Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin (1986)

November 2, 2024

An interesting one. At first note, it sounds heavier than any of the previous albums, but as the songs progress there’s actually less “metal” here than ever before and more so is just “rock” dressed up in a big sound. It may feel like I’m splitting hairs, but fuck it. Also, Ozzy sounds tired as fuck on this one, like he just can’t be arsed.

Production-wise, things are still pretty top-tier but the boxed in drums are overpowering and a huge symptom of the time. Ozzy’s second guitar genius Jake E Lee really shone on Bark At The Moon, but outside of solos, his playing seems relegated in the overall mix.

Not great.