Classic Rock Special – The Complete Story of Ozzy Black Sabbath – 2nd Edition – 16 July 2026

Summary

132 pages of music, madness and metal from the makers of Classic Rock and Metal Hammer: the 16 July 2026 2nd Edition of Classic Rock Special – The Complete Story of Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath tracks every chapter from the 1970 debut album that birthed heavy metal through to the band's final farewell at Villa Park on 5 July 2025. Editor Dave Everley frames the story around that single epochal chord — the rain, the thunder, the tolling bell that announced not an ending but the beginning of an entire genre — and then hands the mic to the men who made it: Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, all speaking at length across 18 feature chapters.

Inside, the album-by-album deep dive covers Black Sabbath (released 13 February 1970), Paranoid, Master Of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage and the reunion album 13, each told by the people who were in the room. A dedicated Ozzy Osbourne interview (page 24) touches on drugs, George W. Bush and the bat incident; Tony Iommi (page 54) reflects on forging the sound of heavy metal; Geezer Butler (page 74) opens up as Sabbath's bassist, lyricist and chief Aston Villa fanatic; Bill Ward (page 100) provides the heartbeat. The Final Interview (page 104) captures all four original members looking back ahead of Back To The Beginning. The Godfather Of Heavy Metal (page 124) pays final respects to Ozzy. Rock and metal's biggest stars choose the ultimate Ozzy and Sabbath soundtrack on page 116.

Regular features include a full discography guide across the solo years — Blizzard Of Ozz, the Randy Rhoads era, No More Tears — and the Dio-fronted Heaven And Hell chapter. Readers get the full arc from the 1968 formation through the 2025 farewell, with production credits, session details and the kind of backstage gossip that only 50-plus years of archive interviews can supply. Whether you need the Paranoid track notes or the story behind the bat, this is the single-volume reference.

Editor's Take

This is the definitive Ozzy and Sabbath obituary package, and it earns the title. The strongest sections are the album-by-album oral histories, which combine fresh context with vintage quotes from the four originals. The Final Interview genuinely feels like a last sit-down. The weakest element is the unavoidable repetition — the bat story appears three times across different chapters, and the "haters proved wrong" arc for Paranoid mirrors the one for 13. The solo-years section leans heavily on already-published material. This is for completists who want one shelf-ready volume, not for casual fans needing only the greatest hits.

Strengths
• 18 album-by-album oral histories with original members
• Unmatched archival interview material across 132 pages
• The Final Interview and farewell coverage are genuinely moving

Weaknesses
• Key anecdotes (bat, Bush, departures) repeated across chapters
• Solo-years section draws heavily on previously published work

Verdict: Essential — The single most complete Ozzy and Black Sabbath retrospective available, built from five decades of primary-source interviews.