Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne usually rises or falls to the level of his guitarists. He invented metal with Tony Iommi and wrote some of its greatest anthems with Randy Rhoads ”“ but things went downhill when Zakk Wylde joined the band in 1988. Replacing Wylde is a 29-year-old Greek clone named Gus G. He’s got chops and shows them off on songs like ”˜Time,’ but producer Kevin Churko has processed his riffs to the point that they sound like generic “active rock.” It’s a shame, because Ozzy shows signs of life on the six-minute ”˜Diggin’ Me Down’ and on ”˜Crucify,’ where he compares himself to Jesus.

Key Tracks: ”˜Diggin’ Me Down,’ ”˜Crucify’