If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed with Ozzy Osbourne it’s that he will be accompanied by an incredible guitarist. In his 30-year solo career very few have been chosen for this role. Now, lighting up the fret board is Greek guitar genius, Gus G.

The guitarist agreed to down-axe and talk with me about joining up with one of his idols, the possibility of a new Ozzy album, and setting up his own band, Firewind.

Geeks of Doom: So how are you?

Gus G.: Yeah, I’m fine. I just woke up actually! But it’s cool.

Geeks of Doom: Next month you head out across Europe with Ozzy and with Firewind for the summer. What are you up to right now?

Gus G.: Well I’m at home in Greece and I’ve been doing a bunch of stuff, catching up on stuff because I’ve been on tour for a year. So, you know, going home after almost a whole year with no break you got to take care of a lot of things. To be honest with you I’ve been practicing a lot of Ozzy songs”¦we are going to be rehearsing stuff from Blizzard [Of Ozz album] and Diary [Of A Madman album] he hasn’t done before so hopefully that will be on the setlist.

Geeks of Doom: Yeah, this year it’s the 30th anniversary of Diary of a Madman, and also the 25th anniversary of The Ultimate Sin. So have you got anything special planned for the live shows?

Spock may not think the merging of Shatner and Metal to be a logical one — but at this point in 2011, William Shatner is becoming more metal than ever. And even at his age of 80, there seems to be no stopping the once Captain of the USS Enterprise, for this year he will be releasing a metal album, as we reported on several weeks ago. To acknowledge his efforts not only towards his current album project, entitled Seeking Major Tom, but also for his entire epic career, William Shatner will next month be awarded the Honorary Headbanger Award at the annual Revolver Awards.

The Revolver Golden Gods is an awards ceremony to recognize all metal, held every year. The Honorary Headbanger Award is handed out to someone who is not necessarily seen as being in the metal community, but embodies the spirit of metal. With his upcoming album featuring collaborative efforts with numerous metal artists, and his long career in Star Trek and acting in other roles over the years, Shatner is an artist of determination who continually breaks down the doors of what people think he should do (or if people just think it to be… odd).

Rock drummers are a notorious breed. They are constantly the butt of many jokes, which many have come to deserve. But there are a few who sidestep the stereotype, playing on some of the greatest songs and albums in rock history, who deserve their well-earned level of respect. Fewer still deserve as much respect as Randy Castillo.

Born Randolpho Francisco Castillo on December 18, 1950 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Castillo first came to prominence when he performed on the Lita Ford album Dancin’ On The Edge.

Castillo was best known as the drummer for Ozzy Osbourne‘s band from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. He played on The Ultimate Sin in 1986, which was the final album to feature guitarist Jake E. Lee. He also played on the first two Ozzy albums which included Lee’s successor, the young Zakk Wylde: No Rest For The Wicked and No More Tears, as well as the two live albums Just Say Ozzy (which also featured Ozzy’s ex-Black Sabbath bandmate, bass player Geezer Butler) and Live and Loud.

He would later go on to replace Tommy Lee for the Mötley Crüe album New Tattoo. Sadly, in more ways than one, this would prove to be Castillo’s final album recording.

The classic Ozzy Osbourne albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman, are scheduled to be reissued in May 2011. The two albums are cited by metalheads around the world as classics, and were indeed an important chapter in the evolution of metal during the 1980’s. They are the first two recordings by Ozzy following his years in Black Sabbath, and were key releases in him reasserting his position as the “Prince of Fucking Darkness!”

Lots of good new stuff has been included with these reissues, scheduled for release on May 31, 2011, and fans will have some different versions to choose from.

First up is the 30th Anniversary Edition of Blizzard of Ozz, including the entire original album recording that has been remastered by George Marino for the release. This CD will also have bonus tracks added, including a rare guitar solo from Randy Rhoads.

Second is the Diary of a Madman: Legacy Edition. This release will be a special 2-disc/double-album. The first disc will be entire original recording of the album, also remastered by Marino. The second disc is a live album, simply titled Ozzy Live, and is a recording from the Blizzard of Ozz tour. Third on the list is a single-disc version of Diary of a Madman.

The official website for Gibson guitars has released what they perceive to be the top 50 metal songs of all time. Gibson.com’s writers and editors worked on compiling the list over several weeks, releasing 10 entries at a time, and recently released the top 10, which declared the number one metal song to be “Master of Puppets” by Metallica.

In some ways, the number one spot for Metallica is fitting, considering 2011 is the 25th anniversary of the release of their Master of Puppets album. Having said that though, metalheads are notorious for having fierce and strong opinions about what they consider to be their “top songs,” on top of their fierce and strong opinions about what bands are or are not even metal.