ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 11, 1988
By Steve Newton
All right? Chalk one up for the rockers in the battle between heavy metal and the Moral Majority. Trust good old Ozzy to take a two-fisted slug at Jimmy Swaggart’s recent downfall: “Today I saw a Miracle Man, on TV cryin’/Such a hypocritical man, born again, dying/Now Jimmy he got busted with his pants down/Repent ye wretched sinners, self-righteous clown.”
Way to go, Ozzy!
On No Rest for the Wicked, Osbourne proves that he’s still the reigning monarch of mainstream metal (as opposed to speed metal, thrash metal, et al). He’s found himself another dangerous guitarist in Zakk Wyde, who really lights a fire under raunchy tunes like “Demon Alcohol” and “Bloodbath in Paradise”.
He’s not quite as good as Ozzy’s original guitarist, the late Randy Rhoads, but then who is?