I was QUITE surprised when I was in Sam’s Club, and my phone notified me of a new tweet directed at Bill Ward’s twitter account by Matt Sorum saying Bill had released a new album! So I checked, and indeed Bill’s long awaited new solo album was released late Saturday night to iTunes.
I don’t have much in the way of info on the album, because I was quite surprised at its coming out. Here’s what I know.
The album is available NOW on iTunes. The price here in the US anyway is $9.99.- I’m told the iTunes availability is NOT limited to the US.
- Availability on other digital formats (Amazon MP3 store, Google Play, etc) is at of this point unknown. I’ve already passed on the remarks that non Apple fans won’t be happy about that it is iTunes only. Don’t steal it. Go buy it.
- Availability on streaming places such as Spotify are unknown.
- I’m told there will eventually be a physical media release, but dates are unknown. I get the impression this is a digital exclusive for the time being. In other words, I wouldn’t hold your breath on that.
- There is a website for this release over at http://www.astoncrossmusic.com
- There is a small booklet that comes with the album on iTunes. In it, it talks about more info being available at the website above soon.
- The album is dedicated to Mark “Gopher” Jones, who died last year. I knew Gopher, when I first got involved with Bill, Gopher was my main contact point with Bill. Good man.
- Track 4 might stand for “Darkest Of The Horses“, as that is sung in the song.
- iTunes in the US lists the release date as “April 21st”. I’m told that is the date the album was submitted to them. The proper release date is April 25, 2015.
If you have any additional questions, let me know. I’ll try and get answers and update. Here’s some more info:
The Band
It is mostly the same band that was on Bill’s last release 18 years ago (When the Bough Breaks):
- Bill Ward: Vocals, Drums, Keyboards
- Keith Lynch: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
- Paul Ill: Bass
- Ronnie Ciago: Drums / Percussion
- Walter Earl: Percussion
- Producer: Kevin Keller & Bill Ward
- Mastering: Stephen Marsh
Track Listing
- Leaf Killers
- Accountable Beasts
- Katastrophic World
- D.O.T.H.
- First Day Back
- As it is in Heaven
- Ashes
- Straws
- The Wall of Death
Track 8 is the same Straws track that Bill has had around for awhile. It was originally made available as a free mp3 download from Bill’s site, then later sold as a charity CD for awhile.
Given I had no idea this was coming, I don’t have anything prepared, but will update other parts of my site when I have the info available.
I will do my best to get more info out there, but for now this is what is there. BUT… BUT.. NEW TUNES from Bill Ward are available. Go check ’em out.
My hero @billwarddrums solo album out now , It's Epichttp://t.co/8JxtjJOGRP pic.twitter.com/DvvAKeXEb0
— matt sorum (@mattsorum) April 26, 2015
This is really great news…my continued skepticism has finally subsided….I just hope a physical release isn’t to far down the road as I don’t do downloads…anyway,can’t wait to hear what Mr Ward has to offer with this long-awaited record…
I wouldn’t hold your breath on a physical release. It *WILL* happen, but I wouldn’t look for any time soon.
Yeah,I kinda figured….guess I will have to break down and get iTunes…..
Looks like there’s a physical release in America anyway:
http://www.merchmethod.com/billward/bw003-bill-ward-accountable-beast.html
Not sure about a dedicated European release, but I assume they ship to countries outside the US…
Blown away by how good this is. Love the melodies, music and lyrics! Bill knocked it out of the park!
The album is inventive, quirky and full of musical and melodic surprises. I like it.
I also think that Katastrophic World captures the spirit of Sabbath more than anything on 13 did.
Got the news this morning during my commute, purchased and downloaded immediately to my iphone, listened to the first 3 songs – I’m digging it! Not a “metal” album by any stretch, but I agree with the last poster – Great melodies and lyrics…
If that’s the future of releasing music I’ll quit.
No physical formats available? Merci! Count me out Bill.
I have ben playing this album a lot. It is a bit hard to get into at first, it has a wide range of styles on it and Bills voice takes a bit of getting used too. He is quite a good singer, but it isn’t exactly a ‘Rock Vocalist’ type voice.
