Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward joins the Kerrang! Podcast team to discuss the re-releases of their first three albums Black Sabbath, Paranoid and Masters Of Reality the highs and lows of his car…
Kerrang! Podcast: Black Sabbath
On September - 16 - 2009
I’m not an expert when it comes to good drummers. But I think that Bill’s style was very unique, very percussive rather than just building a typical rhythm-foundation for a band. And I do happen to love that. Even though it’s unusual and certainly not considered as drumming at its best.
Bill has always been very frank about his limitations as a drummer and a musician, but has always made up for shortcomings of technique with enthusiasm and creativity (check out his solo albums for a taste of his versatility away from the kit, too).In terms of Sabbath itself, as much as I love Bill, Cozy Powell was, hands down, the most talented drummer ever to play for Black Sabbath.
The thing I get a kick out of is when people compare drummers. In all logcal sense….you can’t. Even if you took two drummers and had them play the same thing it would come out different….THAT being said….Bill has always been a raw drummer. That meaning raw in an animalistic sense in his playing. Bonham was a LOT more blues based…even jazz oriented.Is one better than the other? No….just different styles
Bill Ward is one of my favorite drummers b/c of the different elements that he brought to Sabbath that I don’t hear in most of their descendents. Like those parts in “Behind the Wall of Sleep” and “Supernaut” that sound like breakbeat funk and samba.
Bill Ward is NOT a drummer… he is a PERCUSSIONIST. always remember that
Bill Ward has a style all his own, and it’s the one aspect of Sabbath’s sound that’s not being carried forth by today’s metal bands. Most of today’s drummers sound like graph paper. I don’t get it.
I think there is no better than Bill Ward its all relative to taste , I am an ardent Sabbath Fan ….I am interested in all things unearthed about Sabbath , and I am going to return the favor in quantims.
Bill is better than John just listening to the song Black Sabbath – War Pigs (Live in Paris 1970) and see the energy with which he played Bill John never played like Bill, but he is famous and overvalued because he belong to Led Zeppelin but if we talk about technique, skill, speed and adrenaline rush when playing is the best Bill
I disagree. Bonham was a more technically proficient drummer than Ward. Bill is more of a basher than Bonham was. Does that make him a bad drummer? No. Your evaluation of Bill is skewed by an anti-Zep bias. I think Zep was overratred, too, but Bonham could play rings around Ward. Even so, Bill could always find a groove and kick the song into overdrive. Some technically sound drumemrs have no heart, some great drummers aren’t technically great. It tends to wash out in the end.
Bill Ward is a great drummer and a good guy. Keith Moon was the very best drummer in my opinion.