11 Times Ozzy Proved He Was a God-Tier Singer With Black Sabbath

Our list of Ozzy Osbourne's 11 best vocal performances with Black Sabbath is here to remind you what a monster the Prince of Darkness was behind the mic.

Despite being the most famous figure in the history of heavy metal, Ozzy is not typically remembered for his sterling vocal technique. But even if he wasn't the most technically gifted singer, he used the tools at his disposal to create magic — dark, sinister magic.

From doomy dirges to heartrending ballads, Ozzy marshaled his voice in ways that few, if any, singers could replicate. He could summon feelings of mortal terror, crushing angst or unbridled hedonism.

In other words, he could make the listener feel whatever he wanted to convey — the true sign of a master vocalist.

And, let's face it, some of Ozzy's best vocal performances with Black Sabbath were so gobsmackingly high that most mere mortals cannot even attempt to sing those songs.

Go ahead, try it. We dare you.

Or you can save yourself the sore throat and simply read our list of Ozzy Osbourne's 11 best vocal performances with Black Sabbath, in chronological order.

"Black Sabbath" (From Black Sabbath)

"Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath from Black Sabbath is the most iconic album-opening track in heavy metal history. This is due to a myriad of factors, particularly Tony Iommi's evil, tritonal riff and Ozzy's rich, expressive vocal performance.

His actual singing voice sounds robust and well-rounded, but it's his spoken-word ad-libs — "Oh, no, no, please, God, help me!" — that give "Black Sabbath" a palpable sense of terror. Close your eyes and you can imagine the Prince of Darkness being visited by the devil in these chilling moments.

"War Pigs" (From Paranoid)

Ozzy was making his way toward the high-pitched nasally sneer that would become his signature when Black Sabbath released Paranoid, but elements of his natural, bluesier singing voice still remained.

He harnesses both on "War Pigs," exercising restraint in the minimalistic verses and uncorking his upper register when the band comes in at full blast. Once again, a simple catchphrase — "Oh Lord, yeah!" — becomes the song's defining vocal moment.

"Iron Man" (From Paranoid)

On paper, having your vocalist mimic the song's guitar riff directly doesn't sound like the the most creative technique, but it sounded revelatory when Ozzy did it on one of Black Sabbath's most popular songs.

Together, he and Iommi create one of the most sinister sounding riffs and melodies in metal history. And let's not forget the incredible bionic effect on the intro vocal, which Ozzy reportedly accomplished by singing through a metal fan.

"Planet Caravan" (From Paranoid)

Black Sabbath threw a curveball amid Paranoid's heavy metal thunder with "Planet Caravan," a mellow, psychedelic odyssey about floating through the cosmos with one's lover.

Ozzy plays a major role in the song's spacy, blissed-out sound, using a Leslie speaker to achieve the swirling, vibrational effect on his vocals. It was an effective vibe shift and remains one of his most unique performances.

"Sweet Leaf" (From Master of Reality)

Ozzy's voice continued to evolve on Black Sabbath's third album, Master of Reality, getting higher and more piercing to powerful effect. This becomes immediately apparent on album opener "Sweet Leaf," where his pinched, almost-shouted vocals lend a sense of urgency and desperation to the band's love letter to cannabis. Not very chill of the Ozzman, but he gets a pass because the whole thing rocks.

"Changes" (From Vol. 4)

"Changes" marked Black Sabbath's starkest musical departure to date: a plaintive piano ballad featuring Mellotron strings and no guitar or drums whatsoever.

Ozzy once again sells the emotion of the song with a lovely, unadorned vocal that radiates heartache without tipping into maudlin territory. "Changes" might be musically light, but it's emotionally heavy.

"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (From Sabbath Bloody Sabbath)

If there's a single song that could convert skeptics of a young Ozzy's vocal prowess, it's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." It's the pinnacle of the Prince of Darkness' vocal performances and one of the most daunting deliveries in all of metal, with notes higher than the collective band was while recording the album. Case in point: Two of metal's most technically accomplished vocalists, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and Anthrax's Joey Belladonna, couldn't even match the skyscraping ferocity of the original track.

"Hole in the Sky" (From Sabotage)

Black Sabbath named Sabotage after the bitter legal battles they waged against their management and record label while making the album. That anger permeates every nook and cranny of Sabotage, starting with the furious album opener "Hole in the Sky."

Ozzy picks up right where he left off on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, delivering this abstract, apocalyptic tale with bloodcurdling fury.

"Symptom of the Universe" (From Sabotage)

The hits keep coming on Sabotage, with "Symptom of the Universe" marking one of the heaviest tunes Black Sabbath ever wrote — no small feat, considering their monolithic catalog.

Ozzy's frantic, larynx-shredding vocals accompany Iommi's blistering, doom-laden riffs and Bill Ward's wildman drumming. But the most impressive vocal moment arrives during the bridge, with Ozzy's raspy, impassioned cries juxtaposing beautifully with delicate acoustic guitar and piano.

"Megalomania" (From Sabotage)

One of the longest songs in Black Sabbath's discography, "Megalomania" is a shapeshifting prog-metal epic that demonstrates all of the band's myriad strengths in one wild 10-minute package.

Ozzy delivers a masterfully dynamic vocal performance, shifting from a spacy, double-tracked croon to a full-throated roar as the band ramps up behind him. "Megalomania" even features some of Ozzy's signature ad-libs in the charismatic "Sting me!" and the cheekily irreverent "Suck me!"

"Never Say Die" (From Never Say Die!)

Black Sabbath's final album from Ozzy's first tenure often resembled a splashy FM rock LP more than the doomy heavy metal they pioneered.

Ozzy proved up to the task vocally, giving an exhilarating performance on the high-octane title track that opens Never Say Die! Internally, Black Sabbath were on their last legs, but the band — and their soon-to-be-ousted frontman — still sounded full of life.