Geezer Butler Says His Retirement After Black Sabbath Was Unhealthy

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Former Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler found retirement so tedious he couldn't wait to start a new band just to get him out of the house again.

Butler has indicated before that retirement wasn't as satisfying as he had hoped it would be. In a recent interview he revealed how bad the hiatus was for him, both physically and mentally.

"After 18 months of retirement, I would have said yes to anything," Butler told Billboard. "After Sabbath finished, I just wanted to take time off and wake up every day and think, 'Oh, great, I've got nothing to do today.' That was okay for a year. After I put on about 20 pounds and watched every TV show there was, I just went nuts."

Black Sabbath took its final bow in February of 2017. Butler said he spent "a couple months" afterwards not playing music at all.

After a while longer he started considering another solo album. But before he got too deep into a solo project, former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum called him to talk about a band he was putting together with Franky Perez and Steve Stevens.

The four got together for a lengthy dinner, and by the end of it Deadland Ritual had formed.

The band revealed its first single last fall and announced its first tour earlier this year.

Butler says the band's live shows will consist of original material, plus songs from the band members' collective catalogs.

Photo: Getty Images


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