September 28, 1988 - No Rest For The Wicked

Three weeks after my last release and over two and a half years since "The Ultimate Sin", Ozzy Osbourne released his fifth solo album "No Rest For The Wicked" on September 28, 1988. As it seems with all Ozzy solo records, there are several line-up changes since last album. Bassist Phil Soussan appears on just the one album as he is replaced by the man he replaced, Bob Daisley, who returns to the fold. Also gone is guitarist Jake E. Lee, leaving only Ozzy and drummer Randy Castillo from last album. Daisley returning is a nice touch and although Lee is not a bad guitarist by any means, he also won't be terribly missed either. Joining Ozzy on this album are new full-time keyboard player John Sinclair and 19 year old guitarist Zakk Wylde. It's another new Ozzy line-up, but no matter who he has with him, Ozzy still continues to make solid metal music. Let's check out his latest offering!

The album kicks off with the first single, "Miracle Man" and Wylde plays a cool guitar riff that leads the way as Ozzy laughs maniacally before beginning the first verse. Wylde plays a nice upbeat guitar riff in the verse and chorus but there's a weird distorted singing of the name of the song in the chorus that I'm not a huge fan of. After another verse and chorus we hear Zakk's first guitar solo. It starts slow but ends up being a pretty cool solo with some nice shredding by the teenager. They play a final verse and play out the so-so chorus for too long until the song fades to an end. Up next is "Devil's Daughter (Holy War)" and Wylde leads the way with another cool and catchy upbeat guitar riff. Ozzy sings a decent verse in his usual voice and in the chorus alternates between yelling the two names of the song. After another verse and chorus we hear the first noticeable keyboards as Sinclair plays some light synths in new slow part. Wylde nicely ramps into a solo and it's a nice and long one where Zakk really shows off his talents! I think his fast and furious style is better than Jake E. Lee's guitar sound as Ozzy continues to work with some pretty great guitarists! After a final verse and chorus Ozzy laughs slowly to end this better song. Track 3 is "Crazy Babies", the second single led by another catchy but slower guitar riff. Ozzy sounds like he's having fun singing this verse and Zakk switches to another catchy riff for the chorus as Ozzy coolly sings "walk that walk, talk that talk". They play another verse and chorus before it's time for another long Wylde solo. He starts slow but nicely and slowly ramps it up and ends the solo with some pretty awesome stuff. It leads perfectly back into main riff and they play a final verse and chorus to finish it. The next song is "Breakin' All The Rules" and Wylde plays a pretty heavy main riff that nicely chugs along as Ozzy slowly sings overtop. Castillo plays some cool drums in the verse as well and it's followed by a very short guitar solo, then it's right into another verse. After this verse we finally reach the solo as Ozzy nicely belts out the name of the song and sings a solid chorus. Zakk then takes off with a new faster guitar riff and plays some cool stuff that sets the stage for his full-blown solo. We hear some great shredding in the solo by Wylde and it nicely leads back to another  solid verse and chorus. They jam things out while Ozzy yells and rambles along in my favourite song so far on the album. Track 5 is "Bloodbath In Paradise" and it has a very haunting opening with some nice keyboards by Sinclair until the guitar takes over with a nice epic riff. Things ramp into a faster, typical Ozzy verse with Wylde playing some great guitar. The chorus is nice and fast-paced as well and it leads perfectly into another great verse. After another cool chorus they shift nicely into a new riff with some bouncing drums that sets the stage for the guitar solo. It's a short but pretty sweet solo, then it's back to the main riff. They play a final verse and chorus before moving to a cool final part to end the song nicely. The next song is "Fire In The Sky" and it has a slow opening with light but cool keyboards by Sinclair. Zakk comes in with a slow but nice and heavy guitar riff but things quiet down again as Ozzy begins the first verse. The heavy guitar riff turns out to be the chorus riff and Ozzy sings louder but still sounds like his usual solid self. After another verse and couple choruses, more keyboards help set the stage nicely for the guitar solo. It's not one of Zakk's fastest but it still sounds pretty good and the end segues nicely back into the slow main riff. They play a final chorus to end this slow but solid song. Track 7 is "Tattooed Dancer" and it starts with a nice drum intro before Wylde leads the way with a pretty fast and cool guitar riff and Ozzy sings quickly along to match the fast pace. They go through a couple verses with no real chorus, just Ozzy yelling "my soul's on fire!" They nicely segue to an epic new part with some cool keyboards, more great drums and epic chanting in the background. Zakk plays a brief solo overtop but nothing really fancy and his return to the fast guitar riff brings things back to the main riff and they play a final verse and chorus to end it. The next song is called "Demon Alcohol" and it has a catchy and upbeat main riff led by some cool guitar by Wylde and Ozzy sings slowly and nicely along. The opening verse is about how good alcohol makes you feel, but the chorus of "demon alcohol, I'm the demon alcohol, I'll getcha!" shows it's not all good! The next verse describes the decline of alcoholism and after another chorus Zakk nicely sets the stage for himself and proceeds to solo. He does a nice job as he seems to do every time and he nicely ties the solo back into the main riff as well. They jam out a final verse and chorus to end it and this brings us to the final song on the album, "Hero". It opens with some sappy synths but Zakk comes in with a slow and heavy guitar riff to lead this ballad. Ozzy sings a nice slow verse that fits the mood very well and Castillo adds some more cool drums in the latter half of this long verse. Another long verse directly follows and there is no chorus in a nice change of songwriting pace! Wylde starts his solo and it's a solo of two halves: the first half is quite slow and melodic, but the second half is very fast with some great shredding! Zakk once again ties the end of his solo perfectly back into the main riff and they jam out a final shorter verse before ending the song with a long "please don't go" chant that I find is a bit of a sappy way to end an Ozzy album.

That is the end of "No Rest For The Wicked" and I thought it was another solid metal album from Ozzy Osbourne and friends. Young Zakk Wylde seems to be a real talent and his guitar skills are already pretty great and will hopefully get even better! I think this album easily surpasses their last album "The Ultimate Sin" and I think it's even better than Jake E. Lee's best album with the band, "Bark At The Moon". However, it's nowhere near as good as the Randy Rhoads-era "Diary Of A Madman" so there's still work to be done. I look forward to Ozzy's next effort to break into his beginning of the decade solo glory.