Ozzy Osbourne has confirmed to U.K.’s Metal Hammer magazine that he has spent the last few months working on the follow-up to 2020’s “Ordinary Man” album with producer Andrew Watt.
“I’ve done 15 tracks,” he said. “It’s kept me alive, you know. These past two years, I’ve been in a terrible fucking state between the accident [Ozzy seriously injured himself after falling at home in 2019] and then the pandemic. It’s kept me sane; I’ve needed the music.”
Osbourne went on to say that the as-yet-untitled album is nearing completion.
“I struggle a bit, but slowly but surely we’re getting there,” he said. “My only concern right now is finishing the bloody thing. We’ve got the same production time as the last time, so there’s definitely going to be some similarities. But you’ll just have to wait and see what you think.”
In December, Watt told Guitar World that he and the BLACK SABBATH legend were “halfway through” the new LP. “There’s some songs on there that are like eight or nine minutes long that are these really crazy journeys. I’m really excited about it,” he said.
Like “Ordinary Man”, which featured Watt on guitar, Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES) on bass and Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) on drums, Ozzy‘s next album will feature guest appearances by a number of notable musicians.
“There’s a bunch of people involved,” Andrew told Guitar World. “I can’t say for sure until the end, but I started doing a bunch of basic tracks with Chad and Robert Trujillo [METALLICA], who used to play in Ozzy‘s band. And Taylor Hawkins [FOO FIGHTERS] also came in and played a bunch on the record as well, which adds a different flair — it kind of harkened back to Ozzy‘s ’80s era, in a great way. And I think it’s so cool for a rock fan to be able to listen to half an album with Chad Smith on drums, and then you flip it over and you get to hear Taylor Hawkins. And you know, the last album was really special for everyone involved. And so there was no point in Ozzy or me doing this again unless we thought we could bring something new to the table. And I feel like we’re achieving that.”
Last July, Ozzy said that he was still “not back to 100 percent” after suffering from several medical issues last year, including a fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. Ozzy also said that he was looking forward to performing again once he has regained his health and the coronavirus pandemic has subsided. The BLACK SABBATH singer had previously canceled all his 2019 tour plans, and the rescheduled 2020 shows were also scrapped.
In May 2020, Ozzy‘s son Jack said that his father will “probably” retire “within the next five to ten years.” But Ozzy, who turned 72 in December, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his “No More Tours 2” — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.
Ozzy was also forced to cancel an April 2020 trip to Switzerland to see a doctor who specializes in treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The singer revealed early last year that he was diagnosed with the condition.
