After more than 20 years apart, Black Sabbath's original line-up hit the road again this week, breaking the laws of physical and musical longevity.

Frontman Ozzy Osbourne and his mates have embarked on a U.S. tour that will run through mid-February.

The tour will likely see the metal institution playing to a new generations of fans, many of whom weren't even born when the band released its first album in 1970. The trek, in support of the aptly titled "Reunion" album, scores a victory for the band over changing musical tastes and the tides that capsize many a career, a point not lost on Ozzy.

"What I'm proud of most is after all the water under the bridge, that we're all back together friendly and we're all getting on better than we ever have before," Osbourne told MTV News of his new work with his Sabbath brethren (guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward).

"We all learned a lot. We've all been through a lot, and we're all still alive... just

about. And we're going to go out and give the people who never got a chance to hear the original Black Sabbath perform an opportunity to see it."

The tour also sees the band winning a battle against the physical effects of time, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. Last year, as the band was rehearsing for its reunion tour, Ward suffered a mild heart attack forcing him to miss the band's run on the European leg of Ozzfest. Ward said that he wasn't about to let that setback keep him from getting behind the kit for Sabbath.

[article id="1439896"]"After I had the heart attack on May the 19, I wanted to go back into rehearsals on May the 20,"[/article] Ward told MTV News. [article id="1439896"]"The doctors told me that I'd had a heart attack, and that wouldn't be a wise idea. And all the fellas, and you know, some of the people involved with Black Sabbath probably wouldn't have gone for that idea either. But that's where my head was, with that, and to go

straight through whatever the problem was and to get back to playing A.S.A.P." [28.8 RealVideo][/article]

Ward is back in the saddle, and can be seen with the band at the following venues:

• 1/8 - San Jose, CA @ San Jose Arena
• 1/11 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena
• 1/12 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
• 1/14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
• 1/15 - Denver, CO @ McNichols Arena
• 1/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
• 1/19 - Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Horizon
• 1/22 - San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome
• 1/24 - Dallas, TX @ Reunion Arena
• 1/25 - Houston, TX @ Compaq Center
• 1/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Union Spectrum
• 1/29 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Pittsburgh Civic Arena
• 2/1 - Buffalo, NY @ Marine Midland Arena
• 2/3 - Boston, MA @ FleetCenter
• 2/5 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airline Arena
• 2/6 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
• 2/9 - Toronto, ON @ Toronto Skydome
• 2/11 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
• 2/12 - Dayton,

OH @ Ervin J. Nutter Center