OZZY
THE ULTIMATE SIN
ALBUM REVIEW
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The Ultimate Sin
Cover art by Boris Vallejo
Released:
January 24 1986 (US)
February 10 1986 (UK)
Label: CBS Associated (US)
Epic (UK)
Producer: Ron Nevison
Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
Jake E. Lee – Guitars
Phil Soussan – Bass
Randy Castillo – Drums
Mike Moran – Keyboards
Side 1
1 - The Ultimate Sin
2 - Secret Loser
3 - Never Know Why
4 - Thank God for the Bomb
5 - Never"
Side 2
6 - Lightning Strikes
7 - Killer of Giants
8 - Fool Like You
9 - Shot in the Dark
“There were 2 years of my life that I was dead certain I was gonna be a breakdancer…”
The release of THE ULTIMATE SIN on January 24, 1986, the 4th studio album from OZZY OSBOURNE (and the 2nd & final album to feature Jake E. Lee on guitar) is definitely one of the heaviest albums of Ozzy’s 80’s output.
“I’ve got the magic!”
With heavier riffs, crazier guitar pyrotechnics, and darker lyrical themes like nuclear annihilation, THE ULTIMATE SIN blends in just the right amount of glam while still maintaining the essential heaviness that is a prerequisite for any classic OZZY album. While perhaps a bit “more Blizzard than Diary”, it’s a dramatic improvement from Bark At The Moon and is overall heavier and more focused.
“Oh yeah, the ‘dunniguhh’? Yeah…I remember that one.”
Get ready for some metal news and current events, understand that “most people, if they have a mustache” can only look like one of three different people (or a combination of all three), and accept the fact that “the bur-duh-dur is what got ‘em”.
Be sure to check out our 2 brand-new embedded podcasts within this one and realize “I’ve lost my magic…ever since you moved me over here…” when you JOIN US as we head back to the mid-80’s with OZZY OSBOURNE and THE ULTIMATE SIN.
THE ULTIMATE SIN
Undoubtedly the hardest and most tuned-down Ozzy opener ever. Be sure to check out the video in case you’ve NEVER seen it over the last 40 years. Ozzy as an oilman is next level (as an executive oil man, no less). The video has some concert footage interspersed and the girl from the album cover is in the video, and she’s probably loads of fun because she looks crazier than homemade fuck.
Keep in mind that on this tour, the Ozzman had a young band from California as the opener. Little did we know that Ozzy bringing Metallica on tour would transform them from underground thrash pioneers to heavy metal icons while supporting their 3rd album, Master of Puppets.
“I warned you then, and I’m warning you now,
If you mess with me you’re playing with fire,
Winds of change that are fanning the flames,
Will carry you to your funeral pyre…”
SECRET LOSER
With Bark At The Moon being Jake E. Lee’s first album with Ozzy, he was still developing his sound and style. This track is more of a refined Jake with additional licks and fretboard sorcery that he’d been developing since BATM.
The riffs are much more sophisticated, and the songwriting overall is much more powerful and heavy relative to its predecessor. Definitely a 1986 album.
NEVER KNOW WHY
Creepy volume swells and dissonance…that sounds like delay on the riff at the beginning. A bit more straight ahead compared to the first 2 songs, and more like a nod to the first 2 albums with Randy.
That drum line is something from Iron Maiden, either Women In Uniform or something off of one of the first two Di’Anno era albums.
Kinda feels like Ozzy might have borrowed a significant chorus from RJD.
Hmmm…a metal conspiracy perhaps?
THANK GOD FOR THE BOMB
Of the first 4 albums, this might be the heaviest overall. It’s got a nice, refined polish relative to the first 2 records and is light years beyond BATM in terms of writing and playing.
This was at the height of the threat of nuclear war and complete global annihilation in the 80’s. Still, there’s a certain “happiness” that’s hard to overlook, even with a song title like this. Cocaine and money were plentiful in the 80’s and Ozzy was hella popular and had a lot of both of these things.
NEVER
This has a darker vibe and sound to it, although still melodic. They dialed in way more guitar and riffs (than on BATM) and gave the keyboards the …AJFA treatment.
Remember, this was also during the shred wars of the mid to late 80’s, when EVERY guitar player in metal was trying to outdo the other with faster, more powerful riffs, or more speedy and sweepy solo shred. Clearly Jake dug deeper into his bag of licks and tricks on this album.
LIGHTNING STRIKES
HFS, there’s a video for this!?
Looking back, the 80’s were not kind to metal, specifically to Ozzy and the rest of his band. The stage clothes are particularly hilarious relative to what their tour mates in Metallica were wearing: ripped jeans, worn out sneakers, and cut off t-shirts.
Do yourself a favor and enjoy some relaxers before you watch the video for this…you’ll thank us later. It’s totally worth it. Be sure you’re at the giggly phase of the high when this starts.
“I’m not apologizing, I am what I am,
There is no compromising, I don’t give a damn…”
KILLER OF GIANTS
Another dire warning about the awesome, destructive power of complete nuclear annihilation that is at the fingertips of our nation’s leaders.
Outstanding soft intro…one of the best ever. The shift from electric to nylon string guitars and the addition of the keyboards helps conjure the same ominous darkness and atmosphere as on “Mr. Crowley”.
The change at the 4:09 mark has a strangely Sabbath sound to it initially, definitely the most up-tempo part of the song (and the album).
“If none of us believe in war,
Then can you tell me, what the weapon’s for?”
