This Week's Top stories

Here are the top stories from this week's Day in Rock and the top Day in Rock digest stories

Zakk Wylde Challenges Fan To A Fight

Some fans have gotten under Zakk Wylde's skin on Twitter. Fans, including one particular person named George, were upset when the Black Label Society were rained out during a stop on Ozzfest and posted some complaints online.

Zakk fired back in true Zakk fashion with a call for a fight with the fan named George. The Metal Den has collected some of the most standout "tweets" from Zakk. Here are a few that involved George.

Zakk posted a message telling fans to be mad at the Ozzfest production people and then posted, "How do you think it felt for us … We showed up Ready To DESTROY… NJ N BOSTON… Btw.. Come up to my face n call me a pussy…" Followed a short time later by "George I don't know if you've noticed . I'm not a 101LB. Guitar Player….can't wait to see how TOUGH you really R." - more on this story

Metallica Confirm Big Four DVD Release

News of the Big Four hitting your living room leaked out via online retailers last week but we now have official confirmation from Metallica that their historic gig with Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax is set for release on DVD and Blu-ray and they even confirmed the release dates. Here what Metallica had to say:

From Bulgaria to your local theatre to your living room or wherever you might enjoy a little live metal on the screen... You may have heard us say something about a DVD at the end of the satellite broadcast or read it in the internet rumor mill . . . it's true, there will be a DVD release of the Big 4 show from Sofia, Bulgaria!! We had such an awesome time hanging with Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer and the cameras were already rolling, so why not?

Here's the scoop: The DVD hits the streets on October 15 in Northern Europe, October 18 in most of the rest of the world, October 19 in North America and the full shows from all four bands will be included in the two disc set along with behind the scenes and interview footage. In addition to the two DVD set and the corresponding Blu-ray, there will be a limited edition "super deluxe" box set including the DVD set, five CD's with ALL the music, a 24 page booklet, a poster, photos of each band, and a Big 4 guitar pick. - more on this story

Bun E Out of Cheap Trick?

Bun E Carlos hasn't officially left Cheap Trick but he has stopped touring with them and now we learn that he is not playing on the band's new album. Rock Radio reports: New blood in the Cheap Trick lineup may have spurred the band into working harder than they've done in over a decade. Bassist Tom Petersson says they're already close to completing the follow-up to 2009's album The Latest – but the question is, who'll play drums on the record?

In March this year sticksman Bun E Carlos retired from touring after a bout of ill-health, although he officially remains a member of the band. But as Petersson comments, Cheap Trick tend to record while they're out on the road, which means album tracks could feature guitarist Rick Nielsen's son Dax behind the kit.

"We were just in Los Angeles and we came up with 10 ideas that are very strong contenders. That's how it works now – we just do it as it happens. When opportunities come up we just put ideas together. Once you get 10 or 12 strong things, wow, we have the record," Petersson tells Billboard.com. "We do the majority of our recording as we work on the road. We go into studio here or there, or do something at sound checks. It's kind of like, if you're in the room you're on the record." - more on this story

Behemoth Singer Fighting Cancer

Last week Behemoth frontman Nergal (real name Adam Darski) confirmed rumors that he is suffering from a serious illness. Rock Radio now reports: the serious illness he previously refused to identify is leukaemia – and the disease has developed so far that chemotherapy can't help him.

The extreme metal outfit from Poland recently cancelled all touring plans as Nergal confirmed he needed immediate medical attention. Now it's been revealed his fiancee Doda has donated bone marrow, although it's not yet known whether her DNA will match his.

Last week Nergal said: "I take my sickness at face value so I can understand and learn more. Most illnesses like mine are healed by positive thinking – I don't rely on faith, but on belief in myself. But let's just say this is a very strong enemy." - more on this story

Gene Simmons Struck Out With Candye Kane

That headline get your attention? It's a true story and you can read all about it below, but first the whole reason for that quote: Celebrated blues diva Candye Kane, recent cancer survivor and 2010 nominee for the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award, becomes the final name player added to the upcoming tribute album "Whole Lotta Love: An All-Star Salute To Fat Chicks."

