Ozzfest – 10th
Anniversary (DVD/CD Set)
Picture: B-
Sound: B Extras: B- Concert: B-
Ozzy Osbourne has reached the kind of legitimacy that
would have been unthinkable when he was an Icon of loud counterculture Rock
music in Black Sabbath. Even before the
“reality TV” series that made the world know his family better, Ozzfest became
one of the great event concert tours as the veteran brought on several
generations of the greatest performers in the genre he helped to pioneer. Ozzfest – 10th Anniversary
is a new DVD/CD set that celebrates the man and his music, those who have
followed and does an exceptional job of capturing the decade mark tour.
Anthrax, Rob Zombie, Velvet Revolver and the long-awaited
reunion of Black Sabbath headline are the name highlights of a concert set that
also features at this time lesser-known acts and talent that is likely to be
the among the big names in the business.
Ozzy has a great knack for this, and as we all know, wife Sharon
Osbourne knows a thing or two about these things as well. Even if you are not a fan of this music, the
documentary side of this program and how well it is edited are more than enough
a reason for you to see it once.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is actually
composed of various formats, though the newer footage is shot in digital High
Definition. The quality is pretty good
for the most part, through the older footage by comparison shows its age a
bit. The biggest surprise here is the
5.1 sound mix, here in Dolby Digital and DTS.
Especially with the DTS, I have to say that considering how loud and
“noisy” Hard Rock and Heavy Metal are known for being by their very nature, it
is remarkable how clear, clean and even deep the soundfield gets upon
playback. Someone who loves this music
and knows something about sound did an exceptional job here.
Extras include the bonus CD with solid PCM 2.0
16Bit/44.1kHz Stereo that is almost as good as the DTS with 14 tracks from the
much longer concert, while the DVD offers three bonus performances and five
bonus interview segments, including one with Ozzy himself. Easily, this is one of the best Hard Rock
and Heavy Metal DVD releases to date and a great package for fans that does
justice to one of the most successful annual concert tours of our time.
- Nicholas Sheffo
