Heavy Metal Heroes Hate Fest

The net is abuzz with the Bill Ward and Black Sabbath debacle. I am absolutely flabbergasted that things have come to this. The principals in this story are acting like children and it really bothers me.  Emotionally invested Sabbath fans have taken a few hits. Band issues and the TV show and Tony Iommi and lymphoma and, of course, Dio’s death. For this to happen so near that anniversary, although it is likely a coincidence, makes it a little more bothersome.

Click through for the rest of the rant

Can I just say something obvious? This isn’t how metal is supposed to be. Metal is hardcore and in your face. Metal doesn’t hire lawyers and fight it out in court. Metal breaks a freaking pool cue over your head takes your girl and does your mom. This is the equivalent of watching the Brady Bunch girls joining the Bad Girls Club, skirts up, tits out and kissing each other in Cabo. Does that make any sense? No, though it might be more fun to watch than this petty attempt by the corporate owners of Sabbath to sabotage the past.

History belongs to the victor. Down through the ages, winners of wars have tried to cover up the past, change the way things happened, hide the truth. It makes sense if you are a Mongol horde without an internet, perhaps, but if you manage to buy out a super group with millions of  fans with computers and iphones you are in for a surprise.

I’d really like to see this whole fight taken to the reality TV show forum and lets let the principals slug it out in a mosh pit and to the victor goes the spoils.

Until that happens I heartily reccommend a Sabbath Boycott. Don’t watch, don’t listen, hang the T-shirt up (you might want to wash that one dude, just sayin’), don’t buy tickets, don’t buy CDs, don’t watch the reruns. Give them nothing.

Why am I so angry? Let me fill you in on the gory details. Our friends over at metaltalk.net have some inside info and also, unlike some other metalheads, they have the balls to tell the truth. Think about that. They are a website dedicated to metal. They require the cooperation of the metal bands, venues, festivals and the like to fullfull their mission, bringing you the best in metal news. To that end, many similar sites chose to not fully cover this story, even when pictures of Bill Ward started disappearing off the Sabbath website. It was the line in the sand for Steve Goldby, Editor at metaltalk.net, and they served up the truth. They were lambasted by their peers…

“Concert ticket - check. Train fare - check. Beer/food/merchandise money - check. Everything is in place and we were ready to go and witness an historic moment in Heavy Metal history, the reformation of the original line-up of the founding fathers. And then it all went horribly, horribly wrong…

“This one was very close to our hearts as we broke the original reformation story and also broke the story that Sharon Osbourne had fired Bill Ward and broke the news that Tommy Clufetos was to replace Bill. We were ridiculed for all three stories and one particular Metal website even directed the worst kind of foul mouthed insults and abuse at us. “

Ok, that’s a little more metal, dirty words and stuff…

Why am I ranting? I’m pissed. Heroes are acting like kids, metalheads are negotiating about merch and ticket money, metal mags are not covering the story, poor Bill is being exorcised from Black Sabbath history and no one is kicking anyone’s ass. That ain’t metal. Horns up people, this is bullshit the tiny brains in charge of rock and roll history are trying to revise our youth, taking away pictures of a guy that helped make them who they are. This sounds more like politicians in suits, not tattooed hairy dudes in leather and boots. The world is upside down.

I’m writing all of this so you will go read the real story from industry insiders and our friends from over the pond. They get at the truth and despense it accordingly. So do me a favor go read this and make up your own mind about the boycott: http://metaltalk.net/columns/20100134.php

To donate to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, click here.