But he admits it’s “not the same” without the original drummer’s presence.
The band announced Osbourne’s return for latest album 13 in 2011. Months later, Ward confirmed he wouldn’t be taking part, saying he hadn’t been offered a contract he regarded as “signable.”
Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Osbourne recorded 13 with Rage Against The Machine sticksman Brad Wilk, and they’re currently touring with Tommy Clufetos behind the kit.
Osbourne tells the New York Daily News of Ward: “I don’t think he could have done the gig, to be honest. He’s incredibly overweight.
“A drummer has to be in shape. He’s already had two heart attacks – I don’t want to be responsible for his life.”
But he repeats his assertion that Ward could still return, saying: “The door is always open” – and adding: “It’s not the same.”
Sabbath have enjoyed their first worldwide number-one album with 13. Osbourne reflects: “We were four local kids that played in a jazz-blues band. Someone went to a movie theatre and said, ‘Isn’t it strange that people pay money to have the shit scared out of them?’
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we scare people with music?’ Then Tony came up with those demonic riffs. We didn’t know what we’d created.”
source: classicrockmagazine.com