A whole new generation could have experienced the brilliance that was Black Sabbath, but apparently greed has got in the way.  After being presented with what he termed an "unsignable" contract, Bill Ward has finally called an end to any possibility of joining the band for any of the current dates.  The announcement was made on Ward's official site, some of which I'll bring you after the jump.

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Here's the beginning of Ward's announcement from his site:

 

Dear Sabbath Fans and Fellow Musicians,

 

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 19th, 2012, nor will I be playing at Download on June 10th, 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.

 

The letter goes on to describe the fans demands to have him back and various attempts including an offer for him to play a free gig to 'see how it goes".

No one has stated publicly why Bill considers the contract "unsignable", but there can only be one thing and that would be disproportionate pay.  The thought is that some of the players may be receiving more than others while Ward wants to go back to the four guys=four ways split a band would have.  I myself would have to go with Ward on this one.  Think of "War Pigs" for example, can you even hear that song in your head with out the KILLER drum breaks?  I doubt any of this will even matter to us, all Black Sabbath dates appear to be out of our area, it just sucks that this stellar drummer isn't getting a final moment in the sun.  My advice? Skip the shows and download the "We Sold Out Souls For Rock And Roll" collection, "Paranoid" or "Master of Reality".

If you have any doubt about Ward's skills, check him beating the hell out of this tiny drum kit...also, check out Ozzy before he was a goofy bastard:

 

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