Black Sabbath Achieve First #1 U.S Album Ever with '13'

13" is proving to be a lucky number for Black Sabbath.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler have scored their first-ever U.S. #1 release in the legendary band's 45-year career with their album, 13. Produced by Rick Rubin and released June 11 on Vertigo/Republic, the album sold more than 155,000 copies in its first week, 100,000 more units than the #2 album on the Billboard album charts. The album also topped the charts in the U.K., Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland. Here are additional Top Five global chart positions, with more to come as international charts are finalized:Australia (#4), Austria (#2), Belgium (#5), and Ireland (#5).

"The news is absolutely amazing--we couldn't have imagined this would happen," says Tony Iommi. "We have the greatest fans."

"There have been so many amazing highlights in our long career," says Ozzy Osbourne. "To finally have our first #1 album in the U.S. is another incredible milestone for Black Sabbath. Thank you to all of our fans for their support and loyalty."

Geezer Butler says, "I'm absolutely stunned. Thank you all world wide for being the best, and most patient, fans ever."

Black Sabbath will launch a much-anticipated 20-city North American concert tour in support of 13. Kicking off July 25 in Houston, TX, the tour will include shows in Holmdel, NJ (NY-area), Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Tinley Park (Chicago), San Francisco, Seattle and Toronto, ON before wrapping up September 3. The Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will then head to South America and Mexico this fall, with tour dates in the U.K. and Europe to follow this winter.

For more than three decades, rock fans have hoped for the return of the original Black Sabbath, but few could have predicted the forceful return-to-form of 13, which was produced by seven-time Grammy-Award winning producer Rick Rubin. The band that defined the heavy metal rock genre pick up immediately where they left off, delivering eight sprawling songs (five of them are over eight minutes) that possess every ounce of the maniacal vitality of their trailblazing work in the '70s. On 13, BLACK SABBATH are joined by drummer Brad Wilk (Rage Against The Machine) on such epic songs like "God Is Dead?" (the album's first hit single) and "End of the Beginning" (the new single). 13 is a testament to the enduring relevance of BLACK SABBATH's long-running reign.

BLACK SABBATH's U.S. tour dates are as follows:

DATE CITY VENUE

Thu- Jul 25 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sat-Jul 27 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center

Mon-Jul 29 Tampa, FL Live Nation Amphitheatre

Wed-Jul 31 W. Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre

Fri-Aug 02 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live

Sun-Aug 04 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Tue-Aug 06 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Thu-Aug 08 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

Sat-Aug 10 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center

Mon-Aug 12 Boston, MA Comcast Center

Wed-Aug 14 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

Fri Aug 16 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Sun-Aug 18 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center

Thu-Aug 22 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena

Sat-Aug 24 Seattle, WA Gorge Amphitheatre

Mon-Aug 26 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View

Wed-Aug 28 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Fri-Aug 30 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center

Sun-Sep 01 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

Tue-Sep 03 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Sports Arena

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