No Rest for the Wicked

No Rest for the Wicked is the fifth album and the first to feature the young guitarist Zakk Wylde, who would become Ozzy’s long-standing musical partner. Chosen from a demo tape after Jake E. Lee’s departure, Wylde brought an aggressive, thick style full of pinch harmonics that would define the Ozzy sound for years. Bob Daisley returned on bass for the first time since Bark at the Moon, building a heavy, sturdy ensemble with drummer Randy Castillo. The opener “Miracle Man” is known as a pointed jab at televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, then embroiled in scandal, and Wylde’s raw riffing leaves a fierce impression. From the catchy drive of “Crazy Babies” and “Breakin’ All the Rules” to the unease of “Bloodbath in Paradise,” which takes up the Manson murders, the songs balance aggression with hooks. Keeping the momentum of the late 1980s while gaining a new core in Wylde, the Ozzy band built a firm foundation for the coming decade. It is a re-ignition that marks a turning point in the era.