GEEZER BUTLER

Plastic Planet/Black Science/Ohmwork

BMG

What the Sabbath bassist did on his holidays

as co-founder, bassist and lyricist of the trailblazing Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler had long since attained rock god immortality. So more than a few eyebrows were raised when, with Sabbath on hiatus, Geezer risked his hard-earned credibility by teaming up with Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell to form a side-band known originally as . Teamed with Butler’s thunderous bass, the hiring of Bell and his instantly recognisable voice was a masterstroke. Released in ’95,   fused brutal Pantera-style grooves with crisp FF/Ministry-flavoured textures and more familiarsounding moments such as the doomy It turned out to be a highly credible debut, suggesting that an old dog be taught contemporary tricks after all.