No More Tears

Released

A decade on from his miraculous solo reinvention and Ozzy Osbourne was treading water — his albums with Jake E. Lee lacked the magic of his work with guitar god Randy Rhoads, and while Zakk Wylde and his squealing style showed potential, their first collaboration together just didn’t have the songs. No More Tears corrects that. In spades. From opening horror story “Mr. Tinkertrain” to the self-reflection anthems “Desire” and “I Don’t Want to Change the World” to the heartfelt ballad “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” this contains hit after hit — even the filler like “Hellraiser” and “Zombie Stomp” have their charm. Then there’s the title track. It’s one of the most stunning compositions in Ozzy’s long career, his own “Stairway to Heaven,” a song that deserves to be blasted from the very steeples of Satan’s cathedral itself. Wylde proves himself worthy of his idol in the solo.

Jeff Treppel

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