CFNN Rock Correspondent Dana Murray

For the next few weeks leading up to Halloween, I’m doing a special run of reviews on some of my favorite metal albums to commemorate my favorite genre and holiday. To kick things off, I’ve decided to honor the man who started it all: Ozzy Osbourne. 

I’ve always loved the music of Ozzy Osbourne. Growing up, my dad constantly played “Crazy Train” and “War Pigs,” which put little eight-year-old me on the path to becoming the metalhead I am today. Now, I can firmly say that Osbourne is my favorite artist of all time. I don’t know exactly what it is, but his music speaks to me on a personal level that very few artists have been able to do. No matter what I’m feeling, he has a song for it. Happy? “Flying High Again” is a solid choice. Having a mild existential crisis over the future of the world? “Revelation (Mother Earth)” is the way to go. Need to cry? “See You On the Other Side” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” will have you sobbing in no time. All this to say, I listen to his music constantly, so it’s only natural that I have a favorite album: Diary of a Madman.

Diary of a Madman, which was released in 1981, is the final album that Osbourne recorded with the legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads. If you’ve spent any time at all around me, you know that I absolutely adore Rhoads’ work and consider him the greatest guitarist of all time, bar none. This album is a major part of why I hold him in such high regard. I’m usually a lyrics person, but it took me a while to learn the words to this album since I kept getting lost in the intricacies of Rhoads’ playing. It’s because of Rhoads that I decided to pick up my guitar again. His riffs on Madman were some of my biggest motivators.

“Over the Mountain” is a killer opening track. To me, this song sounds like an early example of thrash metal, which is reliant on fast and heavy guitar riffs. Rhoads’ technique on this song is absolutely incredible. It shows an edgier side to his playing that wasn’t all that present on Blizzard of Ozz. Around the 2:29 mark of the song, the solo kicks in. It lasts for around 45 seconds, which Rhoads uses to the fullest. This solo is among his best, as it shows the full range of his capabilities. The keyboards featured throughout the song combine with the guitar to sound absolutely magical. As for the lyrics, they mainly center on mysticism, specifically the astral plane. I feel that this is a callback to “Mr. Crowley” since the main refrain mentions not needing astrology and that true meaning lies within yourself. It criticizes the so-called “satanism” that Osbourne was associated with during his time in Black Sabbath and his solo career.

“Flying High Again” is one of my favorite songs on this album. The opening riff is a classic. If I had to choose a riff on Madman that was comparable to “Crazy Train,” it would be this one. The lyrics are catchy, but they’re kind of shallow compared to some of the other songs on this album. Shallow lyrics aren’t a big issue though; metal isn’t supposed to be serious all the time. The aspect of this song that stands out the most to me is the solo. This is the solo I hear whenever I see the iconic picture from the cover of Tribute, which is the picture that most people associate with Rhoads and Osbourne. It feels light and airy, which works with this song incredibly well. It’s overall a great song to jam out to.

“You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” is one of the slower ballads on Madman. I love the acoustic intro. The classical influences that Rhoads weaves throughout the song makes the album as a whole more dynamic. It doesn’t feel like other albums from the time, which are pretty much straight metal all the way through. The little things that make each song sound distinctive really go a long way. I relate to this song deeply, specifically the lines “leave me alone/don’t want your promises no more/’cause rock and roll is my religion/and my law.” Rock and roll is one of the few things that I felt hasn’t let me down in my life. Whatever I’m dealing with, I can always turn to music to ease it. One lyric I find interesting is “I can’t imagine what empty heads can achieve,” which seems to be a dig at the critics in the music industry. Despite writing album reviews myself, I agree with Osbourne. I find some publications are focused on a band’s behavior or wardrobe more than they are on the music, which seems counterproductive to me. It doesn’t make sense to call yourself a music publication if you only talk about music 15% of the time.

“Believer” is incredibly underrated. The aspect of this song that stands out the most to me is the bass. It makes me happy when artists allow their bassists to get a spotlight instead of shoving them to the back of the mix. The bass also combines with Rhoads’ pinch harmonics to create the eerie sound this song has. The variety of effects used on some sections of the riffs add another layer to the eeriness. This sound disguises the true nautre of the song, which is fairly uplifting. The line “you’ve got to believe in yourself or no one will believe in you” was in the running for being my senior quote. The total contrast between the song’s sound and message is interesting. It plays around with the perceptions of the band.

“Little Dolls” made me realize how great of a drummer Lee Kerslake was. The drum fill at the beginning sets up the solid backbeat that makes the song so much heavier. One of my favorite parts of this song is the vocals. Osbourne’s vocals start off incredibly high in his register, which he doesn’t do often. As a choir kid, I can tell that his technique isn’t considered “proper,” but I still find it impressive. The lyrics remind me of “Black Sabbath,” which is to say that they have some supernatural horror elements. The riffs during the chorus are some of my favorites from Rhoads. While they sound fairly simple, playing them is an entirely different story. I will never stop being amazed by the technicality and prowess that Rhoads put into everything he played. 

“Tonight” is another slower song on Madman. I like that this album is more ballad-heavy than Blizzard of Ozz. This song is a total shift from “Believer” since this song sounds happy at some moments, but the lyrics make it devastating. I would compare it to “Goodbye to Romance,” which has a similar tone in both instrumental and lyrics. Even though it has some similarities, “Tonight” is distictive. It has an edge on the latter half of the song that other ballads from Osbourne don’t. The solos seem to lean back towards the heavier sound from “Over the Mountain.” While I don’t listen to it often on its own, Madman as a whole would feel incomplete without it 

“S.A.T.O.” picks the energy back up from “Tonight.” It keeps the heavier sound of the past few songs, but throws a lyrical curveball. The lyrics are optimistic and much more uplifting than the instrumental would have you believe. It uses the common metaphor of a ship in a storm to represent hard times, so it makes sense to have a foreboding instrumental. My only criticism of this song is that I wish I could figure out what the title means. The lyrics didn’t give me any clues and I couldn’t find any information on it anywhere. On top of that, is it pronounced “Say-Toh” or do you say each letter individually? 

The title track,“Diary Of A Madman,” is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love the strong classical influences that are present in this song. It showcases how talented Rhoads was outside of the heavier riffs he is known for. The classical motifs don’t end with the guitar, as a chorus and orchestra are also involved towards the middle to end sections of this song. The contrast this creates with the heavier sections is so beautiful, but it serves a thematic purpose as well. The lyrics tell of a split personality, a kind of Jekyll and Hyde situation. The contrast between the soft classical sections and the metal elements help drive the split personality of the “madman” character that Osbourne is portraying here. The ending where the band combines with the orchestra and chorus is so cinematic. Every time I listen to this song, I have to sit there for a few seconds after it ends to let it soak in. It’s one of those songs where you feel like your brain chemistry is altered after you hear it. 

Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads created a masterpiece when they recorded Diary of a Madman. The contradictory themes and sounds of this album make for an interesting experience; it doesn’t let you get too comfortable with one sound for very long. The more classical guitar sections add layers that make this album sound otherworldly. I only wish that we had gotten more of this side of Rhoads. This album is absolutely incredible and it’s the perfect way to kick off Halloween!