Rumours of an original line-up Black Sabbath reunion had been circulating during 2011, and then they confirmed it at a Whiskey a Go Go press conference on November 11th. A week later, the Download site announced that the legendary Birmingham band, who many consider to be the founders of heavy metal, would be headlining the Sunday night at the 2012 festival.
If Black Sabbath, who became a headline act in the early 1970s, are one of the top heavyweights of heavy metal legend in terms of longevity, then Metallica are one of the top middleweights, after they emerged in a similarly sensational style in the mid-1980s. Metallica will headline the Saturday night.
The Prodigy will headline the Friday, and are a surprise choice for some, but they have been playing dance music to a high-tempo rocking beat for a couple of decades, and are sure to provide a show to remember.
Black Sabbath Headline Download 2012
Black Sabbath are like the hammer house of horror of heavy metal. Naming themselves after a Boris Karloff film in the late 1960s, and bringing the aura of horror into British rock music like never before, they had a string of hits with their early albums: from Black Sabbath in 1970 to Sabotage in 1975.
They began to unravel then, and Ozzy Osbourne left in 1977. Osbourne initially flourished in his solo career, but couldn't produce more than two great albums. Black Sabbath produced some fantastic material with Ronnie James Dio, but after his departure they never found another suitable vocalist.
The original Black Sabbath briefly regrouped for concerts in the late-1990s, and again in the mid-2000s. This time they plan to record a full album of new material, and tour the world.
Metallica's Black Album
Metallica's Black album, also known as Metallica, as it was untitled and had a black cover, was the band's fifth studio album. Released in 1991, it is considered by many to be Metallica's transitional album, taking them away from their thrash metal roots and more into the mainstream.
The choice of Bob Rock as producer was key to this; although it proved to be a tempestuous relationship, there were six hit records from the album, and it is rightly considered a heavy metal classic.
The Prodigy
The Prodigy released five studio albums between 1992 and 2009. Martin James wrote that they first mixed guitars and beats on their second album, Music for a Jilted Generation (1994), and this took them into rock music venues for the first time.
A new Prodigy album is due in 2012.
Marc Latham - Doctor of Philosophy and experienced freelance writer searching for truth and meaning, and reporting it in clear and concise copy.
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