Mere weeks after a triumphant farewell concert, the Prince of Darkness has laid down his crown for good.
I can’t say I was a life-long Ozzy fan. Like most people, I loved hits like “Crazy Train”, but it would be some years before I really started to dive into Ozzy and Black Sabbath‘s rich catalog of music to gain an appreciation for what he created. While he was the godfather of heavy metal, his music was also very accessible, with the kind of melodies that non-metal fans could enjoy.
His music also carried power. Whether it was the excoriating “War Pigs”, or emotional tracks like “Mama, I’m Coming Home”, “Changes” or “Dreamer”. And Ozzy never slowed down. After introducing himself to a new generation through his reality show The Osbournes, Ozzy continued to write and record GOOD new music, as recently as 2022’s Patient #9.
His influence on not just rock music, but music in general will continue to be felt for ages to come, but if the artists who played Black Sabbath‘s farewell show are any indication, his loss will be felt far and wide. Thankfully, he got to go out on his own terms, and give his fans the proper goodbye they deserved.
Long live the Prince of Darkness.
The Indy Review 