HEAVY metal legends Black Sabbath are to reform for a huge show in the band’s home city of Birmingham.

The gig, at Villa Park, will feature the original Sabbath line-up of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – the first show the quartet will have played in 20 years.

The July 5 event, which organisers said will ‘celebrate the true creators of heavy metal’, will also feature Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.

It comes almost 60 years since Black Sabbath formed, in Birmingham in 1968, before going on to become one of the best-selling rock acts of all time – more than 75 million albums worldwide.

“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning,” Ozzy said. “Time for me to give back to the place where I was born.

“How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”

Rage Against The Machine guitarist, Tom Morello, is music director for the show, and said it was shaping up to be “the greatest heavy metal show ever”.

As well as a number of metal acts, the day-long gig will also feature a supergroup of musicians including the likes of Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan and Slash (Guns ‘n’ Roses), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde.

Organisers promised more names to be “announced shortly”, while tickets are set go on sale at 10am on Friday, February 14 via LiveNation.co.uk.

Profits from the show will go to a number of charities in and around the city, including Cure Parkinsons, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, which supported by Aston Villa Football Club.