The voluptuous and curvaceous Candye appears courtesy of her size-positive original recording "You Need A Great Big Woman," as showcased on the Lifetime network and "The Maury Povich Show." This guitar-laden swing rocker features the incomparable Ms. Kane belting out the benefits of loving a large and luscious lady like herself. A sample of the song is now available at the official "Whole Lotta Love" MySpace page.

Candye is one of but few women on the roster, which consists largely of members of such hard rock bands as Quiet Riot, Cinderella, Twisted Sister, Danger Danger and L.A. Guns performing songs about plus-sized women like her. Despite her minimal association with the genre, she does recall an encounter she once had with Kiss bassist Gene Simmons (who has publicly acknowledged his own appreciation of full-bodied women). "Even though I'm honored to be included here, I'm not normally in the company of rockers," admits Kane. "I think the closest I got was back in the '80s when Gene Simmons hit on me! This was when I was recording my first album and he was producing some Japanese band (EZO) in the same studio. I turned him down, so I'm probably one of the few women who can say that! Back then I was more into country music so I said, 'Maybe if you were Dwight Yoakam!' I'm sure he wasn't accustomed to hearing that!" - more on this story

Megadeth Rust in Preview

Sitting on the fence on whether to pick up the forthcoming Megadeth Rust In Peace Live Blu-ray, DVD and CD when it hits stores on September 7th?

How about a preview to help you make your decision? A free preview of the upcoming release has been posted online. You can check out a video clip of "Holy Wars…The Punishment Due" captured on the final night of Megadeth's historic Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Dave Mustaine formed the band in 1983 here

Rust In Peace Live marks the return of original bassist David Ellefson (Megadeth 1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group after eight years. Ellefson (bass) joins Mustaine (lead vocals, guitar), Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar). - more on this story

Phree Phish Phor Phans

Phish will be giving ticket buyers free copies of live concerts on their upcoming fall tour.

Phish will launch its 2010 Fall Tour on October 10th with the first of three consecutive nights at the new 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, CO. In a first for the band, Phish will be giving ticket buyers free MP3 copies of each gig after it happens via http://LivePhish.com.

After the Colorado concerts, Phish will head to the East Coast for a series of dates that will include with the band's first-ever shows in Atlantic City, NJ. Phish's Halloween concerts are legendary, and this year's at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall will coincide with the closing night of the tour. - more on this story

Geezer Wants One Big Final Black Sabbath Tour

(The Metal Den) Geezer Butler wants to get back together with the original lineup Black Sabbath, consisting of him, vocalist John "Ozzy" Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, for at least one more tour.

"It'd be just nice to do one final, big Sabbath tour because we didn't really play that many places when we got together for the last reunion (in 2005)," Butler said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press.

"We've never played Japan as the original band and we haven't played Australia since the '70s. There's a lot of places in eastern Europe that didn't even exist when we were going the first time around, so there's loads of places we'd like to play as the original band. So hopefully we'll do it."

"It'd be nice to do the tour while we're still alive. - more on this story

Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos Details

Columbia Records have announced the details of Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos.

They will be released on Tuesday, October 19th, in conjunction with Columbia/Legacy's release of the artist's first eight long-playing albums in a box set titled Bob Dylan – The Original Mono Recordings.

Both sets have been long sought-after by collectors and fans worldwide, with The Witmark Demos seeing their first commercial release nearly five decades after they were first recorded, and The Original Mono Recordings returning to the marketplace for the first time ever on Compact Disc, as well as on fully analogue 180-gram vinyl. - more on this story

Collective Soul, Tonic, Five For Fighting, Gin Blossoms Live in the Ballpark

Collective Soul, Five For Fighting, Gin Blossoms, Green River Ordinance and Tonic will be Live in the Ballpark on October 22nd and 23rd at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Tx. Here are some details for the event:

Friday night, Oct. 22, multi-platinum artist John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting will take the stage acoustic on the pitcher's mound to perform his hit songs "Superman," "100 Years," his new hit "Slice" and more for a very private and exclusive dinner benefiting the City of Hope.

