GZR

GZR is a band led by Black Sabbath bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler. The band has actually been marketed with three different names on the three releases they've had. In 1995, the band was marketed as g//z/r. In 1997, it was merely geezer, and in 2005, it was GZR. Most fans refer to the band as Geezer, although Butler himself refers to the band name as "gee-zed-R." ^{[citation needed]} This incarnation of the band is not to be confused with Geezer's previous attempt in 1985 to form a solo band, then known as The Geezer Butler Band - the two bands are totally separate.

The band's name is derived from the name of its creator: Terence "Geezer" Butler.

Pedro Howse, the guitarist in the band, is Geezer's nephew.

Band history

The music is generally of a much harder edge than Butler is known for in Black Sabbath. This isn't a surprise, as the vocalist on his first album (Plastic Planet) was Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory, who is known for more driving and harder edged vocals than ever was displayed in Black Sabbath. The album also featured Pedro Howse on guitar, as well as Deen Castronovo (of Journey fame) on drums. Bell did not stay with the band past the recording of Plastic Planet due to Fear Factory commitments. In 1996 the band re-emerged with an exclusive track for the Mortal Kombat: More Kombat compilation, entitled 'Outworld' and featuring Anger On Anger vocalist, Mario Frasca.

This proved to be a one-time collaboration and Frasca was replaced by Clark Brown from the band Symatic for their second album Black Science, released in 1997. The g//z/r formation did play a few live dates in 1997 behind the release of the album, however this was not a full fledged tour, most of these gigs were played concurrent to the Ozzfest tour of that year. The band opened for such folks as Bruce Dickinson, who was playing some live gigs at the time. Castronovo recorded, but did not play any of the live gigs. He was replaced on drums by Chad Smith (not to be confused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer with the same name).

After the handful of live gigs in 1997, the band was mostly put on ice, as Geezer was busy with various things Black Sabbath related for quite a while. Geezer eventually got back into the studio with the same lineup that played the live gigs from 8 years previous, and recorded their third album, Ohmwork, which was released on May 9, 2005. The band is currently working on a new record, and began recording in January 2011, according to Geezer Butler.

Discography

• 1995: Plastic Planet
• 1996: Cycle of Sixty/X13 EP
• 1996: Mortal Kombat: More Kombat (exclusive compilation contribution, 'Outworld')
• 1997: Black Science
• 2005: Ohmwork

The longtime bassist for the groundbreaking heavy metal outfit Black Sabbath, Terence "Geezer" Butler was born July 17, 1949, in Birmingham, England. As a teen he formed his first band, Rare Reed, with schoolmate John "Ozzy" Osbourne; in the fall of 1967, the two reunited in the blues quartet Polka Tulk, which also featured guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. After briefly re-christening themselves Earth, the foursome adopted the Black Sabbath moniker in early 1969, borrowing the name from a song written by Butler, a disciple of occult novelist Dennis Wheatley. While Black Sabbath's self-titled 1970 debut laid the foundations for their deafening, sludgy hard rock attack, the follow-up Paranoid was their creative and commercial breakthrough, selling four-million copies in the U.S. alone on the strength of fan favorites like "War Pigs," "Iron Man," and the title track; though Osbourne was the band's focal point, Butler wrote the songs' lyrics, drawing heavily upon his fascination with the black arts to explore recurring themes of death and destruction. During the latter half of the 1970s, Black Sabbath's popularity dwindled, and in 1979 Butler briefly left the band; his return to the lineup coincided with Osbourne's departure, although the group continued on with new frontman Ronnie James Dio. Butler again exited in mid-1984, forming the Geezer Butler Band before reuniting with Osbourne in 1987. Butler re-joined Sabbath for 1992's Dehumanizer, but again quit the group two years later; after another fling with Osbourne, he formed G/Z/R, issuing Plastic Planet in 1995. The solo Black Science followed in 1997.

Appears on

• "Mortal Kombat: Motion Picture Soundtrack" (1995) - performing "The Invisible"

Band members

Current members

• Geezer Butler - bass guitar, keyboards
• Pedro Howse - guitar
• Chad Smith - drums (2005–present)
• Clark Brown - vocals (1997–present)

Former members

• Deen Castronovo - drums (1995–1997)
• Burton C. Bell - vocals (1995) ("Plastic Planet")
• Mario Frasca - vocals (1996) (appearance only - "Outworld")
• Lisa Rieffel - vocals (2005) (appearance only - "Pseudocide")

External links

• Geezer Butler's homepage
• Geezer at Sanctuary Records
• Geezer at TVT Records