Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com...
As previously discussed, the "Ozzy guitar gig" was one of the most cherished in all of rock, as seemingly, unknown shredders could become stars overnight. However, there was enormous pressure to live up to the guitarists that were previously spotted on stage alongside John Michael Osbourne, including Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, Brad Gillis, Jake E. Lee, and Zakk Wylde.
And perhaps Gus G. endured the most difficult repertoire to learn, who joined Ozzy's band in 2009, and had to study the riffs and solos of all the previously mentioned guitarists. And this was a challenge he had to meet for nearly the next decade, until his time with the Prince of Darkness came to a close in 2017.
While recently speaking to Ultimate Guitar at the start of the US tour for Firewind's latest album, Stand United, the Greek guitarist was willing to look back on this aforementioned era, and also what he learned from his time in the band.
Q: Was there anything challenging in performing Sabbath songs and Tony Iommi's parts or tone with Ozzy?
Gus G: "I couldn't replicate the exact tone obviously, because I have my own gear and it will never be exactly the same. And that was not the task, anyways. But I wanted to stay as close to the originals as possible and recreate the spirit, if you'd like.
"Obviously, I play different guitars than Tony Iommi or any other previous Ozzy guitarists. Different guitars, different amps, different pickups, everything was slightly different. And you will put on your own personal touch, because whoever is playing the songs, their own personality will come out. But my goal was to try to stick to the originals and recreate the vibe and the spirit. And he thought that it sounded great and so did a lot of fans."
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