Slay bells ring: Christmastime in metal land kicks off with a little merry mayhem courtesy of the godfather himself. Ozzy Osbourne takes time off from the Sabbath reunion to reconvene his solo band, whose line-up includes former Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo, drummer Mike Bordin (who, despite having also played in Faith No More and Korn, appeared this year on a non-celebrity episode of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire), and guitarist Zakk Wylde (seemingly revitalized by his cameo earlier this year in the not-quite-about-Judas-Priest flick Rock Star). Undead machine-metal mauler (and would-be horror-movie mogul) Rob Zombie returns to co-headline; Mudvayne and Onesidezero open. The bill surfaces tonight, Thursday, December 13, at the Hartford Civic Center (860-241-4229); on Saturday at the Worcester Centrum (617-931-2000); and next Thursday at the Verizon Wireless Arena (603-644-5000) in Manchester, New Hampshire. Meanwhile, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra -- members of the '80s theatrical prog/pop-metal band Savatage reconfigured as a less new-agey alternative to Mannheim Steamroller -- hit the Orpheum (617-931-2000) on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday they're at Oakdale Theater (203-265-1501) in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Who says the Get Up Kids are just an emo band? They've certainly looked a lot more like a hellbent-for-leather rock-and-roll outfit since they started touring with Weezer and Rocket from the Crypt, and their fabulous newly issued singles comp Eudora (Vagrant) includes covers of Bowie's "Suffragette City" and Mötley Crüe's "On with the Show," plus tunes by the Cure, New Order, the Replacements, the Pixies, the Metroschifter, and Coalesce. How's that for a new rock canon? The Kids make their only area appearance at the Palladium (800-477-6849) in Worcester on Saturday with Alkaline Trio and Appleseed Cast.

Tunnel of Love's sophomore effort, the self-released Tunnel of Love II, is even more depraved than their debut: Pussy Galore fuckstomp meets Flying Lutenbachers dildo headcheese, '60s psycho pop with a calcified spine. Not since Foom has anyone done Howlin' Wolf as broken as "Suicide Party," in which our maniac cuts off his weenie and sends it to "you." And that doesn't even begin to match the weirdness of their hermaphroditic punk anthem "I'm a Girl." Tonight (Thursday, November 13) they're at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge with NYC's the Liars -- a messed-up, angular, beat-box-accented noise-punk assault team fronted by a ranting six-foot Aussie. The Liars' new They Threw Us in a Ditch and Threw a Monument on Top, done with Jon Spencer/Beasties producer Steve Revitt, is just out on Gern Blandsten, and they're supporting the disc on a tour that continues on Friday at the Monahasset Mill Building in Providence (no phone number available); on Saturday at the Tune Inn (203-772-4310) in New Haven; on Sunday at the El N Gee (860-437-3800) in New London; and on Monday at the Flywheel (413-527-9800) in Easthampton.