Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward estimates that 15 to 20 other musicians will appear on his upcoming solo album, said in an interview with Metal Express Radio.
The Black Sabbath drummer discussed how he works with guest musicians on the record. He explained his approach to selecting players and bringing them into the creative process.
“On this new album that we’re trying to bring out, I think we’ve got at least 15 to 20 other musicians that are guests or they are interacting with the music,” Ward said. “And it’s fine for me to do that because I’m used to interacting with musicians.”
He described his method for developing songs with collaborators. “And so I have the same thing when I’m writing. If I’ve got a part, then I’ll bring it to whoever I’m working with, guitar players or bass players, show them the ideas, and we put it together, and it seems to work out.”
Ward explained that he does not use the same bass player for every track. “I don’t necessarily use one bass player because I like to pick a bass player that will work for the song. So I listen very carefully to the song, and then it’s, like, ‘Okay, well, who would probably suit this best?'”
He also provided a timeline for finishing the record. “We are mastering a new record next month. And we are shopping this year, and so hopefully we can get this record out to the public.”
The comments were made as Ward works toward completing and releasing his solo album.
Ward’s new solo album will be his first solo material in 10 years, following his 2015 record Accountable Beasts. Over the last five years, he has been recording two or three other albums, creating a substantial backlog of unreleased music. The album currently being mastered contains about 18 tracks.
Among the guest musicians contributing to the project is former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, who plays on one particular track. Ward described certain drumming parts that Lombardo could play better than he could himself. Ward also plays the piano and bass guitar on the records, performing drums on approximately 80 percent of all the records he is making.
Ward’s collaborative approach extends beyond his current solo work. Over a decade ago, he formed a three-piece band called Day of Errors with Joe Amodea on guitar and vocals and Nick Diltz on bass and lead vocals, with Diltz later replaced by Kill Devil Hill singer Jason “Dewey” Bragg. Ward said he would like to release Day of Errors material at some point, noting there is a lot of music from that album that has not come out.
