This year saw Ozzy Osbourne release the monumental Ordinary Man, a record so risky, memorable, and rad that it topped our list of the 20 Greatest Albums of 2020. Part of what set the album apart was the influence of producer Andrew Watt, famous for his work with rapper and Ozzy collaborator Post Malone. Now, Watt has revealed that Ozzy’s new album will feature members of Metallica, Foo Fighters, and Red Hot Chili Peppers alongside the Prince of Darkness — and that it’s already half in the can!
“We’re about halfway through,” Watt told Guitar World in a new interview. “But, you know, it’s been hard with COVID and everything to keep him safe. We all test every day before we work and it’s just me, Ozzy and my engineer. So it’s taken a little longer this time, but it’s cool because the last one was made in this, like, swift love affair of passion, like, ‘Oh my God, this is incredible!’…But this time everyone’s moving a little slower and we’re taking a little more time. And the songs, there’s some songs on there that are like eight or nine minutes long that are these really crazy journeys. I’m really excited about it.”
Watt went on to reveal that playing with Ozzy on this record will be Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, and Red Hot Chili Peppers percussionist Chad Smith.
“There’s a bunch of people involved,” says Watt. “I can’t say for sure until the end, but I started doing a bunch of basic tracks with Chad and Robert Trujillo, who used to play in Ozzy’s band. And Taylor Hawkins also came in and played a bunch on the record as well, which adds a different flair – it kind of harkened back to Ozzy’s ‘80s era, in a great way. And I think it’s so cool for a rock fan to be able to listen to half an album with Chad Smith on drums, and then you flip it over and you get to hear Taylor Hawkins.”
More on Ozzy’s new album as we hear it.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
