Dare we say that the Osbourne clan has not been in our good graces as of late?

Ozzy’s wife and television “bleep” queen Sharon has become the Simon Cowell of America’s Got Talent, making the previous Osbourne variety special seem even more archaic; Ozzfest has not done a good round of national tour dates for a while; the saving grace was once our sigh of relief that daughter Kelly’s music career came to a grinding halt. Truthfully the Ozzy camp has remained rather silent post-Texas, given the Prince of Darkness’ resounding second wind of health these past few years and the superior quality of his last solo effort Black Rain — but this silence may soon transfigure into a rude awakening by 2010 (the context of this rudeness is yet to be determined).

According to sources at NME, the pending followup is tentatively branded Soul Sucka and will be the first to subtract guitar metal aficionado Zakk Wylde from the doom rock fold since 1986’s The Ultimate Sin. In Wylde’s place will be melodic death metal’s equivalent of a Greek guitar God, Gus G — known to appear in guest spots all over the heavy facets of your elementary school globe alongside Arch Enemy, Nightrage and then some. Also, the upcoming release will feature bassist Blasko of Rob Zombie fame.

Ozzy Osbourne has been at multiple ends of the rock spectrum, from ballads to bangers, from epics to easy-as-sin radio singles. Soul Sucka on the other hand, boasts a fragrance of speed and elaborate solo elements that flow with a recent evolution via Dragonforce and Trivium. Honestly? I cannot wait to see the Prince traverse this explosive plain, but it is a damn shame that Wylde was not a part of it — I could only imagine the blistering solos to come.

TAGGED AS: Blasko, Gus G, Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde