Sleep Token’s II speaks out on “reverence and great honour” of performing at Black Sabbath’s final show

Sleep Token‘s II has opened up about performing at Black Sabbath‘s forthcoming final gig, calling it a “reverence and great honour”.

• READ MORE: Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi tell us about Black Sabbath’s finale: “Usually this thing is done when you’re dead”

Yesterday (February 5), Black Sabbath announced their final-ever live show, which will take place in Birmingham on July 5. The band has also announced star-studded opening acts and special guests, which include the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, recent Grammy-winners Gojira and more.

Sleep Token were one of the acts in the massive line-up announced. In a rare note – considering that the band never really do interviews – the band’s drummer II has shared a statement about the gig on his official Instagram account.

“It is with reverence and great honour that I announce my participation in paying tribute to the legendary @blacksabbath at Villa Park Stadium. Taking place upon the hallowed grounds of Birmingham, UK on Saturday, July 5th, 2025,” he wrote.

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He continued: “A band whom from the beginning ignited my passion for heavy music and creation at its core. Eternal gratitude to @ozzyosbourne @sharonosbourne @tommorello and @andycoppingofficial for their gracious consideration.”

The Black Sabbath gig will see the iconic original line-up of  Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward on stage. The show will mark their first time playing live together in two decades, and come as the very last performance from the band and frontman. All profits will go to charities Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice – a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

Speaking to NME shortly after the announcement of the final Black Sabbath gig at Villa Park, Sharon Osbourne said that the band’s legacy was too profound for them to ever really be gone.

“You can’t say goodbye,” Ozzy’s wife and manager told NME. “Look at what they leave – it’s a huge, great body of work that they’ve left for the world. As long as you’ve got that, it’s never goodbye. It’s there for eternity.”

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She also admitted that Ozzy was currently feeling “very emotional” about the final show, and that it is “what he wants”. “He wants to say thank you to everybody. He didn’t have that chance because of his illness, but now he does have the chance.”

Sharon also revealed that the day is “a celebration – of the genre and the pioneers who started it and passed it on to all these bands. Usually this thing is done when you’re dead – so it’s nice that these guys can be alive to be appreciated!”

In other news, at the end of last year, Sleep Token’s mysterious masked vocalist Vessel took some time out during their gig at the O2 Arena to play on his Nintendo Switch console. They are also set to headline Download Festival for the first time this summer.

The post Sleep Token’s II speaks out on “reverence and great honour” of performing at Black Sabbath’s final show appeared first on NME.