The cover simply screams 'metaaaaal', and this was the Ozzy album that really enticed me, despite it being bereft of Randy Rhoads who died after 'Diary Of A Madman' (see review for 'Tribute').'Bark...' is a mystical Ozzy classic, sharpened by Jake E. Lee's stunning fret work and the eerie atmospheres of Don Airey's keyboards. Opening track is the title cut, a solid slice of heavy metal theatre, with Ozzy howling like the werewolf he'd become on the cover, as the full moon blazes behind smothering clouds. But this album, just like 'Diary...' is more than just a fancy cover, and despite just offering eight tracks, there's not a weak moment on here, and each track is as memorable as the last.
Looking back on the record now you can still feel the cold breeze of night, and hear the precise musicianship of the band. Whereas 'Blizzard...' opened slightly weak with 'I Don't Know' although there's no denying its a rocker of a track, 'Bark...' and 'Diary...' kick in immediately, setting themselves upon the listener with its dark edge, and Ozzy's theatrical yowls.
And, 'You're No Different' somehow slows things down, but maintains that airy edge, a classic rock semi-ballad that builds nicely into the chorus, and it was that kind of song that typified Ozzy back then. Whilst metallers on the whole thought they were alienated by society, it's quite strange to see how Ozzy too was considered the dark lord whilst all the time simply writing songs about his own frustrations instead of Devil worship. This is also echoed in his wonderful slow mover 'So Tired', but favourite tracks here have to be 'Rock n' Roll Rebel', the swirling 'Forever', strangely later to appear as 'Centre Of Eternity', and the spooky 'Waiting For Darkness'. The vinyl also featured the ghoulish, creeping 'Spiders' although recent versions of the album feature 'Slow Down'.
8.5/10
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