But there are some great songs on here and it is the sort of old fashioned album you can really get into. Think Beatles meets 70s prog rock meets Van Der Graaf Generator meets Bonzo Dog Doodah band. A bit weird in places. Bill sings and plays keyboards on all the tracks, drums on 7 out of 9 apparently and wrote all the material. If you are expecting a typical Black Sabbath type sound you’ll probably hate it, if you liked his previous solo work you’ll love it, it is the best yet.
Enjoying this album! Definitely not for people who want to be grabbed right away, It’s dense and will take a few listens to digest! A few days ago I heard that Bob Ezrin was bemoaning the fact that no one was doing anything out side of the box or taking any chances, Someone should give him a copy of Accountable Beasts!! My favorite so far is “First Day Back” with “Ashes” a close second. Interesting that Bill mixed the whole thing with $25 dollar earbuds!
I’m happy it exists, and its better then what I feared, but its poorly arranged and mixed, and like Bill’s stuff tends to be, is all over the map. I love Bill, and if his recent carping was a PR move to sell music, I tip my cap to him. I don’t know if it will work, but I chipped in my $9.99 and encourage other Sabbath fans to do the same. We have $80,000 a gig to make up for!
What an incredible piece of work…worth the wait,indeed…if you like Along the Way this will appeal to you greatly…Bill’s vocals and drum work are extraordinary…all the instrumentation is top notch…dark but soaring melodies and great hooks galore…multi-dynamic stuff…very consistent too…it feels like one giant piece of music…great work,Bill…Bravo!
Absolutely fucking brilliant! I love this album, Bill, youre a genius. Superb prog rock. For fans of pink floyd/roger waters/bowie/big elf/queens of the stone age/masters of reality etc etc… Excellent vocals, and so good to hear Bill drumming again. Some very heavy riffs too. Very original, slightly mental, totally brilliant. I’m so stoked for Bill and the band. Wow.
Heavy duty 180 gramm vinyl please!? With extensive liner notes and photos? This NEEDS it and deserves it, come on Bill, the record companies, have some vision!!!
Bill’s solo work….no thanks. Like a cracker without butter. Solid, yes…but flavourless and forgettable
Serenity’s comments .. no thanks, like a troll with out musical taste I can live without !
I HATE this trend of digital -only releases. I Have been looking forward to another album from Bill forever. I don’t like experiencing an album for the first time by listening to a shitty compressed mp3 file. Cmon Bill! You worked hard on this music. Let’s Have a real physical release of the album!
I am surprised myself that his physical CD’s sold out, I’m not sure how many he did sell but I did ask his assistant if they will have more, the reply was she will let me know as soon as they get them, it’s been over a month I believe since I asked, still not in, but I am optimistic they will get more.
More listens, this album just gets better and better. Almost too many highlights to mention. This has compelled me to go back and re listen to previous Sabbath works just to study Bills drumming, such as Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy, Never Say Die and Heaven and Hell. The main one being NSD and the track Swinging the Chain, with Bills superb drums and vocals. I now view these albums in a new light. But back to Accountable Beasts – this album just flows so well, it almost gels into one long piece of music. Bills double bass drumming on the title track is immense. Katastrophic World is the best Sabbath track they never wrote! Top notch doom rock. First Day Back is just sublime, great melodies, that excellent wah wah bridge riff. As it is in Heaven is an stand out song too, almost a ballad, but that doesn’t do it justice. One of THE main high points for me is the track Wall of Death, the final section is SO heavy its beautiful. It REALLY reminds me of one of the best/heaviest Sabbath tracks ever, Zero the Hero. The fact that Bill can come up with such a monstrous riff and build it into such a heavy track is just the best, it blows me away. I hoped not to compare this to the Sabbath catalogue but its too hard not to. I am definately much more excited by this album than I am/wad about 13, maybe that’s not fair but its inevitable. I cant help thinking how different 13 would have been with Bills involvement and his ideas, then again we maybe would not have been this masterpiece if that had happened? Bills the man. This album is a master-work. Thank you Mr Bill Ward.
Serenity – what rubbish you speak! How can this work be flavourless and forgettable!? Are you hearing the same album? Could you be a “fan” of Sabbath who does the usual slagging such as :-
1. Any album after Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is crap
2. RJD spoilt Sabbath
3. Tony Martin era is crap.
4. Anything Ozzy puts out is the best
5. Seventh Star is a load of crap
6. Born Again is not a true Sabbath album
blah blah blah….
