A
stark realization has dawned upon me, I've completely neglected thee
Metal legend's solo career. My youthful exuberance for extremity had me
turn a nose up at many of the older acts. Despite loving his timeless
voice, I'd only fumbled my way into The Ultimate Sin. Now dawns an
opportunity! Bark At The Moon has lured me in and blown me away! I've
got Heavy Metal fever and the Ozzy journey shall now begin.
Working
with the same lineup as The Ultimate Sin, the blemishes of its older
recording swiftly diminish as that same fantastic song writing emerges.
Don Airey's keys have a stronger relevance, rising up to give each song a
couple moments of glossy sparkle as they resonate alongside power
chords. Ozzy's voice is timely and mighty, right in the prime. He has a
knack of flowing with the music, the two bouncing of one another.
One
track sticks out like a thorn. With golden strings and gentle pianos,
So Tired embarks on a ballad of sorts. It has a strong sixties soul
accent. Ozzy just doesn't seem a fit for the instrumental that embarks
on a warm emotive stride. It would of been more fitting for Dusty Springfield than Ozzy, who's voice suits something more loose, less
classic. The guitar solo too feels at odds with the songs soft
temperament.
The
other nine songs are all cut of the Heavy Metal cloth with blazing
guitar solos and all. Mostly fun, upbeat tracks with pace, good vibes
and a little groove. It never runs short on energy and gusto, up to the
end do they bang out hits, each song hinging on a memorable chorus that
Ozzy nails every time. I particularly like how Spiders lets the bass
guitar lead the song to embellish its creepy mood with its brooding
prowl.
Giving
an analytical ear to the record there is a sense of trying to embellish
the music with a somewhat, horror, Halloween or cheesy evil tone. It
comes from its retro synths which jive in quite often for a few bars.
They just sound dated and "of the time" to me now but perhaps were heard
differently then. Either way it just works, the great songwriting beats
out any dated tropes which it has a few of in its composition.
Rating: 8/10