Ozzy Osbourne
Bark at the Moon

THE REVIEW

"Bark at the Moon" is the third solo album by Ozzy Osbourne after his departure from Sabbath. It is also the first album in collaboration with guitarist Jake E. Lee (with whom the Madman would also work for "The Ultimate Sin"). Overall, it is one of the prince of darkness's most captivating albums, although not on the level of "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman," true masterpieces of the former Black Sabbath member.

The album immediately takes off with the title track "Bark At The Moon", a song of tremendous energy, featuring ingenious riffs and a noteworthy solo. Truly remarkable. The second track is the melancholic ballad "You're No Different", in my opinion, one of the best tracks on the album. Immediately following is what is essentially the only filler on the album: "Now You See It" is a song with slightly disco flavors (in the choruses) that does not capture the listener's attention at all. "Rock 'n' Roll Rebel" is another truly spectacular track, very well crafted and absolutely worthy of an Ozzy album. A dark intro of choirs and bells introduces us to "Centre of Eternity", which is a true electric shock. A fast, catchy song with a significant impact. Excellent. Then there’s another very well-executed ballad (even if it doesn’t quite fit Ozzy's style), "I'm So Tired". "Slow Down" is a track with catchy choruses but not much else. Decent. The last song is the gloomy "Waiting For Darkness" that slowly guides us out of the prince's realm of darkness...

In my opinion, it's Ozzy's last valuable album (aside from the adequate "No More Tears" of '91) that still manages to transmit a high level of energy. Spectacular "Bark At The Moon" and "Rock 'n' Roll Rebel", excellent "Centre of Eternity", and the rest is decent. In my opinion, it remains a fairly underrated album by critics, deserving to be listened to by every metalhead who is one.