Guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, Pantera) recently appeared on the Shred With Shifty Podcast. During the interview, which can be seen below, Zakk talks about Ozzy's uncanny, natural ability in the studio. An excerpt has been transcribed as follows:

"It's amazing because Ozzy, almost every vocal he's ever come up with has always been first take. The first thing he starts singing is the melody. He's like the king of the mountain. I don't know whether it's just Beatles influence or whatever... All those melodies here, and I can only imagine when he was doing 'I Don't Know' [from Blizzard Of Ozz], it'd be like, 'All right, what are you going to sing over that?' And then, Ozzy the first thing off the top of his head. It's pretty mind-blowing because Ozzy isn't a musician. I mean, he doesn't go, 'Let's go to C, and then go to E-minor for the chorus, and then go back to the riff in E...' And he doesn't know — he's just, like, he might sing a thing in his head. Or, if the riff's already there, he'll just say, 'Play that again. Let me sing something over that.' — whether it's 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' or 'No More Tears', same thing."

In live news, Zakk Sabbath, the Black Sabbath tribute band led by vocalist / guitarist Zakk Wylde, will resume their King Of The Monstrous US Tour (with Zoso, The Iron Maidens) after Christmas. Upcoming dates are as listed:

December
27 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
28 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
29 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen
30 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
31 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore

January
2 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
3 - Providence, RI - The Strand
4 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
5 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo River Works
7 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
9 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
10 - East Moline, IN - The Rust Belt
11 - Sauget, IL - Pop's
12 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
14 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore
15 - Little Rock, AR - The Hall

Fan-filmed video of Zakk Sabbath performing "Children Of The Grave" and "N.I.B." at Tannahill’s Music Hall and Tavern in Fort Worth, Texas on December 13, 2024 can be enjoyed below.