Osbourne and Iommi Settle Black Sabbath Trademark Lawsuit

Recently, during an interview with Pulse of Radio, Ozzy Osbourne announced that a lawsuit between him and guitarist Tony Iommi had been settled. The suit dealt with the use of the Black Sabbath name. Osbourne added that everything is now fine between him and his former band mate.

Osbourne had sued Iommi for a 50% interest in the Black Sabbath trademark. He also sued for a portion of the profits made by Iommi from the use of the name. The suit charged that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely the reason for the band's "extraordinary success" and noted that popularity declined during his absence from 1980 to 1996. Lawyer Andrew DeVore responded with the argument that Osbourne had actually signed away his rights to the Black Sabbath trademark when he left the band in 1979. However, Osbourne's lawyer - Howard Shire - called DeVore's argument a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined Sabbath in 1997. Shire argued that at that point, Osbourne took over "quality control" of all merchandise, recordings, and tours associated with the band.

Following Osboune's lawsuit announcement, Pulse of Radio asked the Prince of Darkness if there would be a chance of the original Sabbath lineup reuniting. "Well, I never say never," replied Osbourne. "I mean, I've got a few ideas, but we'll see what happens, you know. We did try and do another album, but we've all changed so much and it's - if you don't do an album that blows the doors off the last one that we did together, then it's gonna be looked upon as a joke, you know."

The original Sabbath lineup - consisting of Osbourne, Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward - last toured together in 2005 and later reassembled in 2006 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group made an attempt at a new album some 11 years ago (which would have been their first since 1979), but the effort was abandoned after only a handful of songs.

That is not to say the four have not been keeping busy. Both Iommi and Bulter had been touring and recording with Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice (both latter-day members of Black Sabbath) since 2007 under the name Heaven and Hell. They remained active until Dio's death from stomach cancer in May 2010. In addition, Osbourne is set to release a new solo album, Scream, on June 22 and will also headline Ozzfest this summer.

Ozzy Fans Scream Their Way into the Guinness Book of World Records

On June 11, a stadium full of Ozzy Osbourne fans managed to break a Guinness World Record...by screaming. Ozzy himself convinced a crowd of 52,000 to scream louder than 127.2 dBA – the current record held by a group of Finnish Boy Scouts. (Read More)

Kreator Painting Part of German Art Exhibition

Kreator is now a part of an art exhibition in Essen, Germany. Guitarist Mille Petrozza is featured as the subject of an oil-on-canvas painting by renowned artist Oliver Jordan. (Read More)

White Wizzard Lose and Replace Guitarist and Singer

Los Angeles metallers White Wizzard recently parted ways with guitarist Erik Kluiber and singer Wyatt Anderson. However, the band didn't waste any time find replacements and, at last weekend's Download Festival, they debuted guitarist Lewis Stephens and singer Michael Gremio. (Read More)

John 5 to Make Guest Appearance on Nikki Sixx's Radio Show

John 5 - former Marilyn Manson/current Rob Zombie guitarist - is set to make an appearance on tonight's (June 14) broadcast of Sixx Sense, the new radio program hosted by Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx.

Listeners can tune in online via the program's official website.

John 5's new solo album, The Art of Malice, was released on May 11 sold roughly 1,200 copies in the U.S. during its first week of release. It also took No. 27 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart - a chart which lists best-selling albums by new and developing artists who have never been listed on the Top 100 of the Billboard 200.

The Art of Malice was released via 60 Cycle Hum/Rocket Science Ventures and, according to a press release, "exhibits John 5's incredible diversity as a writer and guitarist pulling from the pages of his life." John 5 himself explained, "It is a completely different vibe than my other albums," adding that "the title is derived from the saying 'kill them with kindness,' like taking a good approach to still obtain a dark result."

John 5 has a list of famous credentials, including a stint with Marilyn Manson and a current gig with Rob Zombie. In addition, his portfolio includes diverse work with names such as David Lee Roth, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lita Ford, Salt-N-Pepa, k.d. lang, and a number of others. He is a self-described "Fender fanatic" and has gone on record saying that they are "the greatest guitars ever built, by far, hands down." In 2004, Fender introduced the J5 Telecaster and J5 Special Edition acoustic, followed by the J5 Triple Tele Deluxe in 2007.

Surviving Heaven and Hell Members to Pay Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

Earlier this evening, whilst accepting the award for Best Album at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards, guitarist Tony Iommi announced a tribute to Ronnie James Dio. According to Iommi, the tribute will be performed by the surviving members of Heaven and Hell at the High Voltage on June 24. (Read More)

Lemmy Visits Slash Onstage

Whilst playing the Download Festival this afternoon (June 13), guitarist Slash was paid a visit by Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister. The pair performed a rendition of "Doctor Alibi" for the multitude of festival-goers. (Read More)