People need to open their minds and ears to the massive amount of excellent quality music out there – no boundaries, no walls, no pigeon holes, no categories, just enjoy!
1 and 2. Actually, Heaven and Hell is my favourite Sabbath album, followed by Mob Rules and Cross Purposes. I actually rate Ozzy significantly behind Dio, and place Tony Martin on a par with Dio in the studio (not so much live). Saw Dio on every uk tour, solo and with Sabbath since Strange Highways.
3. As stated in previous posts, I’m a major fan of Tony Martin.
4. As stated in previous posts I’m really not a fan of Ozzy (Sabbath or otherwise), and haven’t been since No More Tears. I like the Albums with Ozzy, yes, but his presence has little to do with my appreciation of them.
5. Not fussed with Seventh Star. Not because I believe it’s rubbish, just didn’t resonate with me.
6. Born Again is ok. Great riffs, but I find Gillan’s voice out of place. Like Dio singing for ZZ Top. Classy, yes – but doesn’t seem to fit. My opinion, incidentally, not fact.
And a difference of opinion isn’t rubbish, simply because the opinion does not coincide with your own
I agree Matt ! but I really wonder if Serenity has listened to it on a system that actually plays digital mastered sound. or if he has listened to it at all, maybe he just listened to the first 40 seconds and made his decision, I’m betting the only tracks he heard were off of youtube after they had been compressed in their format. but then again what can you really expect from someone who is not a true SABS fan but a Tony Martin fan. maybe someday he will see the trruth and the light and change his ways to see where the birth of this band originated and have some respect because without any of the four founding members this could have been a different course in music history.
Now available on CD:
http://www.merchmethod.com/billward/bw003-bill-ward-accountable-beast.html
This album is awesome, some deep heavy stuff.
Bill is a genius, we only have to wonder what 13 could’ve been.
Thank you Bill !!! It’s fantastic, best rock album in 15 years !!! Now I know, rock and roll is alive !!!
I am enjoying Accountable Beast …. a lot!!!!!
I liked Accountable Beast from the very first time I listened to it!
Thank You Bill Ward!!!
I am really enjoying Accountable Beasts..hopefully Beyond Aston gets released soon.
This album is awesome, it’s my favorite Ward album yet, for those of you who haven’t gotten this album yet I suggest you go out and buy it, it is now available on CD, I hope they release it on vinyl.
Hopefully if there is a new Sabbath album Bill will be on it.
An apology to Serenity. Yes we all have our favourite era’s/members/albums etc. My response was only due to feeling very strongly about Bills talent, but that’s no excuse for dismissing someone’s opinion. I too was initially blown away by Sabbath via the Dio era, mainly the Live Evil album, after that I investigated further, and yes I too sometimes prefer this era. My first live Sabbath experience was with Tony Martin fronting the band on the Headless Cross tour, so this era has special memories also. At the end of the day I am just a sucker for anything TI, GB, or BW – Sabbath or not. Its good that we all feel strongly enough to contribute to this site and keep all eras alive through constructive comments. Long live all contributors to the Sabbath history and extended family tree!
Hey Matt. No worries. To be honest I can be a little too blunt at times, anyway. I’m just not a fan of BW solo. No criticism of the talent, just the music didn’t resonate with me. I would have preferred BW on TDYK. I find Vinnie pretty flat nowadays.
Thanks doomride for the link, just ordered the CD!
Looking forward to more music from him.
I totally agree with you Vinnie wise. I loved his drumming on mob rules, live evil and Hammersmith live 81/82 – with his fast rolls and heavy hitting, but on TDYK and the Heaven and Hell live discs his drumming seems very flat, very uninteresting, and quite dull really. Plus he seemed to spend more time adjusting parts of his kit whilst he played! Very annoying. It would have been something to see Bill playing those tracks, big time!
As it is in heaven….is so powerful.
I just checked link for this Bill Ward album and it says ‘Out of Stock’.
http://www.astoncrossmusic.com
yes, it still does, I bought them all !!! ok just kiddin, but I do not think he was expecting to sell out, I don’t know how many he produced but I did ask if there were going to be more. she said she would let me know, when she doe’s (I’m sure they will) I will try and post here to let those know. as a matter of fact Joe Siegler should actually be on this unless he is to busy.