BILLBOARD

Classic BLACK SABBATH Albums Re-Enter BILLBOARD Chart

According to Billboard.com, several of BLACK SABBATH's catalog of albums made their digital debut a week ago, thus sparking a return to the chart for two of their classic titles. Both "Black Sabbath" and "Paranoid", released in 1970, return to the chart this week. "Paranoid" re-enters at No. 121 with 2,935 (up 183%) and "Black Sabbath" returns at No. 184 (2,130; up 229%). BLACK SABBATH's sales breakdown: * "Paranoid" This week: 2,935 Last week: 1,038 * "Black Sabbath" This week: 2,130 Last week: 647 * "Greatest Hits 1970-1978" This week: 1,973 Last week: 372 * "Vol. 4" This week: 1,498 Last week: 751 * "Master Of Reality" This week: 1,463 Last week: 249 * "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" This week: 887 Last week: 205 * "Sabotage" This week: 774 Last week: 186 When Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terry "Geezer" Butler and Bill Ward formed BLACK SABBATH in 1969, they created a signature sound that set the blueprint for heavy music and influenced generations of disciples for years to come. For the first time, the full catalog from the original BLACK SABBATH lineup is now available digitally in the U.S. and has been mastered specifically for iTunes, ensuring the delivery of the music to listeners with increased audio fidelity, more closely replicating what the artists, recording engineers, and producers intended. Available exclusively on the iTunes Store worldwide, fans now have the ability to download all albums in one newly created bundle ("The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1978"), eight legendary studio albums, two classic compilations, or simply purchase each song individually. "It's about fucking time the first eight BLACK SABBATH albums were made available on iTunes in the U.S.," said Ozzy Osbourne. "Great news. [It's] been a long time trying to explain to fans why the music wasn't available," Tony Iommi commented. "It's going to be great to finally have the catalogue accessible on iTunes," Geezer Butler noted. "Black Sabbath: The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1978" features the band's collected studio works for Warner Bros. Records from the 1970s, including their iconic eponymous debut (1970), the multi-platinum landmark "Paranoid" (1970), the platinum albums "Master Of Reality" (1971), "Vol. 4" (1972), and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973), and the gold-certified "Sabotage" (1975), "Technical Ecstasy" (1976), and "Never Say Die!" (1978). Also available is their classic 1976 compilation "We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll" as well as 2006's "Greatest Hits 1970-1978", which was released in connection with their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Following wildly successful shows in North and South America, Australia, Asia and Europe, BLACK SABBATH will kick off another North American tour with dates starting March 31 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The trek will hit ten cities in Canada, including stops in Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, before wrapping April 26 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. These dates will be part of the band's final shows of their 2013-2014 world tour in support of their first studio album in 35 years, "13", which entered the charts at #1 in 13 countries (including their first #1 in the U.S.). Another run of European festivals and headlining shows will follow this summer.

IRON MAIDEN Tops BILLBOARD’s ‘Hot Tours’ Chart

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN this week landed at position No. 1 on Billboard.com 's "Hot Tours" list of top-grossing tours with $19 million in ticket sales from 14 performances in 13 cities on their summer tour of Europe. The shows were attended by a total of 259,298 fans, including a sellout crowd of 55,531 at a football stadium, Friends Arena, in the Stockholm suburb of Solna, Sweden. Also included was a sold-out concert on May 29 at Lisbon, Portugal's Pavilhão Atlântico. IRON MAIDEN's August 3 show at London, England's O2 Arena (with a capacity of up to 20,000, depending on the event) sold out in just 12 minutes, so a second show was added on Sunday, August 4. This will definitely be the band's last U.K. show this year as soon after they head off for a few selected USA shows before a massive trip around Latin America, including headlining Rock In Rio and national stadiums in Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

BLACK SABBATH’s ’13’ Sells More Than 150K Copies In U.S., Tops BILLBOARD Chart

"13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singerOzzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, sold 155,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 11 via Vertigo/Universal Republic. This marksBLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!" "The news is absolutely amazing — we couldn't have imagined this would happen," says Tony Iommi. "We have the greatest fans." "There have been so many amazing highlights in our long career," saysOzzy Osbourne. "To finally have our first #1 album in the U.S. is another incredible milestone for BLACK SABBATH. Thank you to all of our fans for their support and loyalty." Geezer Butler says, "I'm absolutely stunned. Thank you all worldwide for being the best, and most patient, fans ever."