In 2010, Ozzy Osbourne released "Scream", his tenth studio album as a solo artist and the first to feature Firewind's Gus G. on guitar (replacing longtime sidekick, Zakk Wylde
though perhaps only temporarily)The album was hyped in a way that suggested a comeback album, though it was never called that, but it followed only three years after 2007's "Black Rain". Three years might have been a lifetime back in the Black Sabbath days, but it's a relatively small lapse between albums considering Osbourne's track record since the mid-'90's (before "Black Rain", there was 2001's "Down to Earth" and 1995's "Ozzmosis", only two studio albums in the course of a decade plus). The Ozzman had done plenty of touring even in the leaner recording years, so if he was supposed to be coming back, one has to wonder what he was coming back from.If "Scream" was supposed to be more a return to form more than a comeback per se, I suppose that's in the eye of the beholder. I like it, but personally, I thought "Black Rain" was better overall. Since "Black Rain" was the first Ozzy studio album to miss the platinum mark in the US, though still going gold, it may have been seen as a commercial disappointment. Still, I think it trumps not only "Scream" in overall quality, but also its immediate predecessors, both of which cleared the platinum mark. In any event, though "Scream" hit the Number 4 position on the Billboard Charts, it has not yet reached gold status in the US as "Black Rain" did (though it has in other countries), so if it was meant to top the prior album's performance, that didn't happen.It did kick off an enormous World Tour, starting with Ozzfest dates in Fall of 2010. I had the chance to catch several of these shows, and found Ozzy and the band in rare form. Gus G. didn't have the chance to shine as much as he should have on the album, since he came onboard once writing was mostly completed, but he was a force to be reckoned with on the road. Ozzy pulled out some deep cuts, something he rarely does, like "Killer of Giants" at some shows and "Fire in the Sky" at others, while the whole band shone during their solo workouts (which incorporated an impressive reworking of Sabbath's "Rat Salad"). At some shows his vocal performance was top notch;at others he was a tad wobbly. Though Ozzy always puts on a hell of a show, I've rarely seen him so...joyful, for lack of a better word. It seemed he was really enjoying himself on this tour.Enough about the tour, though. This is still an album review, isn't it? So let's go over "Scream" and see what we can see. The first thing I noticed was that the pacing is almost identical to that of "Black Rain". Two potential radio hits, both upbeat, trotted out right at the beginning. A darker, heavier number in the third slot. Ballads at track 4 and 8, with more heavy stuff in between and again after, with the most experimental song at the 10th spot (essentially the last song, though on "Scream" there is one more number, a very short, very low-key track called "I Love You All", a nod to Ozzy's famous on-stage catch phrase).To be fair, while I like "Black Rain" better overall, "Scream" has the better one-two opening punch. I think in each case, these cookie cutter radio songs are among the least compelling things on their respective albums, but "Let It Die" and "Let Me Hear You Scream" beat "Not Going Away" and "I Don't Wanna Stop" by at least a small margin. Ozzy perfected the idea of starting his records out with anthemic, statement-of-intent songs way back on his first two solo albums. None of these belong in the same class as "I Don't Know" and "Crazy Train" or "Over the Mountain" and "Flying High Again", but it seems to be the feel they're going for, with the "Scream" tracks coming (slighly) closer to the mark. Still, the third track is where the album really takes shape, as was (again) the case with "Black Rain". The somewhat unfortunately named "Soul Sucker" (which, altered to the even-more ridiculous "Soul Sucka", was almost the choice for the album title) is actually a pretty decent song, fairly heavy, nice vocal melodies from Ozzy and less calculated than the first two tracks. The ballads are actually pretty much aces, too. If I had to cut two tracks, it'd be the opening two, not the two softer songs.The fourth song on "Scream" is it's big ace-in-the-hole,
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and the one other area where it really compares favorably to "Black Rain". In my opinion, "Diggin' Me Down" is the single best song off either of the two albums, and the one "Scream" track I'd add to the list of classic Ozzy songs. It incorporates some of the heaviness of Sabbath, the classical leanings and fleet-fingered guitar work of Randy Rhoads-era solo Ozzy and contemporary production values. Some of Ozzy's best melodies and angriest sounding vocals complement world-weary lyrics which question organized religion (not sure who does the bulk of the lyric writing on this album;perhaps producer Kevin Churko?). "Crucify" is also pretty great (but not as great as the similarly titled "Crucify the Dead", which Ozzy sang on Slash's album released around the same time), though "Fearless" and "I Want It More" are less impressive. "Latimer's Mercy" is another bright spot, pretty experimental in musical approach and subject matter. Inspired by a true story of a man who allegedly killed his chronically ill child, it continues a tradition of Ozzy songs that explore dark emotions in others (ala Blizzard of Ozz's ode to "Mr. Crowley").Overall,
a very solid album for a guy in his fourth decade of recording and performing. Not at the level of his best work, nor even my favorite of his recent works, but with several great songs and at least one classic for the canon. My biggest complaints would be a touch too much filler, a little too formulaic in places (though not across the board) and - most of all - too slick in it's production. One thing most of Ozzy's more recent albums lack compared to earlier works is a rawer, less polished sound. Let's hope that if the promised Black Sabbath studio album materializes in 2012, not only does it feature all four of the originals but also a return to that sort of raw sound. Beyond that, one thing I'd love to hear is an Ozzy album with the "Scream" lineup written with the band, not written with the producer beforehand and played by the band. I feel an album with Gus G. and Adam Wakeman involved in the writing might tap into the delicate synthesis of metal, pop and classical sensibilities that made early Ozzy albums with Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake so special.
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