FOOL LIKE YOU
WTF is that: harmonics!? That’s definitely the heaviest sounding harmonics Ozzy’s ever had. A guitar hero moment for sure. The riff sounds odd: like a blending of Iommi plus Rhoads plus Lee.
SHOT IN THE DARK
Weird that the big hit single is the closer. It still sounds very much like 1986 and is definitely a more sophisticated album (and song) than anything on BATM.
It’s still sort of insane to think about the concept of Metallica touring for Master of Puppets with Cliff Burton and actually opening for Ozzy on this tour. It’s kinda weird that this is the closer. It just seems oddly out of place.
Show Notes:
(00:01): “Date night sausage…isn’t EVERY sausage a date night sausage?” / “We’re keeping with the ‘O’ themes…” / “I’ve lost my magic…ever since you moved me over here…”/ #markthetime / “This is great radio…”/ “This is why we have 6 listeners…”/ “Let’s hold ‘em high and suck ‘em down…”/ ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***/ “It’s delicious and sticky…here in Bunkerpoon, Georgia…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / “That’s 2 in a row…”
(04:04): “I think the government is actually changing the time…and that shit the airplanes are spitting out…”/ #MetalNews and #MetalHappenings / #pictorial (“A spread?”) / #ArchEnemy / #GunsNRosesWorldTour / “How much are tickets gonna be?”/ #CastleRat and #HighOnFire / “Could be #ThunderAtlanta if it was raining and it was the 80’s…”/ #EmberingEffigy / #Slayer #HellAwaits / “If they did remix it…”/ #RIBMix / “R.I.B’d for our pleasure…” / #Megadeth and the final tour
(9:47): ***SOCIAL MEDIA US AT #TikTok #YouTube #InstaGram and #Facebook at #metalnerderypodcast, EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com , VOICEMAIL US at 980-666-8182, and/or PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast *** / ***Check out our wide variety of merchandise options for the holidays at metalnerdery.com/merch *** / “We’re working through some things right now…” / “We’re all gonna look just like Bill…”/ “We could do…an embedded podcast within a podcast…” / #AngryMattPodcast and #RussellsLoveTips
(13:39): “WHADDYA WANNA HEAR!?” / #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: OZZY OSBOURNE – THE ULTIMATE SIN / “Have you guys seen the documentary?” / #OzzyNoEscapeFromNow #OzzyOsbourne / “This will be the #conspiracytheorypodcast …”/ “45 or 50?” / 4th studio album / Released January 24, 1986 / “Wait a minute…what was that?” / “There were 2 years of my life that I was dead certain I was gonna be a breakdancer…”/ “Dude, I did it!”/ “Mega 80’s” / “I know what your breakdancer name would be…WAGE WAX…” / “It’s gonna be better than Bark At The Moon…fingers crossed…”/ “Remember the video for The Ultimate Sin?” / Produced by
Ron Nevison / THE ULTIMATE SIN / Go check out the #musicvideo for this!!! / “Oh yeah, where he looks like Boss Hogg?”/ “I bet she does backdoor stuff, man…look at her eyes.”
(28:00): SECRET LOSER / “That sounds like the 80’s, for sure…”/ “It’s a better mix than #BarkAtTheMoon for sure…”/ “I’ve got the magic!”/ NEVER KNOW WHY / “You can’t say that! That’s Dio’s song…” / #WeRock #IWannaRock / “That’s an #IronMaiden tune…the drums…what song is it?” Women in Uniform?”/ “Oh yeah, the ‘dunniguhh’? Yeah…I remember that one.”
(35:40): THANK GOD FOR THE BOMB / “This is not the one I was thinking of…I was thinking of ‘Killer of Giants’…” / “Nuke you, nuke you…” / NEVER / “You can definitely feel the 80’s in this…”/ “It’s way riffier than Bark At The Moon…”/ #placekeyboardnoiserighthere / “That song is so good but the rest of the album…”
(41:26): Side 2 / LIGHTNING STRIKES / “There’s your hook, Russ…” / #veryhooky / “This is so much more Blizzard than Diary…” / “Let’s be honest…most of Ozzy’s stuff is pop…He’s the pop of metal…”/ “The 2nd (and also last) album with Jake E. Lee…” / KILLER OF GIANTS / “No Kerslake?” / #Sailing / #RoyClark and #JerryReed / “It was another Burt Reynolds movie…”/ “Most people, if they have a mustache, they look like either a fireman, a gay porn star, a pedophile, or a combination of all three…”
(50:43): FOOL LIKE YOU / “Awww, listen to that!” / “That’s gotta be harmonics…”/ “It’s my thing now…”/ “He’s got some tasty riffs and tasty licks…hey, that should be the name of the podcast…”/ #metallicks / “Do you think the beginning of Fool Like You is like the beginning of Surfacing?” / “It reminded us of that…”/ “Dude, we should do a #Nickelback Inside The Metal…maybe a #Chronicles (episode)…”/ “Which is worse: Nickelback or #KISS?” / “Not 3, but three…”/ #IlluminatiThree / “I guess you do gotta do more finger acrobatics…”/ SHOT IN THE DARK / #thekillercloser #thebighitsingle / “That’s a terrible closer…” / “Records? Who am I kidding…the more I listen to streams I really like…”/ “Remember the 80’s pants?”/ #momjeans / “This is our front butt gunt…” / #frontbutt #frontgunt #frontbuttgunt / “You know who she reminds me of a whole lot!?” / “She had that ‘why’…”/ “That’s 2 things she’ll never forget…or always remember…”/ “It’s the first album cover to feature artwork…”/
“The bur-duh-dur is what got ‘em…” / THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #untilthenext #outroreel