Review: Ozzy Osbourne, "Ordinary Man"

There has been talk of a new Ozzy record for a few years now, and it’s sparked hope that we’d get that one last really awesome album that would erase some of the lackluster releases of his later years and send him out on top.

Now we have it, and, man, this is tough.

The problem I have with Ordinary Man is that the songs are, I think, some of the best that Ozzy has recorded in years. But the album is extremely difficult to listen to, not because of the content, but because it sounds like utter crap. It’s like I’m listening to music through a busted speaker, especially in the heavier moments. I’m assuming that was the sound they were going for, but I don’t understand why.

Review: Marko Hietala, "Pyre of the Black Heart"

Overview

Nightwish bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala gives us the English version of his 2019 Finnish release, Mustan Sydamen Rovio, and it's an interesting mix of classic hard rock sounds and the more folky and symphonic side of his main band.

What's Hot?

We already know that Hietala is an incredible songwriter, and that's on full display on Pyre of the Black Heart, both in composition and lyrics. Most of the songs here delve for lyrical depth, but I also enjoy that he's not afraid to have a little juvenile fun in his songwriting, as evidenced by the line in "Stones" where he sings "am I the butt of their constant crack?" There are also some interesting choices here and there on the album, like the synth-heavy sound of "Star, Sand and Shadow" which probably ends up closer to Nightwish than just about anything else here. But I really like when he just goes for the straight-up rock. "Death March for Freedom" is one of my most-played songs of the young year, mixing old-school, Deep Purple-style hard rock with some folky melodies. Hietala's vocals remain just as incredible, dark and powerful as fans of Nightwish and the many other bands that he's worked with would expect.

Review: Dirty Shirley, "Dirty Shirley"

Overview

George Lynch may just be the busiest man in rock 'n' roll these days. Every time you turn around, it seems like he has a new project. The latest is blues rock outfit Dirty Shirley.

What's hot?

Vocalist Dino Jelusic is an absolute beast. His vocals make me wonder if Dio and Whitesnake toured Croatia together back in the early 1990s and if so, where his mother was that night. I joke, of course, but Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale both are prominent in his influences, along with Jorn Lande. Even if nothing else worked on the record, it would be worth the listen just for his voice. Luckily there are also some tasty, nasty blues grooves from Lynch like the one on album opener "Here Comes the King" and a few strange moments like the Zeppelin-meets-Alice in Chains sound of "Grand Master."

Review: Annihilator, "Ballistic, Sadistic"

Be careful what you wish for: For years, I’ve wanted Jeff Waters to drop the ballads and musical experiments and just deliver a blazing, no compromise thrash record with Annihilator. Ballistic, Sadistic does exactly that.

When I heard album opener “Armed to the Teeth” a month or so ago, I got excited. Here was everything that I’d wanted from the band for a long time – an absolute ripper of a riff, blazing lead work from Waters and a nice breakdown. There was no nonsense, no playing around with other genres. It sounded like the Annihilator I fell in love with around 30 years ago.

That follows through on the other nine songs on Ballistic, Sadistic, dare I say, perhaps a bit too much. At the risk of turning myself into a huge hypocrite after begging Jeff Waters to return to this sound, the new Annihilator album does suffer, at times, from a lack of variety. From the very beginning, it jumps on top of you and starts pummeling like the girl with the bat from the “Armed to the Teeth” video, and it doesn’t give you a chance to catch your breath.

Best of the 2010s, Part 3: Sturgill Simpson through Rob Zombie

And finally, we come to the final installment of my favorite records of the 2010s...


STURGILL SIMPSON – HIGH TOP MOUNTAIN (2013): I’m not sure there was a better traditional country album released in the past decade than High Top Mountain. With his later albums, Simpson became far more experimental. Some of that worked for me and some didn’t, but this is the place I’d like to see him get back to one day. The music is very much old-school country, with plenty of Waylon-style honky tonk and some shots of bluegrass, but there’s a definite rock ‘n’ roll attitude to songs like “You Can Have the Crown” or “Some Days.” Though I really like Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and Sound & Fury, this remains his shining moment to my ears.

Best of the 2010s, Part 2: Gloryhammer through Soilwork

Today, we continue with the next 10 entrants on my list of favorite albums of the last decade...


GLORYHAMMER – SPACE 1992: RISE OF THE CHAOS WIZARDS (2015): Yes, this is Christopher Bowes’ second inclusion on this list, but it’s a different band and just as much fun. Instead of pirates, we’re focusing on heroic fantasy and science fiction. The next chapter of Bowes’ tale about Scottish hero Angus McFife takes us to space in the “far future” of 1992, where Angus McFife XIII battles the evil wizard Zargothrax, released from the ice prison where the hero’s ancient ancestor had locked him. The story was a bit looser than the band’s debut, 2012’s Tales from the Kingdom of Fife, but the music had matured by leaps and bounds. It was a tough call between this one and 2019’s Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, but in the end, I think the songs here are stronger overall – and there’s “Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy.” If I’m most thankful for one thing musically in the last decade, it’s Bowes and the joy he’s brought me with both of his primary projects.