Ozzmosis

As easy as it is to sum up 1995’s Ozzmosis as Ozzy’s ‘ballad album,’ it ends up having more variety than initially expected. The gothic introspection and polish give it some commonality with the preceding No More Tears, but the production is decidedly slicker with the vocals getting especially cleaned up. There may be some subconscious Sabbath elements at play with Geezer Butler on bass duties and Zakk Wylde opting for slower, downtuned riffs. Songs like “Ghost Behind My Eyes” and “My Little Man” also suggest that Ozzy might’ve just wanted to screw around with some Beatles worship.

The opening “Perry Mason” makes for an especially strong successor to the No More Tears melodrama. The opening strings immediately invoke a theatrical flair, the vocal lines hit almost as hard as that thick trudging riff set, and they even sneak a little bass lick at the midway point. It’s certainly an interesting way of kicking things off but it’s also easily the greatest song that Ozzy has released post-retirement.

While I would’ve loved an album full of “Perry Mason” repeats, the other heavier tracks don’t quite live up to it. “Thunder Underground” is solid though the rather sterile take on the Alice In Chains sludge crawl makes it feel more like proto-Black Label Society while “My Jerkyll Doesn’t Hide” comes off as sounding forced. Fortunately, the neurotic urgency on “Tomorrow” makes for a memorable track.

Having this many ballads in such close proximity can make a saccharine listen, but each of them offers a distinct character. The Lennon-esque koans on “I Just Want You” may sound more profound than they actually are, but I can appreciate their emotional builds. “See You on the Other Side” provides a somber yet hopeful reflection on a loved one’s passing while the piano-driven “Old LA Tonight” offers a sentimental view that I can’t help but find touching.

In hindsight, I feel like Ozzmosis represents a very fascinating turning point in Ozzy’s career. The classic party metal is long gone but its darker atmosphere still lingers. The mainstreaming brought on by Ozzfest and The Osbournes was still a way’s away, but the confessional lyrics pave the way for a less edgy image to take over.

But taken on its own terms, Ozzmosis is an enjoyably unique album. The musicianship is rock-solid, even if this was where the vocal doctoring started getting noticeable, and the songwriting offers plenty of emotional winners. It’s a little hard for the numerous ballads to reach true depths of melancholy in these pop metal constraints, but there also isn’t much else out there that sounds like it. It’s fitting for it to rank somewhere in the middle of the Ozzy Osbourne discography, but it’s worth checking out for diehards.