By: Ciera Rybak
It’s been one month since the earth shook with the news that legendary heavy metal artist Ozzy Osbourne had passed away at the age of 76. But the passing of the Prince of Darkness is no match for legacy. Ozzy didn’t just make heavy metal. He birthed it, forged it in hellfire, and unleashed it upon the world.
Black Sabbath: The Dawn of Darkness
Long before going solo, Ozzy rose like a black star over Birmingham in the 1970s, fronting the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. With riffs that cracked the sky and a sound that would go on to influence heavy metal for the rest of time, Sabbath defined what metal would become. Their best-selling album Paranoid proves just that.
Without Sabbath, there’s no Metallica. No Iron Maiden. No Megadeth. No Judas Priest. The echoes of the Sabbath sound still thunder through the metal scene and will continue to do so until the end of time.
They were the blueprint. There’s clearly no metal without Black Sabbath.
Solo Ascension: The Godfather of Metal Unleashed
After being cast out of Sabbath in a haze of drugs and defiance, Ozzy didn’t quit. He reinvented himself and rose even higher than before. Unchained and unhinged, Ozzy ascended into an unforgettable solo career.
From the brilliance of Blizzard of Oz to the haunted theatrics of Diary of a Madman, Ozzy proved he was more than just the frontman of a legendary band. He is a force of nature. A madman on a mission… who did bite the head off a bat on stage.
The Legacy Lives On…And it Lives Loudly
Ozzy’s name is forever etched into the steel of the heavy metal world. His influence infects every new generation of metal bands trying to capture that same light that Ozzy masterfully cast upon the scene.
He’s more than a legend. He’s a myth made real.
And yes, he meant so much to my family that even our first cat was named Ozzy. Because in the world of metal, there’s only one as legendary as the Prince of Darkness.