20 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time
17. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVovq9TGBw0Ozzy had a lot to prove in 1980. When you've just jumped/been pushed from the most important heavy metal band in the multiverse, your next project is going to have to bring the hellfire like the Great Dragon of Hades himself. Blizzard Of Ozz, the first solo outing for the crowned Prince of Darkness, turned out more melodic than we may have expected - not unlike later Black Sabbath efforts but far from the doomy sludge of the early stuff which fans longed for.
Still, it was the eighties, a dreary time for music in general, and Ozzy did well to put together a substantial metal album when a lot of his contemporaries where slipping into a coma of forgettable pop cheese. Blizzard Of Ozz's credibility owed much to guitarist Randy Rhodes who's slithery solos and sense of timing went a long way to keep metal heads interested in what Ozzy was banging on about this time. Timeless classics like the moody Mr. Crowley and almost jovial Crazy Train helped shift this album in the millions, prompting a long and successful career for the old bat-muncher.