10 Hard Rock Albums That Were Worth The Wait
1. Black Sabbath - 13
Heavy metal's forefather has seen countless line-up changes over the years. While there have been many star names in that time - the likes of Dio, Vinny Appice, and Geoff Nichols - no one can touch the OG Black Sabbath line-up of Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. Even today, people still swear by the first six Sabbath records.
When Ozzy left for a second and more permanent time in 1979, it cued a carousel of talent going in and out of the band, with fans clamouring for the original line-up to reform for one more album. They very nearly got their wish, as the original Sabbath members toured from 1997-2006 but disbanded before a studio album could materialise.
In 2011, the hype train was back on track as the original line-up announced their reunion and a new album. While Ward would eventually pull out owing to "contractual disputes", 13 was released in 2013 to rapturous applause and marked some insane generational gaps for the band; the first studio album with Osbourne since 1978's Never Say Die!, Butler's first since 1994's Cross Purposes and the band's first UK No. 1 since 1970's Paranoid.
It also meant 1995's Forbidden wouldn't be Sabbath's swan song, which is more a relief than anything else.