Ozzy Osbourne should know a great heavy metal album when he hears one. After, he created some of the greatest music of the genre, both as a solo act and with his band, Black Sabbath. But what did Ozzy think made a great record that wasn't one he helped make?
In 2017, during a talk with Rolling Stone magazine, Ozzy named his top 10 metal albums. The bands on the list are not overly surprising, though some of the specific choices are. Among the bands not on the list are Iron Maiden and Tool. A top-10 list does not have many choices, of course.
His list also should not be misinterpreted as his famous bands. Ozzy was an openly unabashed lover of the Beatles, a fantastic band that never came close to making a metal album. He was a product of his time, as we all are, and there are probably bands that many of us have forgotten that Ozzy always liked.
Ozzy Osbourne's top-10 heavy metal albums might surprise you
But Ozzy also shows on his metal list that he was just like a lot of us. He liked what we liked, but there is a good reason for it. The bands on his list made great albums. This is what made up his top 10:
- AC/DC – Highway To Hell
- Alice In Chains – Facelift
- Guns ‘N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
- Judas Priest – British Steel
- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
- Megadeth – Rust in Peace
- Metallica – Master of Puppets
- Motörhead – Ace of Spades
- Pantera – Cowboys From Hell
- Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe
There is no real argument with the above. A person's taste is just that: Their own. What is interesting is that he chose Facelift for Alice In Chains and not Dirt, a much darker and doomier record. Facelift wasn't light listening, but it isn't as dark as Dirt.
Pantera being on the list might be the most surprising. They have a following, of course, but they are a bit hit and miss. Clearly, Ozzy thought Cowboys from Hell was a winner. One might have guessed Ozzy might have had Anthrax on the list ahead of Pantera, however.