The revelation the other day from Ozzy Osbourne that his namesake festival, Ozzfest, would be returning this summer after going dark in 2009 as a traveling festival and not a one-off destination date like 2008's installment, has metalheads talking. With the RockStar Mayhem Festival having already secured big name acts like Korn, Lamb of God and Rob Zombie, and with Megadeth, Slayer and Testament doing their own thing this summer on the American Carnage Tour, fans are wondering: Aside from Ozzy, who'll be available for Ozzfest's return?

Our pals over at MetalSucks have thought long and hard about it, and they've come up with a list of possible Ozzfest options for the Osbourne camp to consider. And some of the choices, like Firewind, seem a lock. Of course, Ozzy's new guitarist Gus G. is better known for the work he's done with Firewind, and MetalSucks contends "this band will be on Ozzfest for sure in the Black Label Society spot -- either headlining or co-headlining the second stage or opening the main stage. This is a sure thing."

Considering which bands have albums on the way, and which are on labels that might seem amiable to coughing up the buy-on money to secure a slot on the bill, MetalSucks has compiled a potential lineup that may actually breathe new life into the dead horse. So, let the speculation begin.

They feel Arsis "would be a very good band to have on the second stage," and think Mutiny Within are "a pretty good bet for an asscrack of the morning second stage slot," as "Roadrunner obviously has a history of launching bands that way." They also reasoned Sevendust could be a solid possibility, what with the band's new album coming this spring. There's also a good chance several bands from last year's Mayhem Festival could end up on the bill -- bands who're still promoting albums, like Behemoth, Trivium, God Forbid, the Black Dahlia Murder, Job for a Cowboy and All That Remains.

MetalSucks also theorizes that Anthrax and Fear Factory could end up on the bill. "What a smart move this would be for Ozzfest," the site says of FF. "With Dino back in the fold and everyone but me thinking that 'Mechanize' is the tits, the band's first big U.S. tour is gonna be an event." Disturbed, Slash, Limp Bizkit and Creed were also offered by the site as possible main stage acts.

But nothing would redeem the Ozzfest name like a Faith No More booking. The band is starting to play its first shows this spring in the U.S., but "would Mike Patton completely refuse to do this on principal alone? Who knows, but booking FNM would be one way to ensure that a lot of people who might otherwise never go to Ozzfest suddenly cough up the coin."

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