It's a muggy, overcast Friday morning here in New York, and we're capping off the last week in July with a bang. Today's White Noise is packed with metal news and notes, and we'll start this column with an update to a story that has been piquing our interest for weeks now: The question of whether Zakk Wylde, Ozzy Osbourne's longtime guitarist, is still Ozzy Osbourne's longtime guitarist. We agree with Zakk that its high time Ozzy cleared the air about Wylde's status in his band, ending all this back-and-forth speculation. We've also got some trash talk from Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes, tour announcements, and news on a rocker who plans on getting a tattoo while skydiving. It's White Noise ... the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.

+ This week, KFLY's Carl Sundberg spoke with Zakk Wylde by phone to discuss Wylde's current standing in Ozzy Osbourne's band ... which has been in question for weeks now, following an interview Osbourne gave to Classic Rock magazine in which he claims he's parted ways with Wylde. "I've gotta be honest with you," Wylde told Sunberg. "[Osbourne] hasn't even given me a phone call, so I mean ... I'm just like ... I don't know what's going on over there. Are we doing this thing or are we not doing it? When I keep getting asked these questions, I go, 'Call the boss. When he tells you, then he can call me back.'"

Wylde's candor quickly shifted from battered to aggressive. "If we're doing this, let's do it, and let's whoop some ass," Wylde says. "But if you don't wanna do it, then just give me a heads up. Call me, man. Tell me what the hell's going on. I don't know what the hell's going on over there. We're working on the new record, we'll be back in September, we'll work on finishing the record. And then we're supposed to do the tour. I mean, it's like, dude, you don't wanna play with me anymore? Fine. Play with whoever the hell you wanna play with. I couldn't give a rat's ass. Like I'm gonna get all jealous or whatever. But you know what? Man up and give me a phone call and tell me what the hell's going on. You finished with me? Cool."

+ We love Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes. Dude speaks his mind, no matter what the consequences. So, when he was asked by the Montreal Mirror about Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose and Metallica, he spoke honestly about his feelings. "I find Axl to be really insulting," he said. "He cost a lot of people their jobs, a lot of heartache and probably some mental breakdowns while he f---ed around on a record for 16 f---ing years, just because he wanted to be a dick."

He also had some choice words for Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. "[He] is somebody who just really gets my dander up. You can tell the other guys in the band are cool and used to just be serious heshers who were probably whacked out on meth and would've kicked your ass in the '80s. On the other hand, you have Lars, who is just this swishy Mary who grew his hair long, put on a denim jacket and infiltrated this cool gang. The only time I met him, he was wearing a golf pantsuit and everybody was wondering who this fat golfer dude was acting like an asshole in our backstage area."

+ It seems like the surviving members of Polish metallers Decapitated have spent years finding a replacement for the late Witold 'Vitek' Kieltyka, who died following a car crash in 2007. And finally, they've found someone. Guitarist Waclaw 'Vogg' Kieltyka says the band has enlisted Austrian drummer Kerim 'Krimh' Lechner to take over behind the kit.

+ Skeletonwitch will release 'Breathing the Fire' on October 13. The album art is sinister. And by sinister, we mean rad.

+ Satyricon, Bleeding Through, Toxic Holocaust and Chthonic will be teaming up this September for a North American tour. The trek kicks off on September 25 in Baltimore, and runs through October 27 in Montreal, Quebec.

+ TMZ.com is reporting that former Warrant frontman Jani Lane will spend two mandatory days in jail after pleading no contest to one count of misdemeanor DUI, stemming from a June incident where he hit a parked car. He was also sentenced to 36 months probation, and will have to complete three months in alcohol education classes. Additionally, he'll pay close to $400 in fines and will report for 30 days of road work.

+ Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda will open a new solo art exhibition called 'Glorious Excess (Dies)' at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on August 29, with a public reception at 8 PM PT. Shinoda will be displaying 17 pieces, and he'll be in attendance, too. The exhibition runs through October 4.

+ the_Network will release their next LP, 'Bishop Kent Manning,' on September 15. Produced by Kurt Ballou, the concept album follows the epic story of a corrupt televangelist's decline. A new song from the disc, 'You F---ing Fakes,' is available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.

+ We're not sure if this is metal or just dumb. Surefire Machine guitarist Zeke says he will soon go skydiving and get a tattoo at the same time. He'll leap from a plane at 10,000 feet, and while he plummets to the ground, he'll be getting tattooed. The jump, Zeke says, reflects the band's motto in its entirety: "It's simple – 'have a good time, all the time,' and that's exactly what I'm doing."

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