Robert Cianflone, Getty Images Black Sabbath guitarist and master of the riff Tony Iommi has been welcomed into the National Guitar Museum Board of Advisors. Iommi strives to help preserve the legacy of the guitar through the traveling institution, which will showcase its unique exhibit in six different cities between now and September 2015. The National Guitar Museum ‘s traveling instillation, ‘Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World,’ launched its first show in 2011, proclaiming the guitar as “The Most Popular Instrument. Ever.” As metal music’s most important six-string strummer, Tony Iommi is a natural fit to bring additional credibility to the museum and exhibit. “I welcome the opportunity to be part of the National Guitar Museum’s goal to highlight the history of the guitar — the instrument that has been part of my life since I was a teenager,” states Iommi. “There is so much more to the guitar than six strings and a slab of wood. Everything about it is fascinating, from how it is crafted to the legion of people who have played it.” Adds HP Newquist, executive director of the NGM, ”Tony is one of the most important rock guitarists to ever pick up the instrument. His guitar playing has defined the sound of heavy metal for more than four decades, and he has influenced countless thousands — if not millions — of players. Tony’s also had a huge affect on the instrument itself, from establishing the Gibson SG as an iconic guitar on to his own innovations in pushing the boundaries of string and pickup technology.” Iommi has joined a legendary group of guitarists already on the museum’s Board of Advisors, including Steve Vai, Ritchie Blackmore ( Deep Purple , Rainbow), Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Howe (Yes), Liona Boyd, Pat Kirtley and Pete Huttlinger. Once the National Guitar Museum completes its string of instillations, one U.S. city will be named the permanent home of the Museum. Meanwhile, Tony Iommi is currently competing for Rock Titan of the Year in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. Place your vote here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com” title=”Former Black Sabbath Drummer Voices Tony Iommi Audiobook” align=”center”]
Twitter: @OfficialOzzy Yesterday (Dec. 3) was Ozzy Osbourne ’s birthday and if you’ve spent any time wondering how the Prince of Darkness celebrated his 64th, all you had to do was follow him on Twitter to find out. Ozzy posted the photo seen here of him working in the studio along with the tweet: “Spending my birthday tracking vocals on the new Black Sabbath album.” Although various reports have speculated that several songs for the Sabbath disc have already been recorded, guitarist Tony Iommi said that’s not the case in a recent interview. On ‘The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show’ (via Blabbermouth ) Iommi cleared things up, explaining, “We’ve written 15 songs and we’ve played them all. But now, at the moment, we’re recording them.” He continued, “We recorded them at my house first, in England, just as demos, but now we’re doing them for real. So we’re about six tracks in now, at the moment.” Osbourne also recently went on record talking about the writing and recording process, calling it a lot of fun in comparison to their earlier years when the drugs, alcohol and egos got in the way. He talked about the music taking center stage, stating, “So what it boils down to now is the music — and that’s what got us where we are in the first place. We have come through the other side, we’re still able to work together, and that’s where the enjoyment comes from. It’s been a lot of fun making this record.” Ozzy certainly looks like he’s having fun in the studio … even while working on his birthday! [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-ozzy-osbourne-solo-songs/” title=”10 Best Ozzy Osbourne Solo Songs” align=”center”] ?
Jeff Gross, Getty Images The members of Black Sabbath may not be the rock miscreants they were in their 20s, but Ozzy Osbourne is fine with that, as it’s brought the group back to what initially mattered to them in the first place — the music. Osbourne spoke with the New Zealand Herald about the differences between the Sabbath of old and what’s happening now and how age has brought some perspective. The vocalist says, “What’s different now is that none of us get drunk or stoned or any of that stuff. We’re all clean and all in control of ourselves. We’re not intimidated by each other. There are no arguments, and it’s the way [that] it should be. But when we were kids, we had egos. When you’re 21 and you get some success it takes a while to get your head around it.” Osbourne explains that the egos, the spoils of success, the alcohol and drugs, the groupies and everything else that comes with being in a successful rock band is hard enough for just one person to deal with, but having survived all that, he’s happy to be rocking again with his longtime friends. “We’ve done it all,” says Osbourne. “So what it boils down to now is the music — and that’s what got us where we are in the first place. We have come through the other side, we’re still able to work together, and that’s where the enjoyment comes from. It’s been a lot of fun making this record.” The singer says, “It’s been more than 30 years since I really worked seriously with the guys. We had a try a few years back but nothing really came of it. But for some reason the timing is right and we’ve done about 15 songs.” At present, the band is eying an April 2013 release for their new studio album. Osbourne concludes, “Black Sabbath is very unique in the respect that nothing is formulated. It’s very unpredictable. I just hope the people who have waited all these years aren’t disappointed.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-continue-recording-new-album-reveal-vinyl-box-set-details/” title=”Next: Black Sabbath Detail Vinyl Box Set” align=”center”]
