Black Sabbath receives Birmingham Freedom of the City honor; early Earth recordings to be released

Black Sabbath was honored in their hometown of Birmingham, England, Saturday with the Freedom of the City award.

All four original members of the pioneering metal band — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — attended the ceremony, and received scrolls and medals from Birmingham’s lord mayor.

“The Freedom of the City honor is the [sic] one of the oldest traditional ceremonies in the country and recognizes people’s exceptional service to the city,” reads a post on Sabbath’s Instagram. “This honor recognizes Black Sabbath’s significance to the cultural and musical identity of Birmingham, their strong association with the city and continued influence as pioneers of heavy metal in both Birmingham and beyond.”

Black Sabbath will soon be rocking Birmingham during their Back to the Beginning reunion/farewell concert, taking place on Saturday. Those who aren’t attending the sold-out show can stream it online.

In other Black Sabbath-related news, the label Big Bear Records is releasing a compilation of the band’s early recordings from when their name was Earth. 

The release, titled The Legendary Lost Tapes 1969, is due out July 25 and is available to preorder now.