"I’m playing rhythm guitar for my heroes… it’s crazy!" – Zakk Wylde on new Ozzy Osbourne album featuring Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi

Zakk Wylde
(Image credit: Christie Goodwin/Redferns via Getty Images)

Ozzy Osbourne's recent reveal that his new album will feature not just one but four bonafide guitar heroes had us all shaken and stirred. And in a new interview with us, Zakk Wylde has given his perspective on being on a record with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi.

“The new Ozzy stuff is sounding great," Zakk told MusicRadar during our in-depth chat to mark the 30th anniversary of Ozzy's No More Tears album. "And for sure, it’s an honour to play on a record with all my heroes. It’s pretty cool… I can’t wait for everyone to hear it."

Sharing a record with Jeff Beck is especially thrilling for longtime Ozzy collaborator Zakk.  "I’ve always loved Blow By Blow and Wired," he added, "but honestly every record Jeff Beck has put out is amazing.”

On those tracks I’m playing rhythm guitar for my heroes… it’s crazy!

We're having a hard time imaging what the unpredictable Beck will bring to the table on the album, but have no fear – it's going to be worth waiting for. 

“It definitely sounds slamming," says Zakk. "The same goes for all the guys – what Tony Iommi played, and then Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, it’s all killer for sure. On those tracks I’m playing rhythm guitar for my heroes… it’s crazy! It sounds awesome and I’m beyond honoured to be doing it.”

Zakk also gave us a preview of what we can expect from new Black Label Society album Doom Crew Inc when it's released on 26 November. And it sounds like there's going to be plenty of harmonies with guitarist Dario Lorina…

“As I was writing this record I knew we’d be using Dario in that vein. So now it’s truly a two-guitar player band and album. We’re going for a mix of Allman Brothers, Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest, and you need two guitarists to play those parts… especially the harmonies.”

Check out our full interview with Zakk Wylde

Doom Crew Inc will be released on 26 November. The 30th anniversary edition of No More Tears is out now and the release date for the new Ozzy Osbourne album is still TBC.

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.