Black Sabbath won't be scrapping their reunion plans. According to Rolling Stone, the members of Black Sabbath released a statement consisting of 54 words in response to Bill Ward's 1,504-word letter.
We have decided not to make any detailed comment on Bill's latest statement. There are two sides to every story. We have been working hard at rehearsals making excellent progress after Tony's treatments and we have engaged a substitute drummer for the forthcoming shows. See you at Download.
–Black Sabbath, 5/17/12
Many fans are probably wondering what will happen now and more importantly, who will replace Ward. Some speculate that former guest drummers will be the best bet. Both Mike Bordin and Vinny Appice have been speculated to replace Ward. The latter stated that no one has contacted him regarding the position. Unfortunately, as of now, no one got a clue who will be the drummer on the band's upcoming gig.
Black Sabbath will perform at the O2 Academy Birmingham, England this coming Saturday. Due to Tony Iommi's treatment, the band cancelled their summer tour a while back. However, you can still look forward to performances at the Download Festival in Derby, England and one more show on August 3rd at Lollapalooza in Chicago.