Black Sabbath’s history is full of breakups, reunions, and reinventions — but few splits hit harder than when Ozzy Osbourne left the band in 1979. For guitarist Tony Iommi, moving forward meant embracing a new chapter with Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals transformed Sabbath on Heaven and Hell. Meanwhile, Ozzy launched a solo career that would prove wildly successful, but not without a few head-scratching decisions along the way.
From the start, Ozzy’s solo music stood in sharp contrast to Sabbath’s doom-laden riffs. With Randy Rhoads at his side, Osbourne unveiled a brighter, more energetic sound on tracks like “Crazy Train,” powered by Rhoads’ inventive guitar work and even a disco-tinged rhythm. It was optimistic, catchy, and nothing like the Sabbath fans had expected — but it worked.
Then tragedy struck. Rhoads’ death in 1982 left a massive hole in Ozzy’s career and personal life. Struggling to recover, Osbourne returned to familiar territory with Speak of the Devil, a live album filled with Black Sabbath classics. For Iommi, though, this move felt unnecessary.
“[Speak of the Devil] was surprising,” Iommi later admitted. “Because there was no need to really do that. Because he’d established himself in his own right.”
To Iommi, Sabbath’s songs were inseparable from the chemistry of the original lineup — his own riffs in particular. While Ozzy’s versions carried his signature vocal power, they couldn’t capture the same darkness that had defined Sabbath’s legacy.
Still, Speak of the Devil offered something new: guitarist Brad Gillis, who stepped in after Rhoads’ passing. Gillis brought a different flavor to the material, adding a brighter edge to “Iron Man” and reworking classics like “Children of the Grave.” His interpretations didn’t replace the originals, but they provided a fascinating glimpse into how Sabbath’s music could sound in another guitarist’s hands.
For Ozzy, the record was less about competing with Iommi and more about finding stability in the wake of loss. Revisiting Sabbath’s catalog gave him something solid to hold onto while mourning Rhoads, even if critics and former bandmates didn’t see the necessity.
Speak of the Devil remains a curious chapter in heavy metal history — not a replacement for Sabbath’s work, but a raw moment where Ozzy confronted his past while trying to carve out his future.
