ozzy osbourne
19:31 Tuesday, 26 September 2023
Ozzy Osbourne has been sidelined with health issues over the past few years, but that hasn't stopped the man from making new music. Osbourne released his first new album in a decade Ordinary Man in 2020 and then followed it up with Patient Number 9 in 2022. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Osbourne reveals he's now plotting a third record for 2024 before hopefully getting back out on the road.
"I'm getting myself fit," said Osbourne. "I've done two albums fairly recently [both produced by Andrew Watt], but I want to do one more album and then go back on the road." Osbourne added that he's hoping to once again work with Watt at his home studio in the UK.
In the same interview, Osbourne revealed that his neck surgery in September was a success and that he's doing alright. "I'm feeling okay – it was just dragging on. I thought I'd be back on my feet months ago, I just couldn't get used to this mode of living, constantly having something wrong," he said. "I can't walk properly yet, but I'm not in any pain any more and the surgery on my spine went great."
Osbourne's last two records featured a plethora of guests, with Patient Number 9 including Black Sabbath's Tomy Iommi, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, Black Label Society's Zakk Wylde, Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme, Metallica's Robert Trujillo… you get the idea. So it'll be interesting to see who Osbourne gets for his next effort.
Osbourne previously noted that his neck surgery was his final one, mostly because he can't stand going under the knife anymore. Osbourne's health has unfortunately been the cause of show cancellations over the past few years, most recently being his upcoming appearance at the Power Trip festival. His ailments also cost him a 2023 European tour, which wasn't surprising given his bleak outlook on the situation in late 2022. His farewell tour for North America still remains a mystery, though hopefully it all works out.
