Bill Ward Says Black Sabbath Never Played Paranoid the Same Way

JAKARTA - Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has revealed the truth about the wild improvisational habits of the Birmingham heavy metal giants when they were on stage in their heyday.

Ward admitted that he never played the exact same drum beat every time he performed Sabbath's hit song, "Paranoid".

Not without reason. For the drummer, the structure of the Black Sabbath song gives a very dynamic freedom for each of its members.

"Oh, we always change a lot of things like that. I never play 'Paranoid' the same way twice. I wouldn't even know how," Ward said in a recent interview on LA Radio Sessions.

Even though he often improvised suddenly on stage, the musician born in 1948 emphasized that the basic rhythm of the game was still maintained so as not to damage the essence of the original song.

He also always tries hard to maintain basic beats such as original arrangements recorded in the recording studio, although sometimes his stage instincts demand something different.

"But on some nights, it feels like, 'Fuck, I'm just going to put this beat in,'" Ward added.

In addition to discussing the masterpiece "Paranoid" taken from Sabbath's second album released in 1970, Ward also recalled the creative process behind the song "Spiral Architect".

The closing track from the fifth album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973) is widely known for its very complex arrangement with an acoustic guitar cover from Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne's magical vocal.

Ward explained, "Spiral Architect" is one of the most daring musical adventure songs Sabbath has ever produced. The song combines hard rock elements with a Gothic-tinged production through timpani beats and Geezer Butler's bass work.

Interestingly, Ward admitted that he wrote the lyrics for the song in the middle of the world tour schedule which was very physically draining for the Black Sabbath members.

"We have to remember that this happened around the third or fourth album, and we were already very tired. We played non-stop all over the world. We never stopped, never took a break except to go to the bathroom and have lunch. Besides, we just kept playing rock and roll," he concluded.