Ozzy Osbourne’s next album will feature appearances from Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Queens of the Stone Age man Josh Homme, according to Chad Smith.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer was involved in previous Ozzy album Ordinary Man and was called back to play on metal icon’s (still untitled) follow-up, thought to be due this Spring.
We already know that the new Osbourne album will feature an astonishing lineup of guitar players, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Tony Iommi and the return of Zakk Wylde, but in an interview on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Smith revealed some additional names.
“Mike McCready’s on a track, Josh Homme, my neighbor from Queens [of the Stone Age] solos on a track,” says Smith. “And then Zakk Wylde is on the record as well, all over it, so it’s like if you’re a guitar player, it’s pretty fucking good.”
Smith has handled the lion’s share of the drums on the album, though our 2021 interview with Andrew Watt reported that the late Taylor Hawkins was also involved in early sessions. Meanwhile, producer Andrew Watt, Duff McKagan and Metallica’s Robert Trujillo have contributed bass tracks.
In the same interview, the RHCP man also expanded on the contributions of the other guitar talent and even mentions the one name on their wishlist that proved a holdout.
“Tony [Iommi] sent us some riffs on some files – he’s in England and we played to it,” explains Smith. “It’s got everything. It’s got all the stuff that you would want and Ozzy loves it, and so he’s on that track. And then Eric Clapton plays a wah-wah fucking Cream type solo.
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“We’re like, ‘Eric can you solo on this song? Wah-wah please! Eric, what do you think about this with the wah-wah?’ And that’s his fucking thing, so he’s soloing all over this other track. And then Jeff Beck is on two songs. We tried to get Jimmy Page – we wanted the holy trinity – but I don’t think Jimmy plays too much anymore.”
Despite all the leaks and reports of big names involved in the record, there is still no word on an official release date. In October 2021, Sony’s financial statement listed it among the company’s selected upcoming releases for the next six months, suggesting a spring 2022 release. That has not yet been confirmed, though.
Indeed, in the podcast interview, Smith tells host Chris Jericho that songs are still in production, “We did another one and it’s getting mastered tomorrow,” he says. “And oh shit, I’m in trouble again…”
Listen to Smith's full interview on the Talk Is Jericho podcast above and stay tuned to Ozzy Osbourne’s official site for more information on the album.
