Sinister Reviews

With Summer almost in full swing and (at the time of writing this) with the announcement of the return of Ozzfest in 2027, I thought I’d take a look at some of the performances of the very first Ozzfest in 1996. In addition to that maybe give some backstory and other fun details too. Most know that Ozzfest was started by Sharon Osbourne because she tried to get Ozzy on Lollapalooza but was told Ozzy wasn’t relevant anymore. So she decided to make her own festival and in 1996, we got the very first Ozzfest. Now this wasn’t a touring festival but instead we got only two dates those being in both Phoenix Arizona and San Bernardino California. October 2026 will mark the 30 year anniversary of the first Ozzfest so with that let’s take a look……

Ozzy Osbourne- Perry Mason

You could definitely say that thanks to Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy became a household name.  Love her or hate her, without Sharon (and Jack) there would be no Ozzfest.  So of course you cannot have Ozzfest without the man himself Ozzy Osbourne and we’re taking a look at his performance of the song “Perry Mason.” Let’s take a look…..

It really is hard to imagine that the very first Ozzfest was (at the time of writing this) 30 years ago!!  Seeing Ozzy perform back in the 80’s and 90’s definitely had to be something special and this performance of the song “Perry Mason” shows you why. One thing you have to love about Ozzy is his dedication to putting on a great show.  Now I consider “Perry Mason” to be one of his sort of well-known songs.  I would think that most fans know and like this song, but to the average listener, they probably wouldn’t know about this one. This is off of the album Ozzmosis and again it’s one of those that isn’t as well known as say Diary Of A Mad Man or Blizzard Of Ozz but still it is a good album. Of course I have to bring up who is playing with Ozzy.  On the album we have Zakk Wylde on guitar, Geezer Bulter on bass, Dean Castronovo on drums, and. Rick Wakeman and Michael Beinhorn on keyboards.  For Ozzfest 1996, we have a pre-Metallica Rob Trujillo on bass, Mike Bordin on drums, John Sinclair on keyboards, and Joe Holmes on guitar. If you ask me, I think that’s a pretty solid lineup and to be honest it’s actually one of my favorites.  Looking at these old mid 90s performances really makes me miss that time period. It was a time when everybody was just there to enjoy the show.  No social media, no phones, none of that.  People were just there to enjoy some great music.

Slayer-Angel Of Death

One thing you cannot deny is that Slayer has ALWAYS put on a killer show.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Slayer is about as metal as you can get and this performance of “Angel Of Death” at Ozzfest 1996 proves just that. 

With summer right around the corner, that means that festival season is starting.  For those of us that grew up in the 90’s and early 2000’s, there was Ozzfest and the first one was in 1996 and it took place in San Bernardino and Arizona.  Slayer was one of the bands and this version of “Angel Of Death,” is absolutely badass.  If you know the history of this band, then you’ll see that in 1996, they were touring behind the Undisputed Attitude album.  People say that 80’s Slayer was peak but I actually say it was mid to late 90’s Slayer. I mean just watch the video posted below and you’ll see why.  This version hits you hard and fast and of course you have Tom Araya (vocals/bass) head-banging.  I also want to point out that behind the drums is the rarely mentioned Jon Dette who does a killer job. Yes he’s no Dave Lombardo or Paul Bostaph but he absolutely kicks ass.  Interestingly this would be his last show with Slayer until filling in for them on February 23, 2013. Definitely one of my favorite versions of this song and makes you wish this band would tour more.

Sepultura– Attitude/Douche Crew

What makes this performance at Ozzfest so significant is that not only are they touring with the Roots album but this would be one of the last shows in California with Max Cavalera!!  One could argue that at this point they were at the top of their game I mean Roots is probably one of the albums that most people know (that or Chaos A.D.) and I know that the music video of the title track was getting a fair amount of play on MTV. This performance is so good in fact that when the deluxe two disc edition of Roots was released back in 2017, they included it as a closing track.  Whether or not you are a fan of Roots, you cannot deny the energy and badass-ery that this version of “Attitude” is. Now the second video I was able to find was their cover of S.O.D.’s cover of Douche Crew. Now while the video isn’t as good of quality as “Attitude,” it’s good enough. I think it’s really cool that they covered this S.O.D. song because it’s just so much fun and one of those short but sweet songs. Most of the time I would prefer a band play an original song but with this I’ll make an exception.  Partially because it’s only 2 minutes and because S.O.D. kick ass!!

