LONDON: Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward gave heavy rock fans fresh hope by telling a local newspaper that the door for a reunion is “wide open”.

The original Sabbath line-up parted company three years ago after a brief reunion — and Ward insists that he, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi haven’t given up on ideas to get back together, reported contactmusic.com.

Ward tells Britain’s Shropshire Star newspaper, “I have an open mind when it comes to Sabbath. We just haven’t done anything for the last three years. But the door’s wide open. Playing, doing anything with the original band... Ozzy and I have maintained our relationship. Nobody’s far from each other.”