A couple days back, I reviewed Battle Beast’s early 2022 release, Circus Of Doom. It was one of my number 5 albums of last year, but it’s partner was just as good. A legend in their own right, the legacy they’ve made for themselves is well deserved. Of course, I’m talking about the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, and while his last release Ordinary Man was (For me & some others) enjoyable, it’s faults prevented it from being a full-blown classic. Today’s album, on the other hand, was a big improvement. It still had it’s faults, but it was improved in many ways as well. It was an album that came out at a time where the Blizzard Of Ozz was having health issues, but manage to tap into some inner strength and cracked out a damn good release. So, be sure to take your pills, don’t fight the orderlies when they bring in the straight jacket, and enjoy my review of Ozzy’s Osbourne 2022 release, Patient Number 9. Let’s begin!
Background
Taken from part 3 of my overview:
“Released on the 9th of September in 2022, the announcement for it came just 4 days after the release of Ordinary Man, as Ozzy stated in a iHeartRadio interview that he wanted to do a follow-up album with Andrew Watt. Come November of 2021, and Sony announced that the record would come in 6 months, and Zakk Wylde would return to be fully involved since he wasn’t on Ordinary Man. Then finally on the 24th of June in 2022, Osbourne announced the album’s name, as well as release the single of the same name (More on that in a bit).
Patient Number 9 had some pretty great reception upon it’s release. AllMusic critic Fred Thomas gave it a mostly positive review, writing: “Even with that fatalistic perspective sometimes peeking through, Ozzy sounds hypercharged throughout Patient Number 9, continuing the unlikely late-in-the-game comeback he began on Ordinary Man, and besting that album by taking more chances”, Metal Hammer gave it positive praise and said: “Despite everything you may have heard about Ozzy being on his last legs, Patient Number 9 unequivocally does not sound like the work of a man living on borrowed time. Instead, it sounds like the Prince of fucking Darkness having an absolutely smashing time, with a bunch of his mates and, weirdly, a newfound sense of artistic ambition”, & NME writer Rhian Daly gave Patient Number 9 an almost perfect score and stated: “At 73 years old and battling with his health, you might not expect Osbourne to keep that bar particularly high. But, for the most part, Patient Number 9 does just that – it's a fizzing piece of hard-rock magic. The superstitious metal frontman might have revealed in a recent Independent interview that he tries to "avoid looking at" the number 13, but we're lucky to have his magnificent 13th solo album”. Patient Number 9 would also get to no. 3 on the Billboard 200 & no. 2 on the UK albums chart respectively, so that’s impressive!”
Basic Description
Ordinary Man 2.0.
Right away, some of you who see that description will possibly turn away, and I can’t completely blame you. While I enjoyed Ordinary Man back in 2020, and still do today, I can’t deny now that it’s a bit more flawed than I once thought it was. This album, on the other hand, is definitely a big improvement over what the Blizzard Of Ozz put out 2 years prior to this one. Yes, the problems with OM are still accounted for here on Patient Number 9, but as I said in October last year (And a few more times in this review) they were definitely worked on. Not 100% worked on, but enough that it doesn’t impact the songs anywhere near as much. Even with that not factored in, it’s obvious that Ozzy feels a bit more invigorated on this release than the last. Sure, his health issues in 2022 were a little more problematic that in 2020, but he seemed like he had a new lease on life, and used that to fuel the recording & production of Patient Number 9.....and it shows.
Best Track
I said it in part 3 of the overview, and I’ll say it again here, but the title track to this album is just phenomenal. Virtually every song on this record is fantastic, but it’s the opener where I feel the atmosphere of Patient Number 9 is just perfect. Ozzy has always had a way of singing about madness & the struggles of the mind, and on this tune it’s just perfect. The instrumentation is well done but played in a strange way (Jeff Beck does a good job here, btw), Ozzy’s vocals are the most crisp they’ve been in years, yet the manner in which he sings comes across like that of an older patient warning the new guys what might be going on behind the scenes. Patient Number 9 is a haunting tune that really gets in your head.....but you won’t mind by the time it’s done playing.
Patient Number 9
Worst Track
Like I said in October last year, Patient Number 9's only issue is that it shares it’s faults with Ordinary Man. Ozzy had his voice tinkered with in places, another overabundance of guest musicians, and another overabundance of people that helped record & produce Patient Number 9. Again, it’s not as bad this time around, as the faults in question were smoothed out. Ozzy’s voice wasn’t tinkered with as much, the guest musicians were one Ozzy was probably a little more comfortable with, and there weren’t as many people working on everything else. The issues are still noticeable, but don’t impede the music as much as it did on Ozzy’s prior release.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Patient Number 9
Overall Impression & Rating
Patient Number 9 definitely feels like Ozzy managed to rejuvenate someone in the time since Ordinary Man. Again, it does share that previously mentioned album’s faults, but they’re smoothed out to the point where it’s not as much of a detriment as it was in 2020. Yes, the faults are noticeable, but not quite as obvious. Despite that, I enjoyed this album quite a bit, and if any of you were put off by what came before, then Patient Number 9 will correct many of the predecessor’s mistakes for you.
Patient Number 9 gets an 8 out of 10.
And that was my review of Patient Number 9. While it still has some faults like Ordinary Man, it’s an improvement over that album through it’s smoother edges. If you felt that the Prince Of Darkness’s prior output was a struggle to go through, then you might be able to handle this lovely slice of madness. So, I’m taking break for a few days ago to recharge my batteries a little, but be sure to come back after the 1st of May, as we’re reaching no. 4 on my top 5 album list of 2022. See you soon!
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