Vinny Appice has suggested that Black Sabbath should include him in their farewell tour – along with original member Bill Ward and recent live addition Tommy Clufetos.
He thinks the three-drummer lineup would be a fitting way to mark the band’s final performances, even though he accepts it’s unlikely to happen.
Sabbath recorded their last album 13 with Rage Against The Machine sticksman Brad Wilk, then toured with the Ozzy Osbourne band’s Clufetos, after plans to involve Ward in their reunion collapsed.
And Appice – who played with Sabbath during their Ronnie James Dio era and later spin-off Heaven And Hell – can see why he might not be invited to take part.
He tells One On One With Mitch Lafon: “I’m in touch with Tony Iommi here and there. I always check on him, how he’s doing. I think about Tony a lot since he was sick.
“He’s got my contact – I don’t call up. Everybody goes, ‘You should call up and let them know.’ I never did that. They’ve always called me when they wanted me. No one’s called. I’m not counting on it.”
He continues: “They’re using, probably, Tommy. It’s a different band, there’s different people around them, different managers. It’s a whole different family. Then we played with Ronnie – it was me, Tony, Geezer Butler and Ronnie.
“If I was in the band it’s like me, Tony, Geezer and Ozzy. Some people take that as weird: ‘It’s Heaven And Hell with Ozzy.’”
But Appice is ready to roll into action if the call ever comes. “I would love to play with them,” he says. “I think what they should do is have everybody play.
“Bill comes out and plays, then I play a couple of songs, then Tommy as a special guest. It would be cool – this is the last thing they’re doing. There’s so much history. I would be honoured to do it.”
Iommi last week revealed that Butler was behind the decision to shelve a farewell album to go along with their The End tour – although he remains hopeful things could change.
Meanwhile, Appice’s supergroup Resurrection Kings have released a stream of their track Distant Prayer, from their self-titled solo album that arrives on January 29. The band is completed by former Dio guitarist Craig Goldie, Lynch Mob vocalist Chas West and Dokken bassist Sean McNabb. Appice is also working with Last In Line, built from the original Dio lineup.
