Ozzy Osbourne longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde has played down rumours of a rift with the Prince of Darkness, insisting everything is fine between the pair.
The former Black Sabbath frontman is working on a new solo album, and recently revealed he was looking to create a fresh sound with the help of Rob Zombie's axeman, Johnny 5.
He told Classic Rock magazine, "I'm getting a new guitar player as we speak, and everyone has been saying to me for a long time, 'Get Johnny 5!'... I haven't fallen out with Zakk, but Zakk's got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like Black Label Society. I just felt like I wanted a change, you know?"
The news came as a surprise to Wylde - who joined Osbourne's band in 1987 - because he had no idea he'd been sidelined.
Writing on his Twitter.com blog on Monday, Wylde said, "This is news to me. I haven't heard anything about this. Until I talk to the Boss, I don't know. I love Ozzy."
But the pair has now cleared up their differences and Wylde has assured fans all issues have been resolved. In another post on the social networking site on Tuesday night (14Jul09), he writes, "Everything is great with Ozzy/Dad."
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