This event will feature premium Napa Wineries pouring tastings of their famous wines from familiar names like Silver Oak, Trefethen, Trinchero, Miner, Faust, and many more. - more on this story

Pearl Jam To Celebrate 20th Anniversary With Neil Young

Pearl Jam celebrate their 20th anniversary this year and instead of the usual nostalgia tour or reissue campaign, the band plans to play a special charity gig instead.

Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard tells Billboard that the band will take part in Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, Calif. on Oct. 23 and 24.

"The only thing we've got going on in October is Bridge School, which is really special," Gossard told Billboard while in New York to support the new album by his side-band, Brad. "So that's our 20th anniversary, which is fitting. It's perfect: not too blown up. It's not about us, it about all those kids that are on stage with you and about Neil Young and his commitment, his influence." - Read the full Billboard report here

Ronnie Wood Solo Album Preview Online

We previously told you that Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood will be releasing his star-studded new solo album, I Feel Like Playing, on September 28th via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Today we are happy to tell you that Ronnie is giving fans their first preview of the album with the posting of the song "Lucky Man" online!

Before we shoot you over to check out the song, here is a little reminder that special guests on the album include Slash, Flea, Eddie Vedder, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Kris Kristofferson, and more. - have a listen here

Free Opeth

Opeth are giving fans a free download of "Dirge For November" to promote the September 21st DVD release of In Live Concert at Royal Albert Hall.

The performance at London's Royal Albert Hall (recorded on the 5th of April, 2010) includes two sets, the first consisting of the band performing 2000's now-classic, breakthrough epic, Blackwater Park in its entirety, and the second, a chronologically arranged selection of material from the rest of Opeth's extensive catalogue, totaling almost three hours of music.

It is, like the rest of Opeth's greatest work, "purposefully warped in all the right places" (Decibel). The front cover artwork concept pays tribute to Deep Purple´s Concerto for Group and Orchestra, underlining the band's longstanding love for their prog-rock roots. - grab the free song here

Pete Yorn Album Release Celebrations

Pete Yorn will have a bi-coastal celebration for the release of his new, self-titled album with shows at intimate venues in Los Angeles and New York, a return visit to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and a first time appearance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon."

The singer-songwriter-guitarist will play Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre on Monday, September 27th - the eve of the album's release on Vagrant Records - and perform on "The Ellen Show" on Thursday, September 30th.

He'll play the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on October 5th and appear on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on October 7th. Then Yorn will head to Texas to play the Lady Bird Lake Stage at the Austin City Limits Festival on October 9th. - more on this story

Gwar To Rape Hobbits With NOFX, Megadeth and Dropkick Murphys

Gwar are heading to Australia and New Zealand for the first time where they will join NOFX, Megadeth, Dropkick Murphys and a host of other bands for the "No Sleep Til" Tour.

"We are going to rape the sh*t out of some hobbits," declared GWAR "singer", Oderus Urungus. "And I don't even care if they are humans dressed up in hobbit costumes, that sh*t turns me on..."

Gwar's new album, "Gwar's Bloody Pit of Horror" comes out this November on Metal Blade Records in the U.S., AFM in Europe, and distributed by King Records in Asia. - more on this story

The Funeral Pyre Fatal Accident Statement

The Funeral Pyre have issued a statement about the fatal van accident they were involved earlier this month where Early Graves' vocalist Makh Daniels was killed.

Here is the statement: "Sometimes, you go through a life altering situation. That's how these past two weeks have been for all involved in The Funeral Pyre. But through all of that, we have managed to talk about the current situation of the band. While nobody in our group was hurt seriously, there are still some injuries that did happen. Currently, we're all trying to just regroup and stay positive about the band and our future.

