed that he turned down producer Andrew Watt’s offer to record a final Black Sabbath album with the band’s original lineup as a follow-up to 2013’s 13 LP. He explained that he did not think another album was necessary.
“I’d met Andrew Watt when he was producing Ozzy. He was very keen and a bit too excited. He also didn’t know what it was like working with the original Sabbath, working with Bill [drummer Bill Ward]. Also, we’d done 13, and I didn’t like the idea of: ‘Now here’s another album,’” Iommi said.
Watt’s proposed project came after he had established a close creative relationship with Osbourne through several recent solo releases.
Watt produced Osbourne’s 2020 album Ordinary Man with Louis Bell. Watt then returned as producer for Osbourne’s 2022 follow-up, Patient Number 9.
Iommi’s hesitation also reflected the circumstances surrounding 13. Rick Rubin produced the record, which featured Ozzy Osbourne, Iommi and Geezer Butler. Brad Wilk played drums on the album instead of Bill Ward.
Despite the lineup change, 13 became a major commercial success for Black Sabbath. The album reached No. 1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom, giving the band its first U.S. chart-topping album.
The original lineup eventually reunited for one final performance at the “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5, 2025. Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward performed together for the first time in two decades.
Osbourne had previously addressed concerns about his health and confirmed that he intended to appear at the concert. “I’ll be there,” he told The Guardian. The show became his final live performance before his death on July 22, 2025.
