Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the Beatles of heavy metal” and ranked by MTV as the “Greatest Metal Band of All Time,” Black Sabbath not only dominated the genre— they helped create it. Founded in 1969, the band’s distinctive heavy riffs, tuned-down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics were a stark contrast to the era’s popular feel-good pop, upbeat Motown, and earnest folk music. Their ominous new sound struck a chord. To date, Black Sabbath has sold more than 70 million records worldwide.
In INTO THE VOID: From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond (Dey Street: On sale: June 18, 2024), now in trade paperback, Geezer Butler tells his side of the story—and the story of his life before and after the band’s rise to fame and notoriety. With honesty, Butler writes of his childhood in Luftwaffe-battered Birmingham, England, as one of seven in a working-class Irish Catholic family, and his disillusionment with organized religion and class systems in his late teens, which would influence the lyrics and artistic themes that made Black Sabbath a sensation. From his awakening to the power of music—and his bold decision to change his career path from accountant to bassist—Butler takes readers behind the scenes of Black Sabbath’s roots, rise, and struggles. Even longtime fans of the band are bound to learn something fresh and surprising as Geezer himself recounts:
• How in 1968 he formed the Polka Tulk Blues Band with guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, and vocalist John “Ozzy” Osborne, and forged a revolutionary creative collaboration.
• The origin story of Black Sabbath. By 1969, Polka Tulk had become Earth, but kept getting mistaken for another group with the same name. Geezer suggested an original name, “Black Sabbath,” after one of their songs, which he co-wrote the lyrics for, partly inspired by a nightmare of a black silhouetted figure standing at the foot of his bed.
• Notable appearances with Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and The Who, and includes a groundbreaking dedication to creating the rock music equivalent of a horror film, with dark elements of the occult.
• The stories behind Black Sabbath’s biggest hits, including “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and “Paranoid,” and important later years, culminating with their last studio album, reuniting three of the original members, and last live performance on February 4, 2017, in Birmingham.
Featuring 30 photos from Geezer’s personal collection—some never-before-published—INTO THE VOID is both an effusive tribute to one of rock’s most exciting bands and an intimate memoir of a trailblazing musician.
About the Author: Terence Michael Joseph “Geezer” Butler, best known as the longtime bassist and main lyricist for Black Sabbath, is one of the most influential bassists in heavy metal and regarded as a “founding father” of the genre. In 2006, he reformed the “Dehumanizer”-era Black Sabbath with guitarist Tommy Iommi, vocalist Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice as Heaven & Hell. In 2017, he took a short hiatus from music to travel and write. In 2018, he joined the British-American rock band Deadline Ritual, composed of founder and drummer Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses), vocalist Franky Perez (Apocalyptica), and guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol). A native of Aston Birmingham, England, he makes his home in Nevada and Utah with his wife Gloria Butler, who manages Geezer and co-managed Heaven & Hell. They live with their three cats and dogs.
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