The Prince of Darkness in the Crossfire
In the long, chaotic history of heavy metal, few figures stand as polarizing as Ozzy Osbourne. The Birmingham native who co-founded Black Sabbath was hailed as a pioneer, a showman, and a living embodiment of rock rebellion. But for every fan who worshipped him, there were critics—fellow musicians who questioned his artistry, resented his antics, or felt his shadow loomed too large over the genre.
Ozzy himself once admitted: “I always say things I regret later.” Those words proved prophetic, because his career left a trail of rivalries that helped shape the mythology of heavy music. Some unfolded in print, others in dressing rooms or rehearsal halls. Together, they reveal the combustible mixture of genius, ego, and controversy that defined Ozzy’s life on and off stage.
Here are six of the most infamous feuds tied to the Prince of Darkness.
6. Ronnie James Dio
When Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath in 1979, sparks flew. Dio, with his technical precision and mythic storytelling, reportedly bristled at Ozzy’s chaotic style. He is said to have dismissed Ozzy as “a clown who stumbled into greatness,” contrasting Dio’s carefully crafted fantasy narratives with what he saw as Ozzy’s reliance on shock value.
Their rivalry became symbolic of a larger argument in heavy metal: artistry versus theatrics, discipline versus chaos. Even decades later, Dio’s interviews seemed to circle back to that divide, with veiled comments about “circus acts” in metal that many assumed were aimed at Ozzy.
5. Phil Anselmo
The Pantera frontman was outspoken in the 1990s about metal’s need to evolve. Privately, journalists recalled him calling Ozzy “a has-been riding on old glory.” Anselmo believed nostalgia acts like Ozzy were holding the genre back while Pantera pushed into groove metal.
Tensions flared backstage at a mid-90s festival where Anselmo reportedly refused to greet Ozzy, declaring he wouldn’t shake hands with someone who had “turned metal into a joke.” Though both men carried respect for the genre, their visions of its future were worlds apart.
4. Bruce Dickinson
The Iron Maiden frontman has long been painted as Ozzy’s opposite: operatic precision versus unhinged chaos. In the early ’80s, when Maiden and Ozzy’s solo act competed for dominance, Dickinson allegedly remarked that Ozzy was “more P.T. Barnum than Robert Plant,” suggesting that spectacle outweighed talent.
While Dickinson rarely named Ozzy outright, his frequent digs at “gimmicks” in heavy metal were hard to misinterpret. Even decades later, he remained cool when asked about Ozzy’s influence, preferring to cite other vocalists.
3. Dave Mustaine
The fiery Megadeth leader carried a grudge after, according to insiders, Ozzy’s camp brushed off his attempts to land a tour slot in the 1980s. Mustaine allegedly saw it as disrespect and never forgot.
When Ozzy dismissed thrash bands as “angry kids making angry noise,” Mustaine took it personally. The snub reportedly deepened when Megadeth was left out of early Ozzfest lineups. By the late ’90s, their mutual disdain was visible at industry events, with Mustaine refusing to acknowledge Ozzy in public.
2. Blackie Lawless
The W.A.S.P. leader built his career on elaborate stage horror, and in his eyes, Ozzy’s antics were second-rate. Lawless once sneered that some artists confused accidents with artistry—widely interpreted as a jab at Ozzy’s infamous bat-biting incident.
Instead of solidarity during the PMRC hearings, where both men’s music was attacked as obscene, the tension only grew. To Lawless, Ozzy was amateur chaos; to Ozzy, Lawless was an imitator. The feud hardened with time, each man omitting the other when discussing shock rock’s lineage.
1. Tony Iommi
The deepest cut of all came from within. Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath’s guitarist and co-architect of heavy metal, endured years of frustration with Ozzy’s drug use and erratic behavior. When the band dismissed Ozzy in 1979, the wound never fully healed.
Insiders say Iommi felt Ozzy had betrayed their shared vision, turning Sabbath’s music into a “traveling freak show.” Their reunions, though lucrative, were often marked by silence and formality. At their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Iommi’s speech conspicuously avoided mention of Ozzy’s contributions — a slight fans still debate.
A Legacy Forged in Conflict
Ozzy Osbourne’s career cannot be separated from controversy. For some, his eccentricity was the beating heart of metal; for others, it was its undoing. What’s certain is that even his fiercest rivals helped define his myth. The Prince of Darkness thrived not despite his enemies, but because of them — each clash adding another layer to his legend.
And so the question lingers: did Ozzy create chaos, or did chaos create him?