Former BLACK SABBATH vocalist TONY MARTIN is featured in a new interview with Richard Warrell at Born Music Online. An excerpt from Part 1 is available below. Martin discusses his upcoming one-off show at the Asylum (debut UK solo show, only show of the year), his backing band (featuring current/former members of VENOM, HAMMERFALL and Black Sabbath), his time in Black Sabbath and the recent reunion including the controversy surrounding drummer Bill Ward:

BMO: The recent Black Sabbath reunion has generated a lot of press recently. Has that created any interest in your period in the band, is your upcoming show an attempt to capitalise on that?

Martin: "I kinda got cut out of the whole Sabbath picture…the most recent reissue is Eternal Idol and I didn’t help write it as I came in late in the process. There was some rumour of my albums – Headless Cross onwards – getting put out but I can’t see them doing it to be honest. With Tony’s illness they’ll be doing less work than usual and it won’t be a priority. I just know at the moment I’m being really cut out of it…someone recently blocked me from using Headless Cross on my website. They said I didn’t have the rights which isn’t true – I receive royalties from Warner Brothers and everything.

I don’t follow it as a rule, I’ve got my own life to lead. You can’t live in the past, you’ve got to move on, and I did. I’m a very different person and musician now."

BMO: There has been lots of chatter about the band leaving Bill Ward out of this reunion. As a man who was part of the band, what is your take on this?

Martin: "I never got the fuss with this Bill Ward stuff. I spent ten years with the band and not once did they speak badly of Bill Ward. They love him, so why didn’t they go the extra yard to make it work? They’ve got nothing bad to say about him, or at least I never heard it. It sounds a bit like a publicity stunt to me – like they’re keeping him for the 'real' reunion in a year’s time, so they can do the reunion stuff all over again."

BMO: Maybe he’s just not up to going on the road again after so long?

Martin: "It really doesn’t matter because he was the original drummer, and they’re among the few bands that age who are still all alive. They’ve got enough money to do anything…I don’t get why they wouldn’t go that extra bit and help him out if they have to hire a backup drummer or something.

You kinda have to read between the lines with Black Sabbath. They never speak to you directly – its either done behind your back or through other people. Not in a mean sorta way, its just their way…it's a pain and you often miss the plot a bit. I do kinda feel where Bill’s at and we always got on quite well."

Go to this location for the complete interview.