Black Sabbath: Ozzy vs. Dio

*Originally published on 9/22/09


Any time a lead singer departs from a band and is replaced with someone else, a feud will develop between fans. This is most notable with Van Halen, a band that was fronted by both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. Some say the band jumped the shark when Roth left, others defend Hagar.
Another band that had two frontmen was metal band, Black Sabbath. Actually, they had a lot more than just two, but the big ones are Ozzy and Ronnie James Dio.

Now, Sabbath, to me, is always going to by synonymous with Ozzy Osbourne. The two have just become linked in my mind. As such, I do have a predilection towards Ozzy.

However, credit must be given where credit's due. Dio's era of Sabbath was awesome in its own right. It's not surprising as this is the same guy who gave us the classic tunes Holy Diver and Rainbow in the Dark. He also gave us the metal horns. Ok, the gesture existed long before, but he's the one who brought it into mainstream metal.

There were other lead singers like Rob Halford, Glenn Hughes, Ian Gillan, Ray Gillen, and Tony Martin. However, I haven't heard any of their songs yet so I can't comment.

I always wanted to see a Black Sabbath tour that incorporated the multiple lineups. You would have a few songs performed by Ozzy, then Dio would step out and you would hear some songs from his era. It would reach a wide demographic as both have their fans and it would be a huge event for fans of the band in general. For the fans who followed, and enjoyed, the band in all of its incarnations, such a tour would be a dream come true.

It's a matter of personal preference. My old roommate actually prefers the Dio material to Ozzy's. Both are great in their own right. These are legends in the metal genre, so you can't really go wrong with music by either of these two artists.

If you're a metal fan, I recommend checking out the band in both of it's major incarnations. You could go ahead and try out the others too. It couldn't hurt, who knows, they could be just as good as Ozzy or Dio. As fringe as it may be, there are probably people who thought the band peaked when neither of those two were fronting the band. If anything, you can impress your friends with your appreciation of music that doesn't get as much exposure despite being a band that has been around for decades.