Patient Number 9 by Ozzy Osbourne
Patient Number 9 is the upcoming thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. The album will be released on 9 September 2022 through Epic Records and was produced by Andrew Watt. Four days after the release of Ordinary Man, Osbourne announced that he had started working on its follow-up, with Andrew Watt returning as producer. On 24 June 2022, Osbourne announced the album's title and released the title track (featuring Jeff Beck) as its lead single along with an accompanying music video. The music video was directed by Todd McFarlane and M. Wartella. The clip is the first-ever video to incorporate Osbourne's hand-drawn artwork. "My demons were animated and can be seen during the Jeff Beck guitar solo in the song," wrote Osbourne on Twitter. The track subsequently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, while concurrently achieving debuts of Nos. 17 and 22 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, respectively. At the same time, Osbourne officially announced the album itself while also revealed the album cover, the track list and release date. On 22 July, the second single "Degradation Rules" featuring Tony Iommi was unveiled. On 5 September, four days before the album release, the third single "Nothing Feels Right" featuring Zakk Wylde was published. On 7 September, it was announced that Osbourne will perform during the halftime show at the Los Angeles Rams' NFL season opener against the Buffalo Bills on 8 September in support of the album.
Now well into his seventies, Ozzy Osbourne is metal’s unlikeliest survivor. After decades of hard living, tragic band member deaths and numerous health scares, the Prince of Darkness delivers his 13th solo album fast on the heels of his 2020 mainstream smash <i>Ordinary Man</i>. Like its predecessor, <i>Patient Number 9</i> was produced by multi-instrumentalist Andrew Watt and boasts a head-spinning array of guest stars—including return appearances from Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith alongside Metallica bassist (and Ozzy’s former sideman) Robert Trujillo and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins (in one of his last recording sessions). But it’s stellar guitar cameos from the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Ozzy’s long-time collaborators Tony Iommi and Zakk Wylde that really give the record a varied, multigenerational feel, as each guitarist lends his signature sound to the respective tracks. “Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck are megastars,” Ozzy tells Apple Music. “I didn’t think they’d want to play on my album. But they both did.” The tasteful tonal differences between singles “Degradation Rules” (featuring Iommi), “Nothing Feels Right” (featuring Wylde) and the title track (featuring Jeff Beck) help make <i>Patient Number 9</i> one of Ozzy’s most diverse albums yet. “I’ve been doing it 54 years,” he says. “If I don’t know what I’m doing now, I shouldn’t be doing it.”
