For those who perhaps have yet to hear or read the news, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year as a solo artist, more than 15 years after being inducted into the institution as a member of the equally legendary hard rock act Black Sabbath. The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Ahead of the forthcoming induction, Osbourne released a statement noting he is humbled to be a two-time inductee into the Rock Hall. He has also shared some stories about his time as a member of Black Sabbath, which seem to coincide at least to a point with the writings of his former Black Sabbath band mate Terrence “Geezer” Butler in his 2023 memoir, Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath and Beyond. The memoir was re-issued June 18 through Dey Books/HarperCollins, a little more than a year after its initial hardcover publication. Spanning 271 pages in its recent paperback publication, the famed bassist’s book is an interesting look into the history of Black Sabbath, warts and all as is evidenced through Butler’s telling. The general presentation of his story – its chapter lengths and transitions between and within each – also play into the book’s appeal. The story’s overall pacing is tied directly into the general presentation and puts the finishing touch to the whole. When it is considered along with the presentation and the story itself, the whole makes Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath and Beyond a story that every rock and Black Sabbath fan will appreciate.
Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond, bassist Geezer Butler’s memoir of his time with Black Sabbath, is an engaging and entertaining offering from the famed musician that every rock and Black Sabbath fan will find appealing. That is due in large part to the story. As the book’s title notes, it centers on his time with the band and on the band’s history, good and bad. The whole thing starts rather randomly, with Butler telling readers about a paranormal experience of sorts that happened to him as a kid. It starts out in what feels like a somewhat disjointed fashion but by the time he finally reaches his first interactions with Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne things finally feel more fluid and manage much easier to flow and keep readers engaged. One of the key items that Butler shares throughout his recollections is the negative role that record labels and others played in the band’s life. As he notes, it was because of the person who developed the cover for the band’s 1970 self-titled album that for decades, audiences believed that Black Sabbath was an evil Satanic band. Butler writes of this issue (on page 79), “I loved the cover, which consisted of a witchlike figure standing in front of Mapledurham Watermill but wasn’t too sure about the gatefold sleeve. I asked [Jim] Simpson, “Why is there an inverted cross on the inside? That’s really blasphemous.” I may7 have lost my faith but I didn’t want to deliberately offend anyone, especially my mom and dad.” He further added later in this recollection, “The name Black Sabbath, combined with that album cover, meant we were misunderstood from the start…As it was a lot of people made the mistake of thinking all those early songs were about the occult and Satanism, but that wasn’t the case at all.”
From here Butler explains at various points throughout his memoir, the meanings behind many of the band’s songs, including many featured in Black Sabbath, including one of the band’s biggest hits of all time, ‘Iron Man.’ As he recalls, that song actually did have some religious symbolism, but more in a positive, contemplative manner. Right off the bat, he explains that despite the misconception, ‘N.I.B.’ does not mean Nativity in Black,’ but that in fact it is “actually a love song.” That puts a whole new identity on the song that people need to get through their heads. On a related note, he points out that ‘The Wizard’ was actually inspired by the writings of author J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings. Other explanations follow at various points throughout Butler’s story as he discusses Black Sabbath’s albums. At other points he also notes the works on which he did not have a lead role in writing during the band’s years with Ronnie James Dio as its front man.
Speaking of Dio, Butler’s recollection of the band’s time with him fronting the group raises some interesting moments in their own right. According to Butler the band’s first run with Dio was bumpy to say the very least. There were some clear ego clashes that easily could have doomed Black Sabbath but somehow did not sink the group. Later in the story as Dio rejoined the band a second time, the tensions rose again a little but nowhere near as bad, with his untimely passing from stomach cancer, showing the true respect that the band had for him as a person.
On a side note, according to Butler, Dio’s cancer stemmed from a longtime diet — mostly of meat rather than one including vegetables — from what one doctor had noted. If that is true, then it stands as proof for the need for people to have more balanced diets. In other words, it could be the catalyst for a bigger discussion among readers on this matter.
The ego clashes between Dio and the members of Black Sabbath were just some of the ego issues that arose among the band throughout what can only be termed a tumultuous life. Issues between drummer Bill Ward and his band mates, creative differences between Iommi and others and more all come to the fore more than once, as do recollections of concerns that the band had about Ozzy and his drug and alcohol use that played into his departure from the band. All the lineup changes, which included two members of Deep Purple of front men, are also of note considering the ego issues the apparently played into things, too. To that end, it really keeps one amazed that somehow Black Sabbath continued on as long as it did even when Iommi was the sole founding member of the group. Again, all of this and so much more makes for plenty to keep readers engaged and entertained from beginning to end.
The story itself is just part of what makes Butler’s memoir worth reading. Its general presentation also plays into its appeal. The general presentation includes the transitions between chapters and even within. Yes, within. Butler actually provides multiple sections within each of the book’s 13 total chapters, breaking them up nicely. The transitions make it so easy to progress through each chapter because they are so prevalent, giving readers plenty of motivation to keep reading. This is an approach that is rare for books in general. The separation not only lets readers know Butler is progressing and changing the subject within the chapters but also ensures in the process, that readers will remain motivated. That is because when authors write long, sometimes seemingly endless chapters, it can and does get difficult to want to keep reading. Taking this approach does the exact opposite and helps the book succeed in its own right.
Staying somewhat on the matter of the book’s general presentation, the smooth way in which Butler wrote his memoir keeps the story’s pacing relatively fluid throughout its nearly 300-page span. The story moves easily from one topic to the next and from one chapter to the next, considering those divisions within the chapters and the way in which he connects each section. It would have been so easy for any writer to get lost in the stories within the bigger story and not go this route. The result would have been just one long collection of anecdotes. In doing what he did though, Butler made the whole story so easy to read and honestly so personal. The result is that the whole feels not only fluid in its pacing but that much more immersive. Keeping all of this in mind, the pacing and general presentation of Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond works with the story to make the whole a welcome read for any Black Sabbath and general rock fan in its recent paperback re-issue.
Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond, the memoir of Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, is a fully immersive story from the veteran musician that is well worth reading. This applies both to established Black Sabbath fans and those more casual listeners. That is due in large part to its featured story, which Butler tells in a first-person style as he recollects the turbulent but still productive history of Black Sabbath and its members. The story’s general presentation plays into its appeal, too, thanks to the transitions between chapters and even within those 13 separate sections. The result of the expert construction of the story is a pacing that proves just as successful in its own right. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the book. All things considered they make Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond a great read for any and every rock and Black Sabbath fan.
Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond is available now through Dey Street/HarperCollins. More information on the book is available at:
Website: https://geezerbutler.com
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