Sony/Epic Records

Many things come to mind when the name Ozzy Osbourne comes into play; whether it be his crazy antics of the past, his widely popular reality show “The Osbournes”, or his glory days with Black Sabbath. The man has continued to make music and influence others for over forty years now, which in itself is very impressive task at hand. Over his career he has brought us so many great songs, songs which are still loved and enjoyed to this day. Well the madman is back with a brand new album release titled Scream.

Probably the most exciting part of the new album is Ozzy has brought along a  new guitarist with him, and a new sound along with it. Ozzy parted ways with Zakk Wylde, who has played and recorded on his last 8 albums. This was a definite smart move on Ozzy’s part because while Zakk is an incredible guitarist in his own right, his style and techniques tend to be repeated quite a bit from one album to the next.
Ozzy, now working with Gus G, a very talented guitarist from Greece, has brought back a spark in his music again, that in my opinion was absent in his last few releases. One of the great things about Gus is he has a very melodic style to his playing, and this was something that Zakk definitely lacked while with Ozzy. When I first heard the first single off the album “Let Me Hear You Scream” I was blown away by not only the musicianship at hand, but how powerful and strong the song was. This is a feeling that certainly had been lacking from the last release or two.

Scream does a great job of taking a blend of Ozzy’s older style of music and adding a new element to it; this being important so that Ozzy pleases his long time followers, along with gaining new fans who enjoy the newer metal style. It definitely has to be one of Ozzy’s heavier sounding records as a whole. What I love most about it, is that while it is a heavy record, the melodic aspect is added back into it. For me songs like “Let Me Hear You Scream” and “Diggin Me Down” are perfect examples of this. “Life Won’t Wait” brings us another signature Ozzy power ballad, and “Soul Sucker” has a very new metal style too it. So overall Ozzy has something in there for everyone, old fans and new.

I will say that the entire album doesn’t have the same spark and strength of his first single “Let Me Hear You Scream,” but it is a good record as a whole and I found myself after a few listens liking it more and more. Ozzy now at the age of 62 is showing people he can still sing like a madman, make great songs, and also tour the world with Ozzfest! If you want a screaming record to turn up and blare in the car I definitely recommend Scream by Ozzy Osbourne. I would have to give it 3.5 out of 5 stars!

-Warren