OzzfestJapan.com Ozzfest may leave quite an impression on Japan next year. The longtime hard rock and metal festival turned a few heads earlier this year when it was announced that Slipknot and Black Sabbath would headline the two-night destination festival in Japan. Now comes word that four more heavy hitters have signed on to play. A new concert poster reveals that Slash and Deftones will join the May 11 lineup, which has Slipknot as the headliner, while Tool and Stone Sour will get a chance to open for Black Sabbath on May 12. These are significant “gets” for Sharon Osbourne and the Ozzfest organizers. For one, it’s been the rare occasion that both of Corey Taylor ‘s bands are on the same bill, and he’ll get to play both days of the festival with the decidedly different sounding Slipknot and Stone Sour. Plus, Slipknot only have committed to a handful of dates for 2013, with Ozzfest being one of them. Meanwhile, after a long delay between discs, fans have been clamoring for new Tool music. The band has quietly been working on material over the past year, and the revelation that the group signed on for the show could signify that they may have new music to support when they return to the stage. Ozzfest was a major touring festival from 1996-2007, but has opted for either single-destination stops or minor runs in recent years. This will mark the first time the festival has taken place in Japan. The event is scheduled for May 11-12 at the Makuhari Messe Arena outside of Tokyo. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-continue-recording-new-album-reveal-vinyl-box-set-details/” title=”Next: Black Sabbath Release Vinyl Box Set Details” align=”center”]
Razor & Tie Groove metal masters the Sword have just released one of the most mesmerizing music videos of the year. In a refreshing turn to the creative, the Sword have unleashed a story within the video for ‘The Veil of Isis’ that will leave you hitting the replay button over and over again. With the release of the Sword’s fourth studio album, ‘Apocryphon,’ the band has achieved the highest chart position in their act’s history, along with collecting a new mass of fans from diverse rock and metal sub-genres. ‘Apocryphon’ showcases beefy groove riffs that display the influence of bands such as Black Sabbath and stoner doom pioneers Sleep. To delve deeper into the sonic realm of ‘Apocryphon,’ check out our recent review of the record. The video for ‘The Veil of Isis’ follows a female protagonist who is stalked and pawed at by shady street-people before meeting a mysterious and run-down wizard on those same streets. The woman is given some sort of black stone by the man, which transports her to an alternate universe either physically or mentally. Could it be a representation of the drug addict / drug dealer relationship? Or does the video tell a tale of a woman with true and mystifying powers? The visuals in this video are incredible, acting as somewhat of an extension of the incredible cover art for ‘Apocryphon.’ The Sword offers a tripped out, captivating and visually brilliant music video, which is absolutely a must-see. Check out The Sword’s new vid for ‘The Veil of Isis’ for an unforgettable trip. The Sword, ‘The Veil of Isis’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-sword-apocryphon-prize-pack-giveaway/” title=”The Sword ‘Apocryphon’ Prize Pack Giveaway – Enter Now!” align=”center”]
What an amazing election! After close calls, intense moments and incredible campaign efforts, the President of Heavy Metal has finally been elected. The winner is the one and only Ozzy Osbourne . The Black Sabbath singer has captured the hearts of heavy metal music fans with his wailing voice and legendary debauchery, leading him to the evil office in a nail-bitingly close final round. Defeating GWAR’s Oderus Urungus , Maynard James Keenan and Rob Halford in previous rounds, the final battle pitted Ozzy against Rob Zombie . Zombie himself had defeated such legends as Bruce Dickinson , Dave Mustaine and Lemmy Kilmister on his way to the final round. The lead changed hands a number of times as both Zombie and Ozzy began to actually campaign for the title of President, with Zombie’s team creating custom graphics for multiple Facebook posts and Ozzy’s team busting out an old ‘Ozzy for President’ button and enlisting the help of his wife Sharon and son Jack to collect votes via Twitter. After roughly 100,000 votes, Ozzy edged out Zombie by a margin of 50.82 percent to 49.18 percent. Congrats to the ‘Prince of Darkness’ for winning Loudwire’s inaugural President of Heavy Metal Election and thanks to everyone who voted and made this whole race such a blast! Full President of Heavy Metal Election Bracket: Campaign Artwork: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-bark-at-the-moon-halloween-light-show-texas/” title=”Next: Watch a ‘Bark at the Moon’ Halloween Light Show” align=”center”]
After starting out with 16 candidates and following two extremely close semifinal matches, Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne have emerged as the final contenders for the coveted position of President of Heavy Metal. Your votes got them to this point, and now your votes will help decide the ultimate winner. Zombie narrowly defeated Motorhead legend Lemmy Kilmister in his semifinal battle, while Osbourne took down the ‘Metal God’ himself, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, by the slimmest of margins. Now, the two face off to determine who will become the President of Heavy Metal. Will it be Rob Zombie? The frontman has taken the metal world by storm over the last 25 years as both a member of White Zombie and as a successful solo act. Or will it be Ozzy Osbourne? As both the lead singer of the godfathers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath, and as an iconic solo artist, the Prince of Darkness has left a tremendous impact on heavy metal music. Yes, we know there’s another election going on, as well, and we encourage all U.S. citizens of age to vote, but the President of Heavy Metal election is open to everyone in the metal universe, regardless of age or nationality. So exercise your right to vote, and help determine who will hold the all-important post of President of Heavy Metal. Voting for the finals ends Nov. 6 at 11:59PM ET. The winner will be revealed on Nov. 7. Vote in the poll below, and check out the full bracket to see the history of this year’s President of Heavy Metal election. Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? ? Get More Hard Rock + Metal News Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include the latest news in hard rock and heavy metal. Email