Fear Factory- Replica

If you ask me, what are the quintessential 90s metal bands I would probably say one of them would be Fear Factory. I remember seeing kids at my school, wearing their shirts and thinking “ wow that is a cool band name.”  Of course how can you not have the very first Ozzfest without Fear Factory?? Well, let’s take a look…..

One can argue that Demanufacture era Fear Factory was them at their best or at the very least the start of their peak. The lineup of Dino Cazares, Raymond Herrera, Burton C. Bell, and Christian Olde Wolbers is considered the classic for a reason and their performance of “Replica” off Demanufacture proves just that.  I have no doubt that after Ozzfest, they became even bigger. There’s also just something about seeing old 90’s metal performances that really hits different. While Fear Factory are still great you can’t deny the energy that they had back then. They are absolutely one of those bands that I really wish I had seen a lot earlier. 

Neurosis- Locust Star

When it comes to Ozzfest 1996, Neurosis is probably one of the bands that I am the least familiar with. When you look at the other bands on this particular Ozzfest, they are probably the slowest however, they absolutely fit the bill and their performance of “Locust Star” is a perfect example of that.  As I said, I’m not too familiar with Neurosis however, this performance is absolutely bad ass!!  This is one of those songs that is super heavy with big guitar riffs.  What makes this performance even better is that they were touring behind the album Through Silver And Blood which is considered to be a fan favourite. I can only imagine that if you were smoking some Mary-Jay-Wanna that it would be even better!!  Now the video I was able to find on YouTube is in black and white and based on the comments, it is from the Ozzfest VHS tape.  To be honest I completely forgot that there was an Ozzfest VHS tape which explains the black and white. This is definitely a great performance and if you haven’t seen it, check it out!!

Biohazard- These Eyes(Have Seen)

If there was ever a quintessential hardcore band from the 90’s, one of them would have to be Biohazard. I remember seeing tour or festival posters in record stores with their name in it and thinking “now that is a cool band name.”  Of course how can you not have them on the inaugural Ozzfest??  Let’s take a look…..

The two times that I’ve seen Biohazard, I’ve always had a good time. To me, they’re a great opening band and a great festival band.  This performance of “These Eyes (Have Seen)” off the Mata Leão album it’s a pretty good indicator of how they were back then and how they are now.  I mean what’s not to like? They are a lot of fun to watch and have a great amount of energy and this performance proves just that. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that this is not their classic lineup. Missing is guitarist Bobby Hambel and instead, we have former Helmet guitar player Rob Echeverria. It is kind of weird seeing him play with Biohazard, but he seems to fit right in and honestly his contributions to the aforementioned album is pretty damn good. This is one of those songs that I wish they would bring back into the set list because I actually do find Mata Leão to be kind of underrated. Maybe someday they will but either way this is a bad ass performance and definitely check it out.

Coal Chamber- Loco

Looking back at Ozzfest 1996, really is like looking in a time capsule. Even more so is by watching these old performances and they really make you miss the 90’s. That said, it’s also really cool to see the energy that these bands had and up next, we’re taking a look at Coal Chamber. Let’s take a look…..

When you hear the term nu-metal, most would think of bands like Korn or Slipknot but let’s also not forget Coal Chamber. I mean they were one of the first bands to play this kind of music and that is further emphasized by their performance of “Loco.”  I mean first off you have porn star Ron Jeremy introducing the band which definitely is a sign of the 90’s (given what’s happened to him since) and it’s not often that bands get introduced very often especially at festivals. Then they go right into “Loco” and I’ve gotta say, they look like a walking Hot Topic store. Seriously it’s almost as if Hot Topic threw up on them but again that was the look back then. Judging by the crowd size, it didn’t really look super packed and I can only imagine being there and being able to say that you saw Coal Chamber before the self titled debut album dropped. It’s really great being able to see a young, new, and energetic Coal Chamber.  

Narcotic Gypsy:

Pictured above is the poster that I used to actually have on my wall many years ago. In the course of looking up these old performances from the very first Ozzfest, I came across two names that I have never heard of, those being King Norris and Narcotic Gypsy.  Now those names are kind of cool but really who the hell are King Norris and Narcotic Gypsy?  Let’s take a look…..

Up first is Narcotic Gypsy and they are a band that I have honestly never heard of until this article. It turns out that they are a band that plays a mixture of hard/heavy rock and stoner metal.  I would best describe the vocalist as kind of a Scott Weiland meets Layne Staley kind of voice. Now this band would open the main stage and they’re an interesting choice to say the least.  This is one of those bands that I really had to sort of dig and try to find because none of the music is available for streaming on Spotify however, you can stream their one album Godtrip on YouTube.  I’m not going to review the album here but live they sounded pretty good. So the question is were you there for their performance?? If so how was it and did they play any shows beyond Ozzfest 1996?

