OZZY OSBOURNE - Black Rain

After 1 live album, 2 compilations and 1 cover albums, Ozzy "enemy of Christ, idol of the MTV generation"  Osbourne released 2 months ago (yet) another studio album, which made such a strong impression among our editors that just now I barely remembered it came out. I won’t question the timeliness of Ozzy "He's not my boy, but I love him like a son" Osbourne’s effort and I won’t let the question - whether there is any difference between an Ozzy album and a BLS album nowadays - torment me. How good is this Black Rain? Well, it depends how you look at it, whether you compare it to No More Tears or whether, on the contrary, you consider the respectable age of the Prince of Darkness, Liquor and Narcotics. In general it goes along the classic lines, opening with the well-known lively riffs, but it evolves along the way into an (explainable) attraction to medium rhythms and another (surprising) one for modern sounds and noises. The flat production puts the guitar at a disadvantage and steals from the force of the recycled yet thunderous performance by Zakk Wylde, while the voice is worked over (not in a good sense) by all sorts of effects and megaphones. It seems to be a carefully-arranged, well-thought and diverse album – perhaps because it is the first one made while sober – but at the same time it leaves a rather sad impression at the first contact – this I don’t know why. Still, Ozzy is already a legend and this album cannot change that.
(+) it’s Ozzy
(-) ... but he’s not that young anymore

Klawz Nota: 7.5