In the past, I’ve covered a variety of media that all dealt with faith in some way. From the Christian Hair icons Stryper, to covering the 3rd entry in the God’s Not Dead series last year, it seemed only appropriate to review stuff in that sphere, but 2026 is different. I wanted to look at an album that I got in my basket all the way back in 2017. An album that, if we’re being serious, is perhaps the furthest thing from the rebirth of Jesus as you can get. So, put on your studded Easter bonnet, grab a nice chocolate egg, and take a look at my review for Ozzy Osbourne’s 2nd solo album, Diary Of A Madman. Let’s begin!
Background
Taken from part 1 of my Ozzy Osbourne overview:
“With the incredible success of his solo debut, Ozzy Osbourne & the rest of the band were already setting up & getting ready for their next release, and the public wouldn’t have to wait that long. Released on the 7th of November in 1981, there was only a remarkable 3 week recording period from February to March of that same year, so that shows the incredible skill that everybody had. As stated on Wikipedia:
“Although bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge are credited in the liner notes and pictured on the inner sleeve for the American vinyl and cassette release and later CD re-issues, it was bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake who performed all bass and drum parts on the original release. Aldridge has stated of the album, "I think it's pretty obvious that it's not my drumming on that album. I have never taken credit for that recording and have always given Lee Kerslake, whenever asked or interviewed, the credit he rightly deserves.”
Unfortunately, things didn’t completely fly completely straight during then. Also from Wikipedia:
“Daisley provided significant contributions to the album's songwriting, having written some of the music and most of the lyrics. Kerslake claims to have also had a hand in the writing of the album, even performing lead vocals on some of the original demo recordings. "'Flying High Again' was one of my ideas, 'Over the Mountain' was another. The basic (demo) tracks were just Bob's words, my vocals—though some of the words I wrote—and Randy's playing. It was unreal. And then we got Don Airey to come in and do the keyboards", he stated in 2009. Kerslake says he used a piano in the studio to write many of the songs with guitarist Randy Rhoads. Daisley and Kerslake were not given credit for their performance or songwriting contributions, a situation which resulted in a later lawsuit.
During the album's recording, Kerslake says the band members were given no money to live on, prompting them to approach management. Shortly after, both Kerslake and Daisley were fired. "Everything was working fine," said Kerslake. "It was only when Sharon (Osbourne) came in that we had a problem. When she started managing—taking over—she wasn't the manager until Diary of a Madman. Before that was her brother, David. He didn't really want to handle it. He had too much to do for Don (Arden) in the office. So she came in and it started to get edgy. But we never suspected a thing until we went away on holiday. Next minute, they're rehearsing with Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo, and going to America.”
Diary Of A Madman would go on to be quite a big hit. To date, it has sold 3 million copies worldwide, and it’s reviews are pretty positive! Steve Huey of AllMusic stated "it's not uncommon to find fans who prefer Diary to Blizzard, since it sets an even more mystical, eerie mood, and since Rhoads' playing is progressing to an even higher level". BBC Music referred to Diary Of A Madman as "a classic rock record in every way", "lifted out of the ordinary by the legendary rock axe god, Randy Rhoads". Finally, Canadian journalist Martin Popoff called Diary of a Madman "a lasting classic that stands as the definitive showcase for Randy Rhoads”. It’s ironic that so many reviews were so positive, since reviews from 1981 at first were not. As an example, J. D. Considine of Rolling Stone, opined upon the album's original release that “the songs here are little more than riffs with a vocal line pasted on top" and referred to Rhoads as "a junior-league Eddie Van Halen – bustling with chops but somewhat short on imagination”. The irony of that is the magazine would change it’s stance on the album, ranking it 15th on its 2017 list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".”
Basic Description
Blizzard Of Ozz but better!
Let’s get this out of the way: Blizzard Of Ozz is not bad. Far from it actually! As an album it was incredible, and showed that Ozzy genuinely could hold out on his own as a solo artist alongside other talented musicians. However, it’s lone fault for some lies with it’s age. It is over 4 & a half decades old, and nowadays really shows the wrinkles on it’s face. Diary Of A Madman doesn’t really have that issue: sure, it’s been around for a long time (More on that later), but it’s managed to age the passage of time really well. Not only that, but Diary Of A Madman is an improvement over it’s predecessor, with better vocal work, instrumentation, recording, and production. Can’t go wrong with that!
Best Track
Opening with it’s best foot forward, Over The Mountain is a strong beginning song. We get some drumming for a few moments from Lee Kerslake, only for everyone on instrumentation to come charging in like a thunderstorm right after that. Sure, the beats & rhythms are repetitive for the most part, but the sheer energy of it is nothing short of powerful. Ozzy’s vocals match this as well: his vocal patterns are largely the same throughout the tune’s runtime, but there’s a spot or two where he changes things a little. Coupled with just a little bit of fantasy sewn in, you truly have a perfect opening track!
Over The Mountain
But if I’m being genuinely honest, it’s kinda hard to ignore the title track. Like metal alumni Iron Maiden with their 1992 classic Fear Of The Dark, Ozzy closes the album with an absolute banger. Embodying the lunatic vibes that’s prevalent across most of the record, the song creeps along with it’s instrumentation, punctuated with loud & bombastic moments that feel like they’re out of a horror movie. Ozzy’s vocals are the same way, as they creep along, and then turn up to 11 to heighten the tension. Definitely a tune to creep out your friends & family with!
Diary Of A Madman
Worst Track
Honestly, even with it being 4 & a half decades old this year (It’ll be exactly that old on the 7th of November) there’s nothing wrong. Unlike Blizzard Of Ozz, it doesn’t have the dated vibe to it as much, and every single song on Diary Of A Madman is fantastic!
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Diary Of A Madman
Overall Impression & Rating
Diary Of A Madman took what already made the wonderful Blizzard Of Ozz so good, and turned the knob up a little. From the instrumentation, to the vocals, to pretty much everything else, Ozzy’s 2nd solo outing showed that the Prince Of Darkness can roll with the punches on his own, and create some memorable music. It may be old, but this is one diary that’s worth looking through.
Diary Of A Madman gets a 10 out of 10.
And that was Diary Of A Madman. An upgrade from a prior album that was already a classic, it builds on those qualities & shows that Ozzy could evolve in even a short amount of time. Even if Blizzard Of Ozz started his solo run strong, then this carries the torch more so. So with that, it’s back to correcting some more posts. See you soon!
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