King Norris:

Up next is King Norris and if you’re like me and kept asking “who the hell is King Norris?” Well I have an answer for you and that being yes King Norris is a band but it’s really Fred Norris.  Now who is Fred Norris?? Well he’s a radio personality for The Howard Stern Show. According to IMDB, “Fred Norris who can be heard daily on broadcasts of the Howard Stern Show has an on-the-edge style that is key to the eclectic tour-de-force known as the King Norris band. Norris, whose credits include writing and performing with rock greats such as Leslie West, Roger Daltrey, Ray Davies, and Ozzy Osbourne, serves as front man for the group, handling lead vocal and guitar responsibilities. He is backed by Francis Fallon on drums and vocals and Robb Boyd on bass and vocals. The band performs nationally and has appeared with Eddie Money, the Jeff Healy Band, Ozzy Osbourne/the Ozzfest, the H.O.R.D.E. Fest, and three K-Rock Dysfunctional Family Picnics at Jones Beach, NY featuring such artists as Blur, Bush, Foo Fighters, Soul Asylum, Green Day, Ben Folds Five, The Offspring, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit, Live, Kid Rock, and Rob Zombie.”  

Looking back now, it makes sense that King Norris would be on Ozzfest simply because of the time. Keep in mind it’s 1996 and The Howard Stern Show was kind of a big deal back then. Now personally I think it’s kind of weird having a performer like King Norris on Ozzfest but it must’ve been kind of crazy seeing this kind of band playing with the likes of Slayer, Sepultura, and Biohazard.  After combining the internet, I couldn’t really find much in the way of a live performance except for the video below. And of course I couldn’t even find a setlist which makes it that much more mysterious to people like myself. So if anyone was there and can remember what was played please reach out and let me know. 

So did anyone reading this go to the first Ozzfest?? If you did do you remember either of these bands?? Were they any good or is it better that they’re a thing of the past??  Either way, having both is definitely an of the time moment. 

Powerman 5000- Organizized

One thing about this particular Ozzfest is that there were bands that were on it even before their debut album dropped. Seeing Powerman 5000 this early on is really cool especially considering how they are now. “Organizized” is off the album The Blood-Splat Rating System however, most fans know it as Mega! Kung Fu Radio.  Everything about this band was different from their look to their sound.  Think something along the lines of a band like Faith No More or even early Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Now I’m sure one would ask “what’s a band like this doing at a festival with bands like Slayer or Sepultura?” Well the answer is quite simple and that’s because they were up and coming. This band is a perfect example of how your band could get more exposure as a result of Ozzfest. I am curious as to how they would’ve been received now if they had continued with this same sound?  I guess we will never know. Anyway check out this performance because it really is cool. 

Earth Crisis- Broken Foundation

Headlining the second stage at an Ozzfest is kind of a big deal. I mean you’re the last band on said stage before the big acts go on. Now some might wonder why this band didn’t open the main stage and that’s because at that time, they were only on their second album Gomorrah’s Season Ends. Gomorrah’s Season Ends is considered a fan favorite but it was released on October 8, 1996, and the first Ozzfest date was October 25, 1996 which means that this had just come out. The video that I was able to find was their performance of the song “Broken Foundation” and they were on fire for this one!!  What makes this performance also significant is that shortly after Ozzfest, they were signed to Roadrunner Records.  Because of Ozzfest, smaller bands were able to get signed to major record labels and I’ll be elaborating more on this as I get into the later years. Anyway, great performance and they still put on a killer show!!

Cellophane- Ride Thy Neighbor

Cellophane is probably a name you aren’t too familiar with and if you are (and you’re like most people) you’ll go “oh man I forgot about those guys.”  I was definitely in the latter category and going back and watching their performance of the song “Ride Thy Neighbor,” made me remember them. They started in 1995 when singer Shannon Crawford convinced producer Ross Robinson to produce his demo. Now I have read that it was in fact Korn guitarist Munky who gave Ross Robinson the demo so I’m not 100% sure.  What makes this band notable is that it featured future Puddle Of Mud guitar player Doug Ardito and drummer Mark Bistany who would go on to play in bands like Against All Will, HED P.E., and Otep.  This performance of “Ride Thy Neighbor” is pretty badass and Shannon Crawford gives off Mike Patton vibes. It’s a really cool performance and shortly after this, they would get signed to Virgin Records. Sadly they would only make one album before calling it quits which is too bad because I really would’ve liked to hear what they would’ve done next.