"Now while we all need time to just reflect on what has happened, we also had to come to a decision about what we will be doing. We will continue to tour and to write records. Although this has been a difficult time for all of us, we know that continuing to make music is something we have to do. - more on this story

Unreleased Pantera Song Preview

Two big pieces of news for Pantera fans about their upcoming "Cowboys From Hell" 20th Anniversary editions.

First off, Pantera will be premiering the previously unreleased track, "The Will To Survive" (which was recorded during The Cowboys sessions) on their Facebook page at Noon EST on August 30th. The track is included on the Ultimate and Deluxe Editions of the 20th Anniversary reissue.

Secondly, Rhino has moved the release date of the 20th Anniversary Ultimate limited edition box set to Nov 22. The Expanded and Deluxe editions are still set to be released on September 14th. (preorder links available below along with more details). - more on this story

100 Greatest Artists Of All Time?

Greatest lists of anything are sure to spark controversy since they are so subjective and there is a new list that is sure to make some spark fly. Strangely the band with the biggest selling album (by a band) in American history is missing from vh1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time." But the list does include the likes of LL Cool J and Justin Timberlake (it is vh1 after all).

Apparently the list was derived by a poll of well-known music artists and [so-called] music experts in the industry. And the cable network will count down what they are calling the "definitive" list during a four night special starting on Monday, September 6 at 10/9c with a 2-hour premiere.

According to the press release, 'over 200 musicians including Alicia Keys, Ozzy Osbourne, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Iggy Pop, Nas, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Geddy Lee (Rush), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Michael Diamond (Beastie Boys), Daryl Hall, John Oates, Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Gene Simmons (KISS), Adam Levine (Maroon Five), 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, Mandy Moore, Carrie Underwood, Adam Clayton (U2) and many more voted on who they believe deserves this highly coveted title.' At least Diddy and Clay Aiken didn't wind up on the final list [and really does anyone really consider Diddy a musician?]. - more on this story

Godmack Tour Dates Announced

Yesterday we told you that Five Finger Death Punch were hitting the road with Godsmack on The Oracle Tour. FFDP only had a handful of dates announced but Godsmack followed up with what looks to be the full tour itinerary. Here is their adjective filled announcement:

Godsmack will bruise, batter and bludgeon their path across the United States with a fall tour in support of their chart-topping fifth studio album, The Oracle.

This headline run commences in Hollywood, FL at Hard Rock Live on September 28, 2010 with Five Finger Death Punch giving the band support on various dates. - more on this story

Bon Jovi Premiere New Song

Bon Jovi premiered a brand new song, "What's Do You Got," on their website yesterday. The track is one of four new songs which will appear on their new Greatest Hits album, which hits stores on November 9th.

"Music marks milestones in all our lives," notes frontman Jon Bon Jovi. "These songs have stood the test of time and they remind us all where we came from, even as we keep our eyes towards the future."

According to the release, the album will come in two versions. Here are the details: Bon Jovi Greatest Hits will be a 16-song single disc chock full of the band's biggest chart-toppers including "Livin' On A Prayer," "Always," "It's My Life," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "Who Says You Can't Go Home." Two new songs, including lead single "What Do You Got?," round out the tracklisting. "What Do You Got?" will hit radio airwaves globally at the end of August. - more on this story

Experience Hendrix Again This Fall

U.S. Fans will be able to Experience Hendrix again this fall. Canadian fans are in for a first time experience with the announcement of the next Experience Hendrix Tour.

Here is the official word including dates: For the first time in its history, Experience Hendrix, the concert tour that has wowed audiences revisiting the music and inspiration of Jimi Hendrix featuring an all-star line up of music greats will be re-launched within a single calendar year. The Experience Hendrix tour crisscrossed the country this past March for a string of sold-out concerts and will return with a new set of U.S. and -- for the first time -- Canadian dates this October and November.

