Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career is littered with consistent, high quality material. From ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ to ‘Patient No. 9,’ the man has solidified himself as the true ‘Prince of Darkness.’ Every era has something to offer. And one of Ozzy’s most underrated periods remains ‘The Ultimate Sin.’
Yes, the album had major commercial success. Becoming an unavoidable cornerstone in mid 80’s hard rock. The single, ‘Shot in the Dark’ was in constant rotation on MTV. The music video becoming a one of the most played of the year. Jake E. Lee had solidified himself as a more than worthy replacement for original guitarist Randy Rhodes. Who passed away in a plane accident during the Spring of ’82.
Ozzy’s ’83 album, ‘Bark At The Moon,’ (the first to feature Lee) was met with growing success To the point that the follow up, ‘The Ultimate Sin,’ was a given commercial home run. And while its legacy may be that fans remember the tour as the one where ‘Metallica kicked Ozzy’s ass’ as the opener. The record stands on its own. A top to bottom rocker that’s loaded with quality riff after quality riff.
Jake E. Lee really owns the record. The opening title track is commanding with its tribal drum beat. Provided by newcomer Randy Castillo. The album moves forward with ‘Secret Loser.’ A perfect 80’s ‘outsider teen’ themed track. ‘Never Know Why’ contains a really creepy guitar into that’s more than worthy of the Prince of Darkness. The riff? Solid but basic. However, the verse groove is really catchy. ‘Thank God For The Bomb’ is one of the real strong songs. Even if it sounds like Ozzy is singing ‘Thank God for the bong!!’ during the chorus.
‘Never’ is one of the centerpieces. A very effective chromatic riff lays down the groove. While the chorus displays Ozzy’s knack for vocal phrasing. ‘Lighting Strikes’ is another typical 80’s hard rock song. Pretty sure the riff has been done about 100,000 times. The albums ballad ‘Killer Of Giants’ remains one of Ozzy’s most epic. And with its themes of nuclear war consequences, it’s more relevant than ever. Jake E. Lee channels his inner EVH for ‘Fool Like You.’ And it really works. The hammer on melody during the intro sucks the listener in immediately. The album closes with the single ‘Shot in the Dark.’ Which remained a concert staple until Ozzy’s retirement just a few weeks ago.
All in all ‘The Ultimate Sin’ remains Ozzy’s most underrated album. Like I said above, yes, it did have major commercial success. But over the years it’s really fallen by the wayside. Ozzy himself has even said that he doesn’t care for the album. But I think it’s a top to bottom banger. All killer no filler. Not a bad apple in the bunch. It’s true that this, more than any other album, is of its time. Coming out during the big of big 80’s hair and 80’s hard rock. But it worked. And the Ozzy train would keep on rolling for the foreseeable future. So crank it, live it, love it. Celebrate a great album with ‘The Ultimate Sin.’
