UPDATED: Black Sabbath - Original line-up reform

Metal pioneers Black Sabbath are to reunite in their original line-up, with a tour and possibly even an album will follow.

LATEST UPDATE: Tony Iommi denies confirming 'Sabbath reunion.

UPDATE: Tony Iommi has now confirmed the story to midlands newspaper Birmingham Mail and has also revealed that they're working on new material...

"We're really looking forward to it," Iommi told the paper. "I think the stuff we've been writing is really good. It's more back to the old original stuff."

"It's all been very hush-hush. Ozzy's been the worst at trying to hold it back. He's doing a lot of TV and he's being asked stuff about a reunion and he's going, 'Well, I never say never'…"

In addition, Iommi told the Birmingham Mail's reporter that Ozzy wasn't the only one struggling to keep it quiet.

"I had umpteen number of people on the phone asking if I fancied getting together with a band but I couldn't tell them what I was doing. I just had to say I was busy.''

ORIGINAL POST:

MetalTalk.net report that they have spoken to Bill Ward (drums) and Geezer Butler (bass) and can confirm that, not only have the band reunited with Ozzy Osbourne, they've already begun secret rehearsals in a "secret rehearsal studio", which is probably the best place for that sort of thing.

The news comes following years of speculation, with many fans resigned to the idea that they'd never see another reunion, probably because Butler told them via his official website in February of this year:

"I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumours, that there will be definitely NO reunion of all four original members of Black Sabbath, whether to record an album or to tour."

TG will bring you more news as we have it, but for now enjoy this extremely brilliant Tony Iommi interview, tone tips and more from when the riff lord featured on the cover last December.

Image: © Neal Preston/CORBIS