White Noise: News on Ozzy Osbourne, Motorhead, Hatebreed, Ensiferum, Aerosmith and More

Today, the Noisecreep staff will be taping episode numero tres of our newly-launched, weekly ''Creep Show' podcast, and man, is it shaping up to be must-see TV. We're having special guest Trevor Strnad swing by to sit in. Yeah, the dude from Black Dahlia Murder. He's always an awesome interview, so let's see how he does during our podcast. Now, on to this whole Zakk Wylde/Ozzy Osbourne scenario that's been bugging us these last few weeks. We've got to hand it to the guys at the Gauntlet for a story they ran yesterday that challenges the notion that Gus G. of Firewind was a one-time replacement for Wylde at Ozzy's recent BlizzCon set. According to their sources, it sounds like Zakk's out for good. It's White Noise, bringing you all the news you need.

+ So, the Gauntlet piece claims that "tour promoters have confirmed...that Zakk Wylde's management requested Aug. 22 be left open specifically for ... BlizzCon with Ozzy and the tour routing also put Zakk on the West Coast so that it would be a quick plane ride to and from Anaheim." The Gauntlet further claims "travel arrangements were already made" for Wylde to attend BlizzCon. It challenges Osbourne's management for withholding the truth about the entire situation, and suggests Wylde had no idea he was out for BlizzCon, as little more than a month ago, he was still saying in radio interviews that he was good to go for it. The Gauntlet even refers to Gus G. "soon-to-be-ex-Firewind and new Ozzy Osbourne" and sort of agrees that some retooling was long overdue for Ozzy's band. "The last album, 'Black Rain,' failed to go platinum, the only Ozzy album to not, and produced zero hits," the site points out.

+ According to the Salt Lake Tribute, a 28-year-old man was arrested by police for setting a field on fire Tuesday, after getting kicked out of a Def Leppard concert. He got booted in the first place because he was drunk and spilled his booze on other patrons at the show. The fire burned a 30 foot by 50 foot patch before it was extinguished.

+ The management firm representing Ronnie James Dio has released a statement, "[quashing] any rumors that Heaven & Hell have broken up. [Heaven & Hell guitarist] Tony Iommi has to have surgery on his hand and [needs] some down time for recovery. Therefore Dio will be performing some dates in the U.K. and Europe in November/December during this time off. Heaven & Hell are already making plans for dates next year."

+ Through the Eyes of the Dead have entered a New York recording studio to begin tracking their forthcoming third full-length. The group will self-produce the as-yet-untitled effort, with Eliot Geller engineering. The band hopes to have it ready in time for an early 2010 release.

+ Aerosmith are becoming the new Kiss.

+ Ensiferum will be headlining an American tour with Hypocrisy, Ex Deo and Blackguard in tow. That tour gets underway Nov. 6 in Springfield, Va. and runs through Dec. 5 in New York.

+ The cover art for Hatebreed's forthcoming eponymous album has been released, and to quote Metal Insider, "I imagine whoever is in this burning structure will rise above, destroy their enemies and be heard."

+ According to reports, Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum will be Motörhead's drummer for a spate of shows that regular kitman Mikkey Dee won't make. But, Sorum wasn't Lemmy's first choice. "No. I asked Dave Grohl first, but he couldn't do it cause he's doing that thing with McCartney."