Thank you to all my fans for supporting #PatientNumber9 which is now my highest charting album around the world! I love you all pic.twitter.com/xmPa860bsM

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) September 20, 2022

Along with the album’s high charting placement within the UK, Patient Number 9 has also broken several records for Osbourne with placements within multiple charts. Within the US, the former Black Sabbath frontman debuted at the top of various charts, including Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales, two charts on which Osbourne had not appeared on before. The singer has also placed within the American charts, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Vinyl Albums and Tastemaker Album Charts and placed at number three within the prestigious Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

Osbourne’s Patient Number 9’s success has not been restricted to the US and UK; the album has sired success within charts worldwide. The heavy metal icon scored his first chart win in Canada; the album has reached the top position within the country’s album charts. Much like his placement within the UK album charts, Patient Number 9 has also placed at number two within the charts in Australia, Finland, Italy, Austria, Germany and Sweden. The album has placed at number three in Switzerland, number four in Norway, number six in New Zealand and the Netherlands, number eight in Belgium and number fourteen in France.

Osbourne’s newest release sees the singer work with producer Andrew Watt for the second time; the pair first began their creative partnership in 2020 on Osbourne’s twelve studio album Ordinary Man. The album not only marked Watt and Osbourne’s first release but also marked the longest time between albums released by Osbourne. Before the release of Ordinary Man, the singer dropped his eleventh studio album, Scream, in 2010. The pair’s newest release, Patient Number 9, has sired three singles thus far, its title track “Patient Number 9” was released on 24th June 2022.

Released via Epic Records, Patient Number 9 is a who’s who of heavy metal and rock music, the genre’s most prominent artists are included as special guests within the album. Those who appear within the star-studded tracklist are Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, legendary axe-man Zakk Wylde, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, Metallica’s bassist Robert Trujillo, Guns N’ Roses bandmember Duff McKagan and Chris Chaney.

The album also features two more exceptional guests whose appearance holds great importance to music and culture. Fellow Black Sabbath band member and guitarist Tony Iommi is present on Patient Number 9; this is the first time the musician has appeared on a solo album by Osbourne. The album also includes the late Taylor Hawkins, the beloved drummer features on three of the album’s tracks, “Parasite featuring Zakk Wylde”, “Mr Darkness featuring Zakk Wylde”, and the album’s penultimate song , “God Only Knows”.

This was played at the end of today’s #CommonwealthGames. I really wish I could have been there with you all. Just amazing for #Birmingham! pic.twitter.com/PFRZxOo5Rn

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) August 1, 2022

Due to uncertainty over his health, Osbourne was not sure he would be able to attend the games at all. However, last night he appeared on stage, joining Black Sabbath Guitarist Tony Iommi to perform the Black Sabbath hit song “Paranoid”. As Iommi pounded out the infamous opening guitar riff, Osbourne arose from the depths of the stage, greeting the Birmingham crowd, imploring them to “go crazy” as the song kicked in; you can watch below.

What a way to bring it all to an end! Thank you, Birmingham. Thank you, thank you, thank you!@ozzyosbourne @tonyiommi @wakemanofficial#B2022 #ClosingCeremony #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/2UoSFrqoeH — Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 8, 2022

Towards the end, he said, “I love you, Birmingham – it’s good to be back!” before ending the set. They were joined by Osbourne’s long-time bass player, Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos, who played with Black Sabbath during their reunion tour and who also plays in Osbourne’s band.

Closing the #CommonwealthGames #Birmingham Forever! pic.twitter.com/CE0qFy3gTC

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) August 9, 2022

Osbourne later took to Twitter to express his pride about closing the Commonwealth Games in the city he grew up in, posting, “Closing the #CommonwealthGames #Birmingham Forever!” With photos of his performance. Iommi had already appeared playing with acclaimed saxophonist Soweto Kinch in the opening ceremony. The two musicians led a dream sequence called “Hear my Voice”, based on the title track from the 2020 film Trial of the Chicago Seven, reimagined by Birmingham-born RnB vocalists Indigo Marshall and Gambimi. Osbourne, at the time, tweeted about how proud he was at seeing his bandmate at the ceremony, saying, “@TonyIommi, I was really proud to see you tonight at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in our home town of Birmingham”.

. @TonyIommi, I was really proud to see you tonight at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in our home town of Birmingham pic.twitter.com/1YyOTNdvmd — Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) July 28, 2022

On June 24^th of this year, Osbourne confirmed on his website that his upcoming album, Patient Number 9, would be released on September 9^th. The album features Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Black Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi, and the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins among others. Beck appearing on the self-titled first single from the album.

