“Down In Flames”, the first video from DEADLAND RITUAL, the new band featuring bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH), guitarist Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N’ ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA), can be seen below. The song, which was produced by Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT) was released via Sonik Riot Records/AWAL powered by Kobalt.

DEADLAND RITUAL is the brainchild of Sorum, who stated about the band’s formation: “Steve and Franky were the first guys I called. We knew we wanted to create a heavier rock sound, but when I contacted Geezer and he agreed to play, I knew this could be a great band. Not long after we connected with producer Greg Fidelman, DEADLAND RITUAL was born.”

Butler said about his involvement in the project: “I was working on a new solo album when this came to light. It was appealing for me to work in a band environment because that’s what I’m used to, so [it] feels really natural. I’m really looking forward to playing shows with these guys.”

Stevens talked about his first studio session with Butler, explaining: “There’s a lot of times in the studio as a guitar player, you get a guitar sound and you’re trying to make it work, tweaking it. There was none of that bullshit. It just fit against his bass sound and it was really exciting to me. I get to hear my guitar against a bass guitarist that I’ve idolized forever.”

DEADLAND RITUAL will make two European summer festival appearances next June — Download in the U.K on June 14 and Hellfest in France on June 22. Prior to those concerts, they will continue writing and recording, releasing singles along the way and perhaps a full-length album. According to a press release, the live shows “will be something special, mixing the original material with deeper cuts from their collective past.”

After BLACK SABBATH played its final show in February 2017, Butler admitted: “I felt relief that it was all over, that it was done with, that we’d done a good show, and quite sad in a way to think that we’d never do it again. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, actually. It just felt right. We’ve been around for 49 years now, and it’s time to call it a day.”

In a 2017 interview with Billboard, Butler spoke about his post-BLACK SABBATH plans, saying: “I’m not in a hurry to do anything… I’m traveling a lot, seeing the places [the band] only stayed for one night and going back and spending some time there. We’ve recently moved house this year and I’m going to be building my home studio, but it’s taken me ages. Next year I’ll see if I can get back into music.”

Last year, Butler told Rolling Stone that he had “about 120 riffs written down” for his next musical project, adding that he just needed “to pick a guitarist and sort through them.”

Butler‘s last solo album, “Ohmwork”, which was released under the band name GZR, sold less than 900 copies during its first week of release back in May 2005, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Geezer‘s first project under the GZR banner was 1995’s “Plastic Planet”. 1997’s “Black Science”, which was credited to GEEZER, featured vocalist Clark Brown, who also performed on “Ohmwork”.

A founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Butler is also the lyricist of such SABBATH classics as “War Pigs”, “Iron Man”, “Paranoid” and others.

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net