VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Ozzfest
2001: The Second Millennium" (Epic)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
With Ozzfest becoming the stuff of hard rock / heavy metal legend, having launched the careers of more giants of the genre than any other festival ever, it is only natural that the record companies would continue to pounce upon it as an opportunity to bring in more cash. That's good for them and, in this case, that's good for us.
Working equally well as a metal sampler as a souvenir of the Ozzfest 2001 show, "The Second Millennium" contains sixteen tracks by bands that appeared on this year's Ozzfest. It would be a moot point to go through each track and list its highlights and low points. Suffice to say that the bands that appear on this Ozzfest CD deserve to appear hereon and that their performances are spirited and inspired and no doubt buoyed by the thrill to be part of the Ozzfest.
A few quick notes: Ironically, Black Sabbath's performance of "The Wizard," while not bad, is something of a disappointment. How many times have we heard live performances of this song already? At least Ozzy, Tony et al sound great. But it would have been nicer to hear "Never Say Die" or something a little more rare. Marilyn Manson's "The Love Song" should appeal to Manson fans but, surprisingly, seems a little out of place on this CD. Slipknot offers "New Abortion," a song from their forthcoming CD, which promises more of the same for fans of the band's debut CD. Black Label Society's "Superterrorizer" is a highpoint. Zakk and company can truly deliver the heavy metal goods and Zakk's cry of "Limp Bizkit still sucks!" should raise a few eyebrows (and a few laughs).
"Second Millennium" should also bode well for future sales of bands like Systematic, Pure Rubbish and American Head Charge based on their strong showing here.
"Ozzfest 2001: The Second Millennium" is a CD you should definitely add to your collection, whether you went to Ozzfest or not. In addition to the great music, it also boasts the best CD cover we've seen this year!
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Revised: 14 Jun 2020 15:11:01 -0400.
