Listed below are the six greatest black metal covers of Ozzy Osbourne songs from his solo profession and Black Sabbath!
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath could not technically be black steel, however, figuratively talking, nobody might higher encapsulate the essence of a motion geared towards transporting us into the void, radical authenticity and pushing individualism to its harmful excessive.
Evidently, these pioneers have eternally altered the panorama of music, serving to lay the groundwork for genres equivalent to black steel to emerge. Mayhem’s late visionary Pelle Ohlin, or “Useless,” for instance, started exploring the heavy metallic arts by way of the likes of Birmingham’s most interesting, preferring Ozzy as Sabbath’s mainman. His brother, Anders Ohlin advised distinguished creator Finn Håkon Rødland that Pelle typically performed Ozzy’s Converse of the Satan (1982).
READ MORE: The 5 Best Prog Metal Covers of Black Sabbath Songs
Pantera’s rendition of “Planet Caravan,” initially from Black Sabbath’s canonical Paranoid (1970), would possibly simply be one of the crucial stunning covers in all of rock and steel. And we should point out given frontman Philip H. Anselmo’s participation in black steel tasks and assist for the style in varied different respects.
Darkthrone, whose path has crossed with Anselmo’s, practically reimagined Black Sabbath’s “Beneath the Solar.” These legends have unexpectedly put unforgettable spins on “Dangerous Perspective” (Testors) and “Love in a Void” (Siouxsie and the Banshees).
Earlier than revealing our essential record under, please enable us to suggest a number of extra must-hear, unlikely covers by black steel bands: Vondur’s expletive-laced “Love Me Tender” (Elvis Presley), Carpathian Forest’s “All My Mates Are Useless” (Turbonegro) and “A Forest” (The Cure), Tulus’ “House Oddity” (David Bowie) and at last Mütiilation’s “My Method” (Frank Sinatra).
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Sarkom, “Symptom of the Universe”
Based by the unbelievable Erik Unsgaard, Norway’s Sarkom by no means stop to astound us with their “Bestial Supremacy.” They unleashed a superb new scorcher, Exceed in2Chaos, in 2025. with yet one more one of many style’s most interesting items of artillery, Dominator, on drums.
Through the years, Sarkom have collaborated with an astounding pool of skills, and the visitors on the wild Anti-Cosmic Artwork (2016), which ranks among the many most memorable black steel experiences accessible to ears, embody TNT’s Ronni Le Tekrø.
As a particular vinyl-edition bonus monitor for this album, Sarkom recorded an incredible reinterpretation of Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe.” It hits us each like a shot of pure adrenaline and a crowbar with its unbounded power.
The ridiculously charismatic Unsgaard demonstrates his brutal vocal prowess; Paradigma and ex-Dødheimsgard’s Tom Kvålsvoll, who doubles as an exceptionally completed engineer, blows us away along with his mastery on guitar; and drummer Defest and bassist Sgt. V, previously of Magister Templi and Svarttjern, likewise slay us with their performances.
A depraved new tackle Sodom’s “Sodomy and Lust” could be discovered on Anti-Cosmic Artwork as properly, and when you’ve got not skilled that and Sarkom’s different glorious covers — “Breathe” (The Prodigy) and “Goatcraft Torment” (Urgehal) — we urge you to take action instantly.
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Xasthur, “A Nationwide Acrobat”
It’s protected to conclude that the lethally trustworthy and ever-sassy Xasthur was America’s most legendary one-man black steel establishment, a much-needed breath of contemporary, frostbitten air arising from the oppressively scorching land of California.
Though Xasthur have moved on from the style however not from music, the band daringly conquered Black Sabbath’s “A Nationwide Acrobat,” which seems on the Nightmares at Daybreak (2012) compilation, throughout their black steel period.
Xasthur’s enigmatic mastermind, Scott Conner, solid the groovy, hallucinatory journey that’s “A Nationwide Acrobat” in a stunning new mild; the songwriting and lyrics (“Simply bear in mind love is life…”) stand in great distinction to his ruthless vocals, thus offering the gas for cognitive dissonance.
Conner has properly taken on so many stellar teams from Manes to Katatonia, however what we actually want now’s for him to both cowl or prepare some type of duet along with his beloved Chaka Khan!
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Rotting Christ, “Black Sabbath”
Throughout the pantheon of Greek black steel, Rotting Christ definitely appear to dominate, although their further impression on gothic music and continued innovation can’t be underplayed.
Rotting Christ’s stunning cowl of “Black Sabbath” premiered because the opening monitor on Sabbath Cadabra — A Greek Tribute to Black Sabbath (2013), which got here with challenge No. 340 of Metallic Hammer Greece.
This providing envelops us within the nightmarish ambiance of a clandestine dungeon ritual. The varied forms of vocals, starting from incinerating growls to menacing whispers, conjure the presence of Devil himself.
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Venom, “Megalomania”
Ozzy’s fellow countrymen Venom, the creators of the groundbreaking Black Metallic (1982), are revered as one of the crucial essential architects of the darkest style of all of them.
On Prime Evil (1989), not Venom’s blackest album however nonetheless an especially sinister one, the powerhouse opted to reinterpret Black Sabbath’s “Megalomania.” If this remarkably heavy and electrifying cowl doesn’t go away you feeling completely obliterated, you haven’t listened correctly.
Vocalist Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, who made his debut with Venom on Prime Evil and presently leads Venom Inc., really conceived the Black Sabbath tribute undertaking Sabbatonero.
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Cradle of Filth, “Mr. Crowley”
There are these whom this choose could set off, however we should however bravely and objectively acknowledge Cradle of Filth’s place throughout the historical past of black steel; and, certainly, their music stays linked to the style.
Cradle of Filth’s interpretation of Ozzy’s “Mr. Crowley” first reared its ghastly, spectral head as a bonus monitor on most 2005 variations of Nymphetamine (2004). These Ozzfest alumni imbued the basic with their particular model of extremely disturbing but entertaining magic, symphonic pomp and different individualistic touches.
After all, we rejoice the legacy of the late guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads, who helped make this hit from Blizzard of Ozz (1980) immortal.
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Ulver, “Solitude”
Though Ulver put their magnificent spin on “Solitude,” as featured on Shadows of the Solar (2007), after leaving black steel behind, this cowl continues to be very black steel in spirit. It appears that evidently solely one of many motion’s pioneers might have supersaturated the composition’s soundscape with such crushing, epic darkness, granted visitor jazz musician Mathias Eick provides wonders on trumpet right here (rather than Tony Iommi’s flute).
Mournful as each the unique monitor and Ulver’s model show, Iommi described “Solitude” in his autobiography as “perhaps the primary love track we ever recorded.”
“Solitude” has additionally been brilliantly re-envisioned by the True Norwegian Progressive Metallic heavyweights Green Carnation — an act that started their journey as loss of life metallers and nonetheless boast members who’ve been a part of a few of black steel’s greatest bands, equivalent to Within the Woods…, Emperor and the great miscreants dubbed Carpathian Forest.