Mark 9/9 on your calendar as the release date for @OzzyOsbourne new album ‘PATIENT NUMBER 9’

Watch the video for the album’s self-titled 1st single which was directed by Todd McFarlane & features a riveting solo from legendary guitarist Jeff Beck: https://t.co/bzTpc5h8Ii

— Schneider/Rondan Organization (@sroprla) June 24, 2022

On July 26^th Osbourne released the second single, “Degradation Rules”, off the forthcoming album featuring his Black Sabbath bandmate Iommi. You can pre-order Osbourne’s Patient Number 9 Album here.

If you were impressed with Osbourne’s performance last night, the heavy-metal icon is due to finish his postponed “No More Tours 2” run of UK dates in 2023, tickets are available here, and dates are below.

Ozzy Osbourne has moved his UK & Ireland No More Tours 2 tour yet again to May and June 2023.

Still featuring special guests Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne’s previously rescheduled February and March 2022 arena shows will now take place 15 months later.

Source Planet Rock pic.twitter.com/XKFGgGblf1

— The Metal Voice (@themetalvoice) November 24, 2021

Ozzy Osbourne “No More Tour 2 ” dates:

31/05/2023 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
02/06 – Utilita Arena Newcastle – Newcastle Upon Tyne
04/06 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
07/06 – AO Arena – Manchester
10/06 – 3Arena – Dublin
12/06 – The O2 – London
14/06 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham

Iommi, perhaps best known as the guitarist of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, has explored musical ventures outside of the group, having released a self-titled solo album in 2000, and collaborated with fellow Black Sabbath bandmates Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, as well as ex-Black Sabbath and Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio in the group Heaven and Hell.

In 2017, Iommi composed a five-minute piece of classical-tinged music for the Birmingham Cathedral Choir, entitled “How Good It Is.” The piece can be found on YouTube, and on Birmingham Cathedral’s website. According to their website, Iommi’s incentive to compose the piece was to “give something back to his home city.”

Other than this, the guitarist’s last commercial music release was Black Sabbath’s nineteenth full-length studio album 13, which was released on June 10^th, 2013. The album received generally favourable reviews upon its release, with some particularly glowing reception from Fred Thomas of Allmusic, who called the album “unexpectedly brilliant, apocalyptic, and essential for any die-hard metal fan.” There has been talk over the last few years of a potential twentieth album from Black Sabbath, however nothing has been set in stone.

“Scent of Dark” shares a name with a line of perfume that Iommi has recently released, in collaboration with Sergio Momo, the founder of Italian perfume brand Xerjoff. Momo himself features on the track, playing guitar alongside Iommi. According to Revolver, Iommi gave an insight into how the track was written, saying; “I’ve had the riff for quite a while and I’d never done anything with it…but it gave us a base to start from. We built up the track with programmed drums at first and then Mike Exeter demoed bass and keyboards on it, and I added my guitar solos, just to give us an idea of how it was going to sound…Then we added the strings. I’d worked with string sections on Sabbath albums before, but this was a whole new experience.”

It may come as a surprise to some that Iommi has ventured into the world of perfumes and colognes, however he also told Revolver; “It’s something I’ve always been interested in, ever since the early days of products like Brut and Old Spice, which I’d always get given for Christmas…Once I started touring the world with Sabbath though, I started discovering different sorts of fragrances from other countries and began collecting them.”

Renowned British guitarist and founding Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi will be among a selection of individuals receiving honorary degrees at Coventry University next week.

The musician, 65, will be given the distinction along with fellow honourees, including artist George Shaw and Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali of Jordan, as well as the 7,000 graduands of Coventry University.

Iommi’s contributions to the British musical world are without question. In founding Black Sabbath in Birmingham in 1968 with fellow members Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne, he helped to create a band generally recognised as history’s first heavy metal act. Iommi himself is widely recognised as one of metal’s most innovative and influential guitarists, ranked at no.25 in Rolling Stone’s list of greatest guitarists for his concise and dextrous riff development.

Outside of his work with Black Sabbath, Iommi has also played with Jethro Tull and Heaven and Hell, as well as releasing three albums as a solo artist.

Iommi re-united with his Black Sabbath bandmates in 2012, releasing their first album in 18 years, entitled, ‘13’, earlier this year. Despite being diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2012, Iommi’s musical commitment has not wavered, continuing to tour around the world and returning to the UK periodically for treatment.

The vice-chancellor of Coventry University stated, ‘It’s a pleasure to be welcoming these exemplary individuals to our graduation ceremonies to receive their awards alongside our graduating students. Each of them has excelled in their field in such a way as to be worthy of recognition, and I hope our own students will be inspired by the drive and commitment they have shown throughout their careers.”