Tonight (Feb. 4) in their hometown of Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath play what appears to be their final show ever as they conclude their lengthy ‘The End’ tour. It’s one of the most heart-wrenching days in heavy metal’s history, which stretches back to 1970 when Sabbath released their eponymous debut, altering the course of music forever — and for the better.

Their influence is undeniable in the purest sense of the word as every heavy music act, rock or metal, are indebted to Birmingham’s innovators. The godfathers of metal, Sabbath’s fingerprints are everywhere and we caught up with some of the band’s metal peers as they reflected on the finality of Black Sabbath.

“I never say goodbye,” says Anthrax bassist Frank Bello. “Number one, I can’t imagine a world without Sabbath, so I never say goodbye because I’ll always pray and I’ll be bugging Geezer Butler for this about a one-off show somewhere and hopefully that we’ll be able to see somewhere. So, I never say never because Sabbath is forever.”

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