The North American release of Geezer Butler’s planned book, ‘Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond,’ is scheduled for June 6. The bassist spoke with the “Far Beyond Metal” podcast prior to this occasion to discuss his tenure with Black Sabbath and the period when Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne.
When questioned about if it was odd to see various persons on stage throughout the interview, the bassist responded:
“It was at first when Dio came in. ‘Cause Ozzy would be running all over the stage and getting clapping, getting everybody up. Ronnie was much more serious, more into his – putting his personality over kind of thing.”
Butler eventually warmed up to Dio and the enthusiasm he brought to the band despite his initial oddness. He even noted how the late vocalist and drummer Vinny Appice gave Black Sabbath fresh life amid a trying moment in a subsequent interview with Billboard in 2021.
The bass player said:
“[Ronnie and Vinny] brought massive enthusiasm back to the band. We were on our last legs kind of thing after Ozzy went. We were almost thinking about breaking up. But Ronnie brought incredible enthusiasm with him; He could play guitar and bass and put over his ideas instrumentally as well as vocally.
He was brilliant to write with, too…Vinny was the same way. Ronnie knew him and asked him to come down and rehearse with us, and he fitted in straight away, so we carried on.”