'He Had All the Finest Qualities You Could Want' — Zakk Wylde Names His Favorite Traits About Ozzy

Zakk Wylde spent much of his musical life playing alongside Ozzy Osbourne and during a recent chat with Full Metal Jackie, he reflected on the Ozzy that he knew as a person and the qualities that Osbourne embodied.

While speaking about Ozzy's appreciation with the fans, Wylde shared, "He was always cool to everybody. I would always tell everybody he had basically all the best qualities you would want in somebody. Just his kindness, his compassion and his resilience and his toughness, man. It was truly unbelievable."

When asked for a favorite moment seeing Ozzy do something for his fans, he went with the most recent option shouting out the Back to the Beginning concert and how Osbourne willed himself to make it happen. "There was never any quit in him," shared the guitarist. "Those are like some of the best qualities you want in a person and he had them all. He was the best for sure, without a doubt."

Within the chat, Wylde discusses his ongoing love for the Ozzy-era Sabbath music as he continues to play with his Zakk Sabbath tribute band and the impact that Black Sabbath had on his life. The guitarist also spoke about stepping into the Pantera world for their ongoing celebration and what he's most come to appreciate about Dimebag Darrell's work in the band since taking it on while on tour.

And Zakk also gave us an update on where things stand with Black Label Society as he starts to map out his 2026 plans. Check out more of the chat below.

It's Full Metal Jackie and always excited to welcome the one of a kind, one and only, I'm gonna call him Mr. New Jersey. Welcome back to the show, Zakk Wylde. You've got this Zakk Sabbath tribute band and this tour. This started out of your love for Black Sabbath, but now knowing that Black Sabbath have played their final show, how much pride do you take in being able to represent Black Sabbath's legacy and keep it going in the live space for fans to appreciate?

It's always a blast. Nothing's really changed. That just goes to show you how timeless Sabbath's music is. When we were playing keg parties when we were, like 16 years old and I remember playing Ketchum's Kitchen, we played the kitchen, basements, backyard keg parties, barbecues when I was 16, 17. And now I'm 58. In dog years that would be 523. We're still playing the same songs, except there's just a couple more people.

It's awesome. We have a blast every time we go out and do it. It's great.

Black Label Society, "The Gallows"

Zakk Wylde with us this week. Zakk, there's the great line in that Almost Famous movie about going to the record store when you wanna see your friends. In coming back to Zakk Sabbath, it gives you that opportunity to play the music that has become like a friend to you over the years. Is there a song in the Sabbath catalog that personally makes you feel more connected to the group whenever you play it?

I think with everybody the music that you usually loved when you were probably from when you were like a little kid to 14 years old and high school or whatever, I think you carry that with you your entire life. It never goes outta style. It brings back great memories and things like that. So you know exactly where you were when certain records were going on. With pop culture, movies or whatever, it just brings you back to great times that you had with your friends.

But when we talk about Sabbath's career, it really is truly amazing. From like 1970 to basically the bulk of their work is from '70 to '75 really. The five years between the first album and Paranoid, then '71 was Masters of Reality and then '73 was Volume 4. Then after that you had Sabotage in '75. Those five records were done from '70 to '75, so which is absolutely insane the amount of production and the quality of the records.

So there's five albums right there. But I still enjoy Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die. I remember when we would [talk about] Never Say Die, I was like, "I really love that album." But you have great memories attached to them and I remember going home from school just to put the record on. But Ozzy goes, "Yeah, it's like that album didn't even go tin, let alone platinum or gold. It went tin." Ozzy's freaking hilarious.

But every time we go out and do the shows, we always have a great time.

Zakk, I have to say I love that this tour has Bonfire and Use Your Illusion, two groups that are clearly tributes to AC/DC and Guns N' Roses respectively, along with Dario [Lorina]'s Dark Chapel joining you guys as well. What a great night representing some of the greatest rock music ever performed. We know your love for Sabbath, but have you talked with the Bonfire or Use Your Illusion guys about the passion for the music that it takes to essentially become a tribute band?

Yes and it is also our passion for dancing. Fred and Gregory Hines are some of our favorites,'cause we just bring the soft shoe and the tap dancery to another level. And we just go after combining that to Richard Simmons fitness as well.

Oh, of course.

it's a high calorie burning event.

Black Label Society, "Broken and Blind"

Zakk, obviously this tour we're talking about comes after a time of mourning for you. You couldn't have had a more interesting or educational proving ground than working with Ozzy. What elements of who Ozzy was and how he did it have you tried to emulate in your own career?

It truly is mind-blowing, even down to the last show that we did at the Back to the Beginning thing. So Oz got a chance to say goodbye to everybody and then he finished the book right before he passed away.

It was almost like as if he made sure he had to get all this stuff done, then he was like, "All right, well I'm gonna stop seeing you guys on the other side. I'm gonna check out now. I just had to make sure I got all this stuff done before I left." It's really pretty insane.

I think it's just the joy of playing the music, 'cause it truly is amazing having Ozzy in my life. There's a side of if [of what if] I had ever got a chance to play in the band with him and gotten to know him. Just the impact he had on my life just from Black Sabbath and then when he started with Randy and Jake and everything like that, just the influence and the inspiration he had on me as a musician, just that alone.

That's why so many people felt like they knew him just because they did, because of the music. He was so, so much a part of their life even though they never met him, just from always listening to his music all the time and just all the amazing memories they have attached to those records.

We were just talking about Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk, those of us who've interacted with him in person have seen it and fans have experienced some moments through the reality shows. Ozzy truly did have a humbleness and appreciation for the fans who helped put him where he was. In all your years with Ozzy, do you have a favorite moment that shows his humanity and love for the fans?

