During a new interview with Kerrang, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler spoke about the time he left the group back in 1994 and focusing on solo career.
He said:
“I really wasn’t happy with the way that Sabbath was going. There was only me and Tony [Iommi, guitar] left and I always wanted the band to change its name because it wasn’t Sabbath really, but we never did.
“We still went out as Black Sabbath, which I wasn’t into. I also wanted the music to be heavier.”
The bassist also spoke about assembling the solo band, featuring his nephew Pedro Howse (guitar), Fear Factory’s Burton Bell (vocals) and Deen Castronovo (drums):
“Pedro was in a thrash band called Crazy Angel at the time and I really liked what he was doing. We really worked well together and we got the album written in no time.
“Pedro just gets what I’m trying to do. He’s also one of the few guitarists that I can play guitar to.
“I always felt weird writing on guitar and playing songs to Tony so I’d always write stuff on the bass because I was intimidated trying to play a riff to greatest riff master ever. Playing with Pedro is relaxing. I don’t have to be great but I can just put an idea across and he’s great at picking that up.
“I wrote the lyrics all in long-form before we’d even got Burt in the band. I had pages and pages of them, and Burt edited them and used what fitted the music.”