“I will get back on stage if it f***ing kills me,” bat sommelier of legend Ozzy Osbourne told The Independent recently. Aged 73, and recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Osbourne has rediscovered the determination of the devil. Patient No 9 is his second album in as many years and, like his 2020 comeback album Ordinary Man (released seven years after the Black Sabbath reunion album 13 and a decade on from his previous solo record), it’s a rejuvenated and starry proposition.
While Ordinary Man featured collaborations with Elton John, Post Malone, Tom Morello, Charlie Puth, Travis Scott and most of Guns N’ Roses, Patient No 9 is a roll-call of more hardcore heroes: alongside the returning Roses are Josh Homme, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and various members of Jane’s Addiction, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Foo Fighters’ late drummer Taylor Hawkins makes an appearance too, as does Osbourne’s Black Sabbath demon-in-arms Tony Iommi. The acolytes are gathering in tribute but, considering the contemporary crunch of the album under producer Andrew Watt’s guiding hand, it would be foolhardy indeed to consider Patient No 9 a swansong.
