Black Sabbath

For most heavy metal fans, just the thought of ex-Deep Purple shrieker Ian Gillan joining forces with Black Sabbath would seem like nirvana. And that's just what happened in 1983, when Gillan agreed to occupy the vacated lead vocalist position with the mighty Sabs (replacing the just-departed Ronnie James Dio). As an added bonus, original drummer Bill Ward had returned to the band, after being briefly replaced by Vinny Appice, and the new lineup issued its one and only album, Born Again. Although pop-metal was all the rage at the time (Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, etc.), Sabbath admirably stuck to their guns, issuing another slab of mega-volume heavy metal. A few tracks showed that the new lineup could work well together, such as the crushing album opener, "Trashed," and the monolithic "Zero the Hero," while such tracks as "Digital Bitch" treaded on Spinal Tap territory. Ward left the band once again prior to the tour, with Gillan and original bassist Geezer Butler eventually following suit. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide