Zakk Wylde recently revealed how his jam sessions with Guns N’ Roses in the mid-’90s ultimately cost him his position with Ozzy Osbourne. He shared details about this pivotal moment in his career on Nekrogoblikon.
The guitarist explained how he was approached by GN’R members to potentially join the band during a period of uncertainty. The indecision surrounding the collaboration forced Ozzy to make other arrangements.
“So, the guys were looking for another guitar player. I knew Slash, Duff [McKagan, bass], and Matt [Sorum, ex-GN’R drummer] at the time, and it was just like, ‘Let’s ask Zakk if he wants to jam with us.’ So Axl called me up, and I had never spoken with Axl before,” Wylde said. “He says, ‘Zakk, you want to get together and jam?’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure. Why not?’ So, we were noodling on ideas and demoed a couple riffs over at Duff’s house, and then we’re all jamming. The guys are all great guys. They’re awesome.”
However, the lack of commitment from either side created a difficult situation when Ozzy needed clarity about Wylde’s availability for an upcoming tour.
“So we’re noodling on stuff, and nobody was making any decisions or anything, like, if we’re going to do this or not. And then, Ozz was like, ‘Zakk, you playing with the fellas or you jamming with me? What are we doing? We’re getting ready to do the tour,'” he continued. “I said, ‘Ozz, let me try and find out what’s going on with the fellas.’ And it was just, everything was up in the air. And Ozz was like, ‘Zakky, I gotta find another guy, because I can’t be sitting around wondering whether you’re jamming with the guys.'”
The uncertainty ultimately led to Ozzy hiring Joe Holmes as his guitarist. This left Wylde without either opportunity.
“So, Ozz ended up getting Joe Holmes. I’m friends with Joe. Joe’s awesome. And then Oz was playing with Joe. I wasn’t playing [anybody], everything was just sitting around. I was like, ‘I gotta do something,'” Wylde explained. “And then, right after that, that’s when Black Label was born. I got all these riffs sitting around. I said, ‘I’ll just sing on them myself.’ And that was it.”
This setback ultimately led to the creation of Black Label Society. Wylde’s own band has become a significant force in heavy metal.
This career-defining moment occurred during a particularly turbulent period for both musicians and bands involved. Loudwire reported that Wylde received the call from Axl Rose in early 1995, specifically around late January as Kerrang magazine documented. He was working on Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzmosis album at the time, which was released in December 1995.
The timing proved particularly challenging as Guns N’ Roses was actively seeking a replacement following Gilby Clarke’s departure in 1994. Ultimate Classic Rock noted that Wylde spent about a week rehearsing with the full lineup including Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, and Dizzy Reed in a dedicated Guns N’ Roses rehearsal space. During these sessions, Wylde developed several riffs. One of which would later become Black Label Society’s “Rose Petalled Garden” on their debut album Sonic Brew.
The collaboration faced significant obstacles beyond just scheduling conflicts. Metal Injection revealed that no melodies or lyrics emerged from the sessions due to Axl Rose’s ongoing legal issues with his ex-wife Erin Everly and Stephanie Seymour. These legal troubles created additional uncertainty around the band’s future direction. The lack of concrete progress left everyone involved in limbo, making it impossible for Wylde to commit to either opportunity.
When Ozzy Osbourne could no longer wait for a decision, he hired Joe Holmes, formerly of Lizzy Borden, as his new guitarist for the upcoming tour supporting Ozzmosis. Guitar Player documented that this left Wylde without either gig, prompting him to form Black Label Society in 1995 as he needed “pizza money and soda pop money” for his girlfriend Barbaranne. The band’s debut album Sonic Brew was eventually released in 1999. This marked the beginning of Wylde’s successful independent career.
The failed collaboration had lasting implications for all parties involved. Blabbermouth reported that Guns N’ Roses continued to experience lineup instability, with Slash leaving in 1996, followed by McKagan and Sorum in 1997, before the band eventually hired Paul Tobias instead. Despite the missed opportunity, Wylde has maintained that he remains friends with all the Guns N’ Roses members. He emphasized that his career owed everything to Osbourne, who had employed him since 1987.
