GEEZER BUTLER - "I'd Still Like To Carry On With Tony And Vinnie Doing Something, But It Won't Be As HEAVEN & HELL"
August 22, 2010, 14 years ago
Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL) recently spoke with Keth Carman at Exclaim.ca about the passing of Ronnie James Dio and future plans. An excerpt from the story is available below:
The passing of Ronnie James Dio in May was a sad moment for the world of aggressive music. Revered for being the one-time vocalist for Black Sabbath, his eponymous '80s brigade and his Sabbath reunion under the Heaven & Hell moniker, he put an indelible stamp on the world of metal. But as his longtime friend and Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell colleague Geezer Butler recently explained in an Exclaim! interview, Dio’s death has left many close to him in a state of both personal and professional turmoil.
"We're all just on hold since Ronnie passed away," reveals Butler (aka Terence Michael Joseph Butler). "We did a tribute concert for his cancer fund a bit ago and that's about it. We're just wondering what to do next."Even some three months after Dio's passing, Butler seems in deep shock as to the loss. It's no wonder, since early reports issued via Dio's camp revealed that while he was suffering from stomach cancer, his condition appeared to be improving. As we know now, though, it quickly deteriorated.
"Everything was going so well and then that happened," he continues. "It was one of those things when he was responding really well to treatment and everyone was feeling positive again. The tour was going ahead again and Ronnie felt up for it [and] was looking forward to the tour. About six weeks before that, it came back with a vengeance and hit him really hard."Thrown into a state of turmoil, Butler admits that Heaven & Hell are no more and the future of Sabbath continues to remain uncertain.
"It's really difficult because it's obviously never happened to us before. It's difficult to know what to do, especially at our age. We're not sure. Do we start all over again? We're just gonna see how it goes. That's the thing. He's a very close friend of of mine, as well as someone I work with. It's a big part of my life gone. [Are we] getting a singer in and that kind of thing? ... It'll sort itself out eventually, I suppose [but] Heaven & Hell is finished. It could only ever be with Ronnie. I'd still like to carry on with Tony and Vinnie doing something, but it won't be as Heaven & Hell."Go to this location for the complete story.
