Music News: Ozzy Osbourne, Jay Weinberg and Bruce Dickinson

When you think of Ozzy Osbourne, do you think of "heavy metal"? Black Sabbath is certainly heavy, but are they always metal? More like heavy prog many times. More of Osbourne's solo stuff has been more in line with classic metal.

But according to a recent interview with Spin, Ozzy Osbourne has never been comfortable with being labeled "metal." It is an interesting viewpoint. Metal has grown into so many different subgenres since Sabbath put out their first album in 1970. Many of those subgenres, such as black metal, can be violently loud and heavy.

AC/DC might have been considered metal when they began as well, but if the band started in 2023, for instance, they might be thought of as hard rock. They are loud and guitar-driven, of course, but are they "heavy"? Not so much when compared to bands such as Lamb of God and Slipknot.

Ozzy Osbourne talks metal, Jay Weinberg and Bruce Dickinson play at surprise gigs

According to Osbourne, "Well, I’ve never felt comfortable about that title that they put on me – ‘metal.’ Because Ozzy Osbourne plays heavy, but the bands that are [considered metal] are really heavy...Back in the day, it was always just rock music. It’s still just rock music."

Speaking of Slipknot, they notably fired long-time drummer Jay Weinberg this autumn, and then Weinberg had hip and femur surgeries. But how great are his recovery powers? Those surgeries sound pretty serious to me and I might be laid up for a year. But not Weinberg.

Fellow New Jerseyites (New Jersians?) Bouncing Souls, and friends of Jay Weinberg, are currently on tour and played a recent gig in Nashville, Tennessee. Weinberg was in the audience to enjoy the show. But when Bouncing Souls invited him onto the stage to play their final songs, Weinberg looked healthy and fantastic.

In our last bit of news for Sunday, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson sang to a bunch of business owners at an expo in Léon, Guanajuato, Mexico. While that sounds pretty lame, the reality of the situation wasn't so bad. The meeting was for small and medium-sized businesses who are hoping to grow their ventures and not massive corporations. Dickinson was also a featured speaker.

But the day before the event kicked off, Dickinson played two Iron Maiden songs - "The Trooper" and "Fear of the Dark" - with a band called La Revolucion del Rock and it was pretty excellent. You can see some of the short gig above.

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