Featured artists performing music associated with the legacy of Jimi Hendrix include some of the best known and highly regarded names in contemporary rock and blues including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Susan Tedeschi, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Steve Vai, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Eric Johnson, Ernie Isley, Living Colour, Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and The Slide Brothers a/k/a Chuck and Darick Campbell of Sacred Steel. Fender Musical Instruments Corp. is the tour's lead sponsor as was the case with last spring's Experience Hendrix tour. Participating sponsors also include Dunlop Effects Pedals, Marshall Amplifiers and Mapex Drums. - more on this story

Bruce Springsteen Plans Massive Box Set

Bruce Springsteen fans mark your calendars for November 16th. That's the day you'll be able to pick up The Boss's new massive box set edition of the classic 1978 album, Darkness on the Edge of Town. Gibson reports: According to a press release, the package will include a remastered version of the original album, two discs of rare and unreleased songs, a 1978 concert, a 2009 live performance of Darkness, a collection of concert footage from '76-'78 and a documentary about the making of the album. More than six hours of film and two hours of music will be contained on three CDs and three DVDs (or Blu-ray discs) when the set hits stores and online retailers on November 16.

"Darkness was my 'samurai' record, stripped to the frame and ready to rumble... But the music that got left behind was substantial," Springsteen writes in the set's liner notes. The bonus discs will feature the never-before-released songs "Someday (We'll Be Together)," "The Brokenhearted," "Save My Love," "Ain't Good Enough For You," "It's a Shame" and "The Little Things (My Baby Does)." Also included: the rock version of "Racing in the Street" and original takes of "Fire" and "Because the Night." The two-disc set of rarities also will be available as a stand-alone release.

A documentary about the album – titled The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town – will make its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 14 and be shown on HBO on October 7. It will also be part of this set, along with a full, 26-song concert shot in Houston, Texas, in 1978 and an assortment of vintage footage. - more on this story

Iron Maiden Top The Charts in 21 Countries

Iron Maiden have topped the charts in 21 countries around the globe and also earned their highest charting position in the U.S. with their new album, The Final Frontier.

Their UK label issued the following statement about the achievement: EMI Records is proud of their 30 year, career long involvement with Iron Maiden and the astonishing first week global chart success of the band's fifteenth studio album, The Final Frontier, which was released on EMI Records worldwide on August 16. (excluding USA, released by Ume on August 17)

Iron Maiden have more than earned their status as one of the foremost contemporary and influential rock bands in the world as they debut at #1 in the UK (their fourth No 1 album here, the first being 1982's seminal The Number of the Beast album) and 20 other countries to date with The Final Frontier. - more on this story

Soundgarden Star Clarifies Homeless Story

Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd made headlines when he told Spin he lives "Nowhere. Literally. I've been sleeping on studio couches and at friends' houses. I'm totally broke." Now he wants to clarify that statement after seeing headlines declaring him homeless.

He posted the following message on the band's official site: "I feel the banner saying that I am homeless was merely a sensationalizing stunt done by workers at Spin magazine to sell their story, or make it seem more exciting than it actually is. It makes me feel embarrassed for the truly homeless people to be associated at all in any way with the likes of me. I seem to have been lucky, as most of you, in never having to survive day to day (on the streets) anyway.

"Furthermore, my friends and family have always been by my side so I have never gone without love, care, food, compassion, and understanding. I would actually like to thank whatever editor that played this hand for helping once again bring to light the subject of the homeless and uncared for human beings of this dangerously bleak world. I humbly ask for whoever reads this to realize we are all in this together, and try to just remember that once in a while and not only at some convenient time. - more on this story

Anthrax Preparing Next Album

Anthrax have begun writing and rehearsing for their next album which is expected out in early 2011. It looks like at least half of it will be material the band recorded for their unreleased album with Dan Nelson, who parted ways with the group in 2009 before the band re-reunited with Joey Belladonna.

"We've got an unusual luxury of hindsight," Ian explained. "We finished an album more than a year ago, we've lived with those 12 songs since then, and we can look back on them and see what we really love and what we can make even better, especially with Joey back in the fold. On these U.S. dates, we'll have a portable rig with us so we can work on the songs during any down time, and get everything to the point where we'll be ready to get into the studio as soon as possible."

Added Benante, "There are five or six songs from a year ago that we don't want to change, we love them the way they are, other than having Joey making them his own with his vocals. Then there's another five or six that we may want to rework, and then there are a bunch of other tunes that are still in the early stages, that we want to finish." - more on this story

Jimmy Page Announces $691 Book

Rock autobiographies are all the rage these days and one person we have not yet heard from is Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page. The wait goes on, but he is releasing his first ever published book on September 27th through Genesis Publications. But it will cost you a whole lotta cash! Try $691.

Nightwatcher reports: Genesis Publications and Jimmy Page have spent two years together sifting through thousands of photographs to produce a final and definitive edit that includes a mixture of iconic portraits, rare and unseen images and photographs from Jimmy's own archive.

Jimmy Page: "I've really got a lot of time for the way Genesis produce their books, they're really quality items. As someone who's always been interested in having a library themselves, I appreciate fine bookbinding and their whole ethic of what they do and what they're trying to do with a whole catalogue of books." - more on this story

Frank Zappa Day Announced

It's official. There will be a Frank Zappa Day. Here is the announcement: Details were announced today on a full weekend of events to take place in Baltimore on September 18-19, in support of the City's dedication of a sculpture to legendary musician, composer and social icon, Frank Zappa.

As part of the celebrations, the Mayor's office will issue a proclamation moving 'Frank Zappa Day' to September 19, a date significant because it marks the anniversary of Zappa's 1985 testimony on Capitol Hill in favor of free expression by recording artists at the Senate hearing instigated by members of the PMRC concerning censorship and record labeling.

In addition, the stretch of Eastern Avenue between Conkling and Eaton Streets in Highlandtown will be marked 'Frank Zappa Way' with a ceremonial street sign to be unveiled for the dedication. Most of the events, including the outdoor dedication and free concert, will take place along this stretch of Eastern Avenue in the heart of the Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment District. Fresh off an international tour, Frank Zappa's son Dweezil and his band Zappa Plays Zappa will headline the concert on Sunday afternoon. - more on this story

Heaven & Hell Is Finished

Geezer Butler is still mourning the loss of his Heaven and Hell / Black Sabbath bandmate Ronnie James Dio and is considering what the future might hold for him musically. Here are some excerpts of a conversation he had with Exclaim.ca. "We're all just on hold since Ronnie passed away," Geezer told Exclaim.ca. "We did a tribute concert for his cancer fund a bit ago and that's about it. We're just wondering what to do next."

"Everything was going so well and then that happened," he continues. "It was one of those things when he was responding really well to treatment and everyone was feeling positive again. The tour was going ahead again and Ronnie felt up for it [and] was looking forward to the tour. About six weeks before that, it came back with a vengeance and hit him really hard."

Thrown into a state of turmoil, Butler admits that Heaven & Hell are no more and the future of Sabbath continues to remain uncertain. "It's really difficult because it's obviously never happened to us before. It's difficult to know what to do, especially at our age. We're not sure. Do we start all over again? We're just gonna see how it goes. That's the thing. He's a very close friend of of mine, as well as someone I work with. It's a big part of my life gone. [Are we] getting a singer in and that kind of thing? ... It'll sort itself out eventually, I suppose [but] Heaven & Hell is finished. It could only ever be with Ronnie. I'd still like to carry on with Tony and Vinnie doing something, but it won't be as Heaven & Hell." - more on this story

U2 At A Crossroads Following Disappointing Album

Rock Radio has the following report that should be of interest to U2 fans: U2 are struggling to choose between four very different albums for their next release, singer Bono admits. And they're aware they have to be more straightforward with a new record after the relative failure of last year's offering.

