Drummer Bill Ward is keen to resolve his contractual issues with his estranged Black Sabbath bandmates because he has always had a blast rocking out with his old pals.

The veteran musician walked out on the group over payment issues just four days before its big comeback show in its native Birmingham, England in May (12).

In an open letter to fans, Ward hit out at frontman Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi for suggesting he had asked for too much money to be part of their 2012 get together, which included a performance at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, Illinois in August (12).

However, Ward insists he wants to find a longterm solution to the situation and reunite with his bandmates, because he misses playing with them.

In an interview on Vice.com, he says, "If there is some longevity with Black Sabbath, then I'd like to be part of it.

"I wanna play hard rock music. I wanna play loud drums. I love playing with Terry (Geezer Butler). I love playing with Oz. And I love playing with Tony. When Tony opens up with huge chords man, I still get the same shiver up my back that I did when we were 18-year-old kids."

And it appears Ward could get his wish sooner rather than later - in July (12), Osbourne admitted the door would always be open for the drummer to rejoin the band, with Iommi inviting him to call them to resolve the contract dispute.