Black Sabbath plan another new album, want Bill Ward back

The reunited Black Sabbath are planning to record and release another album following the success of 13, which has topped the charts around the world - and they are hoping former drummer Bill Ward will join them in the studio.

Ward pulled out of the get together last year (12), citing contractual issues, and he was replaced by Rage Against the Machine star Brad Wilk.

His former bandmates are now keen for him to reconsider his decision not to be a part of the reunion, and despite confessing fears Ward might struggle as Sabbath's drummer, frontman Ozzy Osbourne admits he would welcome his old pal with open arms.

He tells ThePulseOfRadio.com, "We would have loved to have Bill on this album. Maybe we can work things out by the next one... Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper. I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

However, Osbourne insists Ward won't have too long to mull over a return, because the band want to get started on a new album as soon as possible: "It won't take another 35 years. I'm 65 now. There's no f**king recording studios in the afterlife."