Bono tells Rolling Stone: "No Line on the Horizon is not very accessible, lyrically or musically. We put out a really difficult record – I have to admit that. If I was a teenager, it would be like a European movie. It's arthouse."

There are a number of options for the follow-up, he explains: "Songs of Ascent, which is the meditative work that was meant to complement No Line on the Horizon. We've also got a rock album and a club-sounding album. Then we have the Spider-Man musical stuff." - more on this story

Blink-182's Travis Barker Recruits Big Names For New Album

Travis Barker has recruited some big name stars for his new solo project. But these big names don't rock. Gibson reports: Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker is preparing to release a new solo album. But fans expecting the pop punk of Barker's day-job band will be in for a surprise. Keeping with the tone of his more hip-hop oriented side projects, Transplants and Expensive Taste, Barker has recruited some of the biggest names in rap and hip-hop.

XXL magazine is reporting that collaborators will include Eminem (fresh off his own chart-topping album, Recovery), Lil Wayne and the ubiquitous Snoop Dogg. Also making guest appearances are Drake, T.I., The Game, Pharrell Williams, RZA, Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross, The Cool Kids and Clipse.

Fans of Blink 182 needn't worry, though. The band has a host of European dates still on the slate, including Chiemsee Rocks in Germany, the Paris Rock En Seine Festival, and the Reading Festival in England. - more on this story

Ozzy Recruits Son for New Video

Ozzy's next video will be a family affair. hennemusic has the story and a preview: A trailer – not the video – but a trailer, for Ozzy Osbourne's latest single, "Life Won't Wait," has surfaced.

Ozzy's son, Jack, is directing the new video, shot mostly at Ozzy's home as well as locations around L.A.

The track comes from Ozzy's latest album, "Scream". While we await for the actual video, see what's it's all about - here

Sebastian Bach Rules Out Skid Row Reunion, Compares Himself To Robert Plant

Sebastian Bach drew a comparison between himself and Robert Plant. There is a legit context to it, so read this report from Gibson: Speaking recently on Orlando's Real Radio 104.1, Sebastian Bach fielded a series of questions about whether or not he was interested in reuniting with his ex-bandmates, who are still touring under the Skid Row moniker.

"Let me answer it as honestly as I can," said Bach. "You're talking about when Skid Row was last good – we broke up in '96, but I don't even count that – I would say '91 was when we were last really a good band. I just don't live in 1991 in 2010, and I'm talking about four other guys that I haven't seen in 15 years." He continued, "I think of Skid Row the same way you might think of picking up your high school yearbook. You have affection for what happened 30 years ago, but you look at the yearbook and you go, 'Oh, cool,' and you shut it, and it's today. I don't know those people."

Bach went on to compare himself with another leonine frontman, albeit one of a slightly different stature: "Robert Plant can't go anywhere without hearing, 'Hey, why don't you do Led Zeppelin?' 'Cause it's not in his heart. Raising Sand, with Alison Krauss, is who Robert Plant is. He's not squeezing the lemon juice down his leg at the age of 65. And I'm not the 'Youth Gone Wild.' I'm sorry, I'm 42. It's a great song, but I'm not gonna pretend that it's who I am today, because it's not." - more on this story

Testament's Chuck Billy In The Smithsonian

We never thought we would write such a headline but it is true. Metal legend Chuck Billy of Testament is in the Smithsonian. Here are the details:

Testament vocalist and Native American Chuck Billy is pleased to announce his inclusion in the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian's new exhibition, "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture". The exhibition is located on the National Mall on the second-floor level of the Sealaska Gallery, and is open until January 2nd, 2011.

Quoting the Smithsonian official press release, "Up Where We Belong" tells [Native artist's] stories and histories and provides visitors the opportunity to hear music and discover artists with whom these exceptional musicians collaborated. Visitors will also learn of the musical greats who inspired these artists, as well as the growing number of contemporary performers who follow in their path." - more on this story