Album Review: Ozzy Osbourne – Scream
2 min read
Ozzy Osbourne’s career has had its ups and downs in pretty extreme measures. Once the bat eating Black Sabbath rocker, his solo accomplishments have varied and his years partitioned between a heavy metal icon musings and reality telly selling out.
Three years after the release of his last record, Black Rain, the veteran of darkness is back with his highly anticipated tenth studio album, Scream.
This new addition to the Osbourne clan continues to allow the metal man to never fall short musically with his vocals always processed for his records. With this being the case the rocker he will always maintain the exuberant sound of his former, less senile and ill-inflicted self.
Scream is yet another record that shows just this proving to us all that Ozzy will never be one to take a dive into obscurity without putting up a good fight.
Rapturous opener, Let it Die, is a dark and confident yet cocky mainstream metal enforcer that gives a glimpse of the overall sound of the whole record in its five minute introduction.
The cello driven and piano coated Time is a fantastic addition to Scream and shows a lot more substance than your usual metal shout numbers and gives Scream a bit more flavor.
Diggin’ Me Down shows a change of direction on the record with a brief but complimenting acoustic guitar intro before Ozzy screams his way in over a six minute riff fest.
I Want More is heavy and energetic goth with a very Nightmare on Elm Street theme sounding intro and a killer guitar solo.
Soul Sucker and Fearless are both lyrically defiant heavyweights here with chomping rhythms and thunderous confidence. Both these tracks on Scream show Ozzy’s rejuvenation within the metal scene from the harsh confines of years in the reality show shadow.
I was surprised to find myself really enjoying Scream. I’m far from being a heavy metal follower but it has a quality and optimism to it that doesn’t alienate anyone from listening to it.
It’s a record summing up death, darkness and doom in an orgy of riffs, layered-yet-powerfully empowering vocals and lengthy numbers of substance and integrity. Without doubt the best record to be made from the Prince of Darkness in well over a decade.
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