A new album by Black Sabbath, the titans of doomy hard rock/heavy metal, which is cryptically titled 13, is set to be released this June. For this new album, the original band members – Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and the madman himself Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) – be sporting a new drummer in Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine.

Produced by Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Public Enemy, Tom Petty), the album was originally supposed to be recorded by all four members of the first wave of the band, which has gone through numerous line ups in its storied, influential, and checkered history. Drummer Bill Ward, who played with the band on some of their classic releases like Paranoid, Volume 4, Master of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath to name a few, couldn’t come to terms with the rest of the band, and in May of last year, backed out of the forthcoming project and any live dates which might follow the release of the album.

Tony Iommi, long-time guitarist of Black Sabbath, has been diagnosed with lymphoma — a type of cancer that attacks the lymphocytes of the immune system. According to reports from Iommi and Black Sabbath, he is being consulted by doctors currently to determine the best course of treatment for the diagnosis.

The information has shocked fans of the iconic metal band, often cited as the founders of the metal genre, which comes not long after the band announced their reunion with the original line-up. It also comes 18 months after the loss of vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who was also battling cancer.

It has been rumored for some time, but yesterday it has been made official: the original Black Sabbath line-up is back together for a new tour (their first together since 1997) and their first full studio album since 1978’s Never Say Die. The press conference announcement — embedded at the bottom of this post — was hosted by Henry Rollins, a long-time Sabbath fan.

The next Black Sabbath release is to be produced by Rick Rubin, famous for his work with Slayer, for his work with Johnny Cash during the Man In Black’s final years, and bringing Metallica back to form with their Death Magnetic album.

Coming this May to the UK will be a new 2-CD Deluxe Edition of Black Sabbath‘s 1983 album Born Again, the only album they recorded with Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. The upcoming release, which will be a remastered expanded edition, will contain the original album, along with a second disc containing 2 bonus tracks, including “The Fallen,” a previously unreleased studio outtake recorded during the original album session. The album will also have 9 tracks from the BBC Friday Rock Show broadcast of Sabbath’s August 1983 appearance at the Reading Rock Festival where they performed Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.” See full track listing here below.

Unfortunately, the 2-DC Deluxe Edition will only be released in the UK, not in the United States (the original album has never been released on CD in the U.S., though it is available on mp3). The release is set for May 30, 2011 and is available now for pre-order for £13.42 through Amazon UK. For those of us in the States, we can get an import copy through Amazon.com for the hefty price of $39.89.

Artist Maxim Dalton has created a new illustration called “Guitar Lessons” which features 35 rock guitar greats.

Dalton plans to offer up posters for this, and that there will be 50 hand-signed and numbered giclée prints at 19 x 25 inches. The cost will be around $40, plus $11 shipping for the U.S. and Europe. Visit the artist’s site for an up-close look at each guitarist, and to reserve a limited edition print.

Here’s a list of all the guitarists in the illustration…