Just even that last show, truly. He just loved it, playing. Instead of just going, "Well, you know what? Instead of just like, I did it already, you know?" Instead of just enjoying your life and whatever, he was just like, "No, I love doing it, so we're gonna do this show." And I was just like, wow. He willed himself to do that last gig.

But he was always cool to everybody. I would always tell everybody he had basically all the best qualities you would want in somebody. Just his kindness, his compassion and his resilience and his toughness, man. It was truly unbelievable.

There'd be certain times at shows where if his voice was banged up, I was sending out prayers to John Paul II and Mother Teresa to get him through this thing and to the big guy.

But he'd always pull through.There was never any quit in him. Those are like some of the best qualities you want in a person and he had them all. He was the best for sure, without a doubt.

Zakk, there's been a lot said about the Back to the Beginning show, but I know your reverence for the guitarists that came before you. Did you have a chance to connect with Jake E. Lee at all over the course of that week?

I told Jake, the last Red Dragon Cartel he just put out, I was like, "Man, that record came out great, Jake." I've always been a fan of Jake. Ever since when he first started with Oz after Randy, we were all like, "Oh, check out the new guy that's playing with Ozzy." So ever since we heard "Bark at the Moon" and "Rock 'n Roll Rebel," I love everything on that record. Bu Jake's playing is awesome.

And when I got to see Jake there, I just told him how awesome I thought the new Red Dragon Cartel record was and the other one.

It was great seeing Jake there and Jake getting up there and throwing down. It was great.

Zakk, while we're on the topic of Back to the Beginning, obviously you played with Ozzy, hold deep reverence for the music and even have Zakk Sabbath to salute his Sabbath years. You bring your own certain thing to the music. How much were you paying attention to the other acts throughout the day as they paid tribute to Ozzy and Sabbath, just to see their approach when they covered the material? And are you someone who studies others, especially when there's so much great talent all in one place like this?

Oh, it's great. It just goes to show you how individual everybody's approach is. Everybody could play the same chords. You can give everybody three chords and whether it's AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Elton John, it's gonna sound different. That's the beautiful thing about music, 'cause everybody's everybody's personality is gonna come through it.

READ MORE: Zakk Wylde Confirms He + Ozzy Were Planning a New Album Before Ozzy's Death

That's why it's always great when you see that, like everybody doing covers of songs, everybody's interpretation of them. It truly was a great day, just hearing everybody paying tribute to Sabbath.

Zakk, you've been at it a few years now with the Pantera celebration. But having stepped into the Pantera music, what is your greatest appreciation for what Dimebag Darrell was able to do musically as a player and what has been your biggest challenge in bringing his music to the stage?

I think the greatest thing about what makes Dime great is, aside from his technique and all that stuff, is just like all those guys that came before him and all his heroes. So there's Eddie [Van Halen] and Randy [Rhoads], but just like Jimi Hendrix and Tony Iommi and Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton and all the legendary guys, it's what Dime wrote and his songwriting.

Because all the guys that we love, it's great that you could play. Obviously you work on your technique so you have more options. But the whole thing is, it's what he wrote.

That's why he's still spoken about and revered and he sits at the table with all those guys. It's because the writing, aside of having great chops and technique and everything like that. It's what Dime wrote.

That's what always stands the test of time, like The Beatles, The Stones and Sabbath and Zeppelin and all the stuff we love, Elton John, everything, Eagles, The Allman Brothers. Everything we're talking about is because of the songs they wrote.

I had a chance to see the Pantera celebration a couple of times. It genuinely looks like you're having a good time up there playing those songs.

Yeah, without a doubt. I, I think it's a beautiful thing that Philip [Anselmo] and Rex [Brown] wanted to do it in regard to this whole community and this culture that Pantera created, which is a beautiful thing. It's like the Grateful Dead when they go out and do Dead and Company and whether John Mayer's up there playing with them and it's just great because all the Deadheads and the faithful and the new Deadheads can all get together and they have somewhere to go. And it's a celebration of what the Dead created.

To me it's the same thing with the Pantera celebration. It's coming together for a celebration of what Dime, Vinnie, Philip and Rex, this awesome thing they created. It really truly is beautiful. The Pantera faithful, the gang that's seen them when they were like, "Zakk, I saw Pantera when it was like three of us in a bar and grill shooting pool tables and just like hanging out and there was nobody in there."

Then it's just like to see them when they first started making their records and then you know, having success and then you have all the younger kids coming out that were like, "Yeah, my dad listened to them or my uncle or my older brother and they told me how awesome Pantera was" and everything like that. So they're seeing them for the first time ever. So to me that's a beautiful thing. All of it's awesome and celebrating Dime and Vinnie every night. It's all win-win. It's just a beautiful thing.

Zakk, you are consistently busy. Zakk Sabbath now, Pantera some in 2026. Where do things stand for you in terms of Black Label Society and what does your next year start to look like? Is there something even beyond the established acts that you'd like to do at some point?

Well, you know, girls like your Jordache jeans and your candy shoes, so I gotta take Barb for that slice of pizza and a soda pop. So you gotta keep working, but I love it. As a musician, you love playing.

We just got the new Black Label. We've got the third song off the new record coming out. "Broken and Blind" is out right now. The new album is Engines of Demolition. That'll be the new record. So that'll probably be coming out. We'll just keep dropping singles until maybe 2035 and then put the new album out, so that should be enough time to make it work.

Exactly.

So that's where we got in the plans right now. We're gonna go back out after the Zakk Sabbath run until Dec. 16. We go back and then I guess in 2026, Black Label will be going out on the road then.

Thanks to Zakk Wylde for the interview. You can stay up to date with all that Zakk has going on through his Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok accounts. And be sure to look for Zakk Sabbath on tour. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.