(Rolling Stone) -- Bad news for Black Sabbath fans: Bill Ward will not be playing drums at any of the group's three gigs scheduled this year. In a long message posted on his website, Ward explained that he was simply not able to come to terms with his bandmates. The metal pioneers are playing their first show since 2005 this Saturday evening at their hometown of Birmingham, England -- and Ward claims that he first learned of the gig through an ad on the Internet. The original Sabbath lineup announced last November that they would reunite for a tour and their first album since 1978's "Never Say Die!" Less than two months later, guitarist Tony Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma, prompting Sabbath to cancel the vast majority of their summer tour. Weeks later, Bill Ward announced via a Facebook that he would not participate in the group's reunion until he was presented with a "signable contract." The group vowed to carry on without him and had recently announced a headlining gig at Lollapalooza, as well as a warm-up show in Birmingham this Saturday.
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Bill Ward has declined to play at any of the Black Sabbath's three gigs scheduled this year
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Sabbath asked him to play this Saturday's gig for free without any guarantee
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"I'm very, very sorry that it's fallen to this," Ward said in a statement
I found out about the Birmingham gig on Monday, April 30 through the @placeholder ad.