Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
Label: Epic
Release Date: 1981
Rating: 3 Skulls
|
|
Title: Diary of a Madman Artist: Ozzy Osbourne Label: Epic Release Date: 1981
Rating: 3 Skulls |
|
|
|
||
Reviewed by Solomon:
How can one document the history of metal without this man? Ozzy helped start it, and he has always carried along with him an impressive entourage of musicians. The Ozzman isn't exactly the most talented singer I've ever heard, but his patented whine kind of grows on you. Some of the lyrics on Diary are trite, like the drug-ode "Flying High Again" and the "poor me" stance in "You Can't Kill Rock And Roll." However, Mr. Rhoads more than makes up for this. Randy was gone long before I started playing guitar, but I know his influence has been well documented. I wouldn't call him the best player I've heard, but his flashy, articulate style helped set the stage for 80's metal playing in general. "Flying High Again" and "Tonight" strike me as kind of boring, although the outro to the latter tune contains one of the best solos on the album. The more aggressive songs stick out in my mind, like "Believer" (cool intro riff) and "Over The Mountain." The record saves the best for last, as the title track is an excellent example of Randy's fusion of rock and classical music. The intro is kind of addictive, as I've been noodling on it myself for the past couple of weeks. The clean break in the middle ranks right up there with the "Master of Puppets" interlude as Most Gorgeous Thing Ever Recorded. This portion of the song does a great job of building tension and releasing into the killer hard riff following it. Too bad this record doesn't contain more of this type of riffage.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.