Various Solo Project Updates

There are several small updates I have to post today.
Iommi Solo album update: Work progresses on the solo album. A three track demo now exists, and is being used to secure a record deal. The lineup on the solo album will be: Tony Iommi (guitars), Glenn Hughes (vocals and bass), Dave Holland (drums), & Don Airey (keyboards). Don played with Iommi before, as Don is the keyboardist on the 1978 Sabbath album “Never Say Die”. Hughes sang on 86’s “Seventh Star”, and Dave Holland is known from his days in Judas Priest, and was brought in by a suggestion from Hughes. No word on a release date yet, though. :(
Ward Solo album update: Bill Ward’s new solo album “When the Bough Breaks” has been done since April, but he’s without a record deal to release it! Hopefully this will see the light of day soon. Even though Ward wrote all the music & lyrics, he doesn’t actually play any drums on it (damn).
G//Z/R back in studio: Geezer Butler’s G//Z/R project is back in the studio again working on a new album. He’s again using Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell to sing vocals. No word on the other band positions.
Tony Martin Out of Sabbath: That header pretty much sums it up. This is a shame, as I really liked Martin, and was confident he would return after the solo album. Sabbath management says simply “no comment” when asked whether he was fired or quit on his own. More on this later. I can say this. He is not being replaced by Rob Halford. The Rob Halford exploration with Iommi for the solo album is over. Halford will not be the next lead singer in Black Sabbath.
(Perhaps one of the two people who have written to him in the past could do so again inquiring about this situation?)
Bobby Rondinelli is rehearsing again with Sun Red Sun, a band he was in with Ray Gillen before Bobby joined Sabbath, and after Ray had quit. No word on whether Bobby has officially quit Sabbath or not (since Bobby was the current drummer last time Sabbath was active).
Cozy Powell and Neil Murray are currently working with (and on tour with) Peter Green(of Fleetwood Mac fame)’s new project Peter Green & The Splinter Group.
Thanks to Pete Scott & Southern Cross in addition to Alexander Rack for help with this info.