Producer Andrew Watt recently explained why Black Sabbath never recorded another album with Ozzy Osbourne. He said one member ultimately blocked the project from moving forward. Watt made the comments in a recent interview shared on Lipps Service.
Watt described how Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler were all on board for a new Sabbath record. Bill Ward’s involvement, however, became the deciding factor. Watt was asked whether there was ever talk of another Sabbath record and whether it came close to happening. He then walked through how the plans unfolded.
“So what happened there was we had made these two Ozzy albums, and Ozzy wanted to keep making another album,” Watt said. “Didn’t want to do exactly the same thing that we had done before, so he was into the idea of doing a Sabbath album.”
“So Sharon and him said I had to call and talk to each guy and see if they were into it,” he continued. “So I called Tony, talked to him, and he said he was into it as long as Bill was there. That was everyone’s thing. Ozzy was like, ‘If Bill does it, we’ll do it.’ And Geezer said, ‘If the other guys are in it, I’m in to do it,’ right?”
Watt then described his conversation with Bill Ward. He called it one of the strangest and funniest phone calls he had ever experienced.
“So I had this 40-minute call with Bill, which was one of the weirdest and funniest phone calls just ever of all time,” he said. “He was on the phone, but it was personal things that we talked about on that phone call that made Ozzy and Sharon, like, crack up. It’s like an inside joke.”
Ultimately, Watt said, Ward was unable to take part. “Long story short, ended up that Bill was not going to be able to make the record, like he wasn’t able to do it for a multitude of different reasons,” he said.
“So that’s why that didn’t happen,” he continued. “But the other guys were all into doing it, and then Bill sent us all this long email, and then it was over.”
The story of the unmade Sabbath album comes with some background. Watt’s relationship with Ozzy, Ward’s history with the band, and the way Ozzy’s career ended all help explain how close the project came to happening.
Watt produced Ozzy’s last two solo albums. Ordinary Man arrived in 2020, and it was Watt’s first full production credit on an album. Patient Number 9 followed on September 9, 2022. It won Best Rock Album at the 2023 Grammys. Watt later paid tribute to his late friend, saying, “How lucky I was to share in a little of Ozzy’s magic.”
Ward’s absence from a Sabbath project would not have been new. The original lineup of Ozzy, Iommi, Butler, and Ward announced a reunion in 2011. It included the band’s first studio album since 1978. Ward soon exited that comeback. Tommy Clufetos replaced him on tour until the band retired in 2017. The album they released, 13, came out in 2013.
Ozzy’s final chapter came shortly after those conversations. On July 5, 2025, he performed at the Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham. The show reunited him with his Sabbath bandmates in his home city. It was the band’s first performance in two decades, and the event was billed as his final bow. It raised about $190 million for charitable causes.
Ozzy died 17 days later, on July 22, 2025, at the age of 76. His family said he passed away surrounded by love. Further updates may follow.
