[metalchris25]

Ozzy Osbourne is getting ready to enter another chapter in his diary of a madman, with longtime sidekick Zakk Wylde alongside, reports Reuters. Osbourne's as-yet-untitled album-in-progress will be his first featuring all original material since 2001's "Down to Earth."

"There's a bunch of kick-ass stuff on there," Wylde told Billboard.com of the material earmarked for Osbourne's 15th solo album. "It is just ass-kicking, heavy stuff, and we've got the ballads, some piano stuff and some acoustic stuff."

Wylde's Black Label Society is headlining Ozzfest's second stage, and the guitarist is also playing with Osbourne on the select dates the former Black Sabbath frontman is doing on the tour. "It would've been great if we got (Osbourne's album) done before the Ozzfest," Wylde says, "but it's like trying to cram three pounds of crap into a two-pound leaking bag, if you know what I mean. There's not enough hours in the day to get everything done."

"But right now it's coming out slamming. I think once the Ozzfest is done, Ozz can start writing at home in the studio and start knocking vocals out."

In related news, video footage of Ozzy Osbourne performing on the second stage at the July 1 Ozzfest stop at the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Francisco, CA has been posted on YouTube.com. Check it out: "Mr. Crowley", "Mama I'm Coming Home", "Crazy Train".

Ozzy has just announced that he'll now perform on Ozzfest's second stage instead of the main stage at two more shows this summer: Chicago (Sunday, July 16, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre) and Bristow, VA (Sunday, August 6, Nissan Pavillion). Driven by a desire to keep things interesting and exciting for the fans, Ozzy previously announced he’d be headlining the festival's second stage at seven shows.