We're inching closer and closer to the weekend. Just two more days to go. We can't wait for a couple of days off after what's been a rather hectic week here at Noisecreep. We're still trying to make sense of Anthrax's split with singer Dan Nelson. Yesterday, on his Facebook page, guitarist Scott Ian broke his silence on the matter: "Nine days 'til I'm back in a room jamming with John Bush. My beard hair is standing up." He also spoke about the split to Metal Hammer, but something tells us it'll be a few weeks before we know the whole story regarding this latest band mix-up. Today, however, we've got lots of news for you from Slipknot, Meshuggah, Megadeth and more. Let's start today's White Noise with an update from one of metal's forefathers, Black Sabbath.

+ So, the Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Next Films, a production company founded by reality TV producer Mike Fleiss, has inked a deal with Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi. The guitarist will score the company's film 'Black Sabbath,' a horror flick franchise. No other information on the deal has been released.

+ Anthrax's Scott Ian tells Metal Hammer the band stands by its statement that Nelson was sick, forcing the band to cancel some European shows; Nelson has said he was not sick at all, but was booted from his frontman post. "We stand by every word in our official statement," Ian says. "Because all we've done is make public exactly what Dan told us. He certainly was not fired; he quit the band, and we accepted his resignation. As a band, we learnt a long time ago that in these situations, it's always best to tell the truth. If you lie, then it comes back to bite you in the ass. That's why we were careful at every step to put things exactly the way Dan had told them to us. Why has he changed his story now? I can only assume it's to save his own skin, and to avoid being seen as the bad guy. I can't say that I blame him. But we have absolutely been completely truthful."

+ In related news, the management for Ronnie James Dio has released a statement saying the legendary frontman will not be performing at the Zomerpop festival in the Netherlands this September. "It has come to [our] attention that a band calling themselves Dio are advertised in Pollstar under Ronnie James Dio as playing Zomerpop festival," the statement says. "This is not Ronnie James Dio or anything to do with Dio. This is a trademark name. This is very misleading for the Dio fans." Dio, it turns out, is the alias of a Dutch rapper.

+ Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil will celebrate the grand opening of his new Las Vegas restaurant, Feelgood's Rock Bar and Grill, on August 2. There will be a red carpet event to usher in the new eatery, and Neil will perform on the restaurant's 30-foot stage.

+ We here at Noisecreep firmly believe you can never have enough Meshuggah. In 2008, the band released its amazing LP 'obZen,' but that doesn't mean we're not itching for new stuff from the guys. Well, it turns out the band is already working on the follow-up. "We never write as such while we're on the road," guitarist Mårten Hagström said in a recent interview. "What we've got is some leftovers from the last album that we could work on and pick up again. We're playing around with some loose ideas and I've got a couple that I'll start to work on when I get back home. But as far as really getting into it and just mashing away, that's going to happen in late August. I'd say right now we have one track that needs to be remodeled and then it's good to go. Apart from that, it's just bits and pieces right now."

+ Doom outfit the Gates of Slumber have finished tracking their new album, 'Hymns of Blood & Thunder.' The disc should be in stores September 13, and will feature 10 songs, including 'Beneath the Eyes of Mars,' 'The Bringer of War,' and 'The Mist in the Mourning.'

+ Metalcore act Left To Vanish have parted ways with drummer Paul Meredith, and this isn't one of those splits you could call 'amicable.' According to the band, Meredith's "attitude towards the other members was intolerable and unacceptable." The band says money started going missing during the band's last tour, and "once we got home, he changed all of our passwords to our Facebook and email and currently has $2,000 worth of our albums that he refuses to give back. This is the kind of immaturity and unprofessional behavior we were sick of dealing with." For his part, Meredith says he left the band "because [of] the lack of respect and effort set forth by the other four members. I put my all in to [the band] 100% of the time, all the time; the same was just not done by the others." He said he was tired of playing shows before 15 kids and making no money, and dispels the 'hype' around the band. "No more than three kids came out to any of our shows to actually see LTV," he says. "No one cares and I truly know that and I'm sure a lot of you do, too."

+ Slipknot's upcoming 10th anniversary re-release of their self-titled debut has been scheduled for a September 29 release through Roadrunner Records. It's expected to feature some previously unreleased material and demos, in addition to a DVD containing some early live video of the band and behind-the-scenes footage.

+ Megadeth's forthcoming album 'Endgame,' which hits stores September 15, will feature 11 songs, including 'Dialectic Chaos,' 'Bodies Left Behind' and 'The Hardest Part Of Letting Go ... Sealed With A Kiss.'

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