Ozzy Osbourne will thaw Black Sabbath for a headlining slot on this summer's Ozzfest tour. The concerts will be the first by the legendary metal troupe since 2001.

This year's roving festival offers a horn-throwing nod to more than three decades of classic metal. In addition to Sabbath, Judas Priest (recently reunited with original frontman Rob Halford) and Slayer will also be on the bill. Superjoint Ritual, led by former Pantera screamer Philip Anselmo, Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society and Norwegian black metal mavens Dimmu Borgir will also play the main stage. Slipknot, Hatebreed, Lamb of God and Otep are among the fourteen second-stage acts. "It's definitely the heaviest bill we've put together yet," Sharon Osbourne told Rolling Stone.

The newfound interest in the classic metal bands has been fed by a series of recent reissues. Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath was released in April and collected all of the group's studio recordings. And this week, Metalogy, a new Judas Priest box set was released. There are also plans for a Slayer retrospective later this year.

As for Ozzfest, the mayhem begins on July 10th in Hartford, Connecticut.

Ozzfest tour dates:

7/10: Hartford, CT, ctnow.com Meadows Music
7/12: Mansfield, MA, Tweeter Center
7/14: Wantagh, NY, Jones Beach Amphitheater
7/16: Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
7/18: Bristow, VA, Nissan Pavilion
7/20: Columbus, OH, Germain Amphitheater
7/22: Antioch, TN, Starwood Amphitheater
7/24: Englewood, CO, Coors Amphitheater
7/27: Auburn, WA, White River Amphitheater
7/29: Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheater
7/31: Devore, CA, Hyundai Pavilion Of Glen Helen
8/3: Albuquerque, NM, Journal Pavilion
8/5: Dallas, Smirnoff Music Centre
8/7: Selma, TX, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/10: Bonner Springs, KS, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/12: Maryland Heights, MO, UMB Bank Pavilion
8/14: East Troy, WI, Alpine Valley Music Theatre
8/17: Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/19: Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center
8/21: Tinley Park, IL, Tweeter Center
8/24: Noblesville, IN, Verizon Wireless Music Center
8/26: Camden, NJ, Tweeter Center
8/28: Burgettstown, PA, Post-Gazette Pavilion
8/31: Raleigh, NC, Alltel Pavilion
9/2: Tampa, FL, Ford Amphitheater
9/4: West Palm Beach, FL, Sound Advice Amphitheater

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