The Chosen Few Collection

Artisan News recently spoke to Rob Halford (vocals) and Ian Hill (bass) of British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST about the band's newly released compilation album, "The Chosen Few", which came out on October 11 via Legacy/Sony. Check out the chat below. The collection contains songs that were selected by some of the biggest names of the hard rock/heavy metal world, including KISS' Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, METALLICA's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, Alice Cooper and SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor.

"This is a collection of songs chosen by our friends and respected peers," PRIEST frontman Rob Halford tells RollingStone.com. "So we hope all the metal maniacs out there will rock out to the tunes enjoyed by metal legends."

"The Chosen Few" will contain explanations from the artists about each of their selections, including Taylor making the argument that PRIEST's early MTV anthem "You've Got Another Thing Coming" established the group as "the blueprint for the ultimate heavy metal band."

Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) on "Beyond The Realms Of Death": "The blueprint for the epic rock ballad. Copied thousands of times, never eclipsed."

Ozzy Osbourne on "The Ripper": "This has always been one of my favorite JUDAS PRIEST songs… I just want to know what the fuck that note is that Rob Halford hits in the beginning of the song. Fucking hell!! That note is probably just below what only dogs can hear."

Alice Cooper on "Living After Midnight": "For a metal band, PRIEST has always used tons of melody... when you have a singer as great as Rob Halford, you have to write great riffs WITH great melodies, you can’t just have riffs. 'Living After Midnight' is the perfect example…"

Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) on "Screaming For Vengeance": "JUDAS PRIEST have put out their fair share of great albums to be sure. But my all-time favorite is 'Screaming For Vengeance'. It was and still is, one of the best metal records ever produced and the title track is in my humble opinion, still ahead of its time."

Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) on "You've Got Another Thing Coming": "JUDAS PRIEST: the blueprint for the ultimate heavy metal band..."

"The Chosen Few" track listing:

01. Diamonds And Rust (1977) - chosen by Joe Elliott (DEF LEPPARD)
02. Dissident Aggressor (1977) - chosen by Steve Vai and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)
03. Exciter (1978) - chosen by ACCEPT
04. Beyond The Realms Of Death (1978) - chosen by Lars Ulrich (METALLICA)
05. Delivering The Goods (1979) - chosen by Kerry King (SLAYER)
06. The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown) (1979) - chosen by David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE) and Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD)
07. The Ripper (1979) - chosen by Ozzy Osbourne
08. Victim Of Changes (1979) - chosen by James Hetfield (METALLICA)
09. Breaking The Law (1980) - chosen by Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD)
10. Rapid Fire (1980) - chosen by Vinnie Paul (PANTERA, HELLYEAH)
11. Grinder (1980) - chosen by Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
12. Living After Midnight (1980) - chosen by Alice Cooper and Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH)
13. Screaming For Vengeance (1982) - chosen by Slash (GUNS N ROSES)
14. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming (1982) - chosen by Klaus Meine (SCORPIONS) & Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT)
15. The Sentinel (1984) - chosen by Chris Jericho (FOZZY)
16. Turbo Lover (1986) - chosen by Jonathan Davis (KORN)
17. Painkiller (1990) - chosen by Joe Satriani

OZZY OSBOURNE: New Album Title

According to USA Today, Ozzy Osbourne's new song "Let Me Hear You Scream", from his upcoming album, "Scream", will have its world premiere on an episode of "CSI:NY", to air on CBS on April 14 at 10 p.m., ET/PT. In this episode, a death row inmate's (guest Harold Perrineau) final request brings Dr. Hawkes (series regular Hill Harper) to a Pennsylvania prison and to confront a tragic incident that he has kept secret for many years, just as a prison riot erupts and traps Hawkes inside.

Ozzy's upcoming album, the 10th solo studio effort of his career, was originally called "Soul Sucka", but had its title changed after fans complained. The Prince of Darkness told RollingStone.com, "When we put that on the Internet none of my fan base liked the title. They were like, 'I can't imagine me walking around the fucking house with the words 'Soul Sucka' on my T-shirt.' So I was like, 'Fuck it. I've got to come up with something else!'"

Regarding the musical direction of the new CD, Ozzy told The Pulse of Radio. "It's very heavy. It's a cross between — it's kind of like a SABBATH/Ozzy album, you know. It's kind of, it wasn't meant to, I didn't plan on doing it but that's the way it unfolded. A lot of it's very, very heavy. I just hope people like it. I love it."

The new set is tentatively due out in July.

Ozzy's last solo project, "Black Rain", came out in 2007.

Ozzy also confirmed that Ozzfest will return this summer after taking a one-year break but did not reveal whether it would be a one-shot affair like the 2008 edition or go back to its roots as a traveling event. He also plans to head out on his own headlining arena tour next fall.

The new album and tour will introduce guitarist Gus G. Ozzy parted ways last year with axeman Zakk Wylde, who has played on every Ozzy album and almost every tour since 1988.

Ozzy Osbourne's long-awaited memoir, "I Am Ozzy", debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover non-fiction best-seller list. The book was published on January 25 in the U.S., nearly two years after it was first expected to arrive. "I Am Ozzy" chronicles the legendary metal icon's life from his working-class beginnings in Birmingham, England to his initial fame with BLACK SABBATH to his massive solo career and forays into television.