The second-worst-kept secret reunion in music was confirmed at 11:11 a.m. PST today as Black Sabbath's original members — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward — finally confirmed that they are reuniting for a new Rick Rubin-produced album and a long tour in 2012. The band made the announcement at a special press conference at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go, where Sabbath played their first Los Angeles gig on this date (11/11) in 1970. So far, the band has booked only one concert -- England's Download Festival on June 10, 2012 -- but they'll embark on a massive trek after that. "It's like putting on an old glove. It's fantastic," Iommi said of the reunion.
However, Black Sabbath rejoins Ozzy onstage every five years or so — Ozzy last played with his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bandmates in 2006 — so the real headline about this reunion is the fact that they're working on a new album together; Black Sabbath's last LP with Osbourne was 1978's Never Say Die! "When I've sat with them and they've played, it sounds remarkably like Black Sabbath. As long as it sounds like that," Rubin said at the Black Sabbath press conference, which you can read highlights from on Twitter. What better way to celebrate Nigel Tufnel Day than with the reunion of the greatest (real) heavy metal band ever.