Original Sabbath drummer Bill Ward isn't taking part in the reunion that features original frontman Ozzy Osbourne, Iommi and Geezer Butler, after he was unable to come to contractual terms with the band.

The band finally settled on former Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk to record the drums on the album. But it was previously disclosed that producer Rick Rubin wanted Cream's Ginger Baker, to play drums in the band but Iommi reportedly rejected the idea. We now learn that Iommi had another famed drummer in mind, Carl Palmer.

"Tony and I did talk when they were looking for drummers to make the album and he put me forward," Palmer told WENN. "I couldn't do it because I was off with Asia, we were touring and then something else came up. I couldn't have done it but I would have loved to. It just wasn't on the cards."

Palmer told the site that he is hoping to attend Black Sabbath's upcoming hometown show in Birmingham, England that will be taking place in December and he likes the idea of performing with a band like Sabbath.

He said, "I was classically trained but basically I'm a rock drummer and I've never been in a true out-and-out guitar band like Black Sabbath, where it's just big riffs – very simple but very dynamic… It would be extremely invigorating.

"The older I get the more I appreciate that music… I was late to come to heavy metal. Asia had a bit of that but we were a little bit more corporate rock and melodic."