Black Sabbath are rightly enshrined as one of the forefathers of heavy metal. The band’s original line-up – singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward – were responsible for one of the greatest run of albums in music history, stretching from 1970’s self-titled debut to 1975’s Sabotage.
But following 1976’s Technical Ecstasy, the wheels started to wobble on the Sabbath wagon. The band themselves had just emerged from a costly battle with their ex-manager, tax bills were mounting up, their lifestyles were finally catching up with them and record sales were starting to tail off.
