PARADISE LOST's NICK HOLMES Recalls Touring With OZZY OSBOURNE In 1995: 'It Was Quite Surreal'

In a new interview with Primordial Radio, PARADISE LOST singer Nick Holmes was asked if he has ever had any encounters with late BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. We played with SABBATHand we played with Ozzy. We did a tour with Ozzy in South America in 1995. We did a full South American tour, arena tour. Yeah, it was fantastic. Yeah, I met him a few times over the years. Great, great guy. [I was] really sad [to hear about his passing]. Yeah. Top man."

Elaborating on what it was like for PARADISE LOST to tour with Ozzy three decades ago, Nick said: "Yeah, it was quite surreal. It was the Monsters Of Rock [in] South America. There was PL, there was THERAPY? on it as well, and THERAPY? were just like we were; they couldn't believe they were on that tour. And then there was Alice Cooper, Ozzy, MEGADETH and FAITH NO MORE. And I don't know how many days we did — it was a few weeks. But I got salmonella poisoning, actually, in Mexico City. And I was really, really ill for a few shows and I was kind of puking up constantly. When I was on stage, I was puking up as well. So they had to get me a bucket so I didn't ruin Ozzy's carpet. So they got me a bucket. So they said, 'Can you puke in the bucket, please, because we don't want you to mess up Ozzy's carpet?' 'Cause he used to go barefoot on the carpet at that time. So, yeah, I had to kind of go around the corner and throw up in the bucket. I think as he mentioned us in an interview a few years later, and he kind remembered us only because of that, the puking thing. But, yeah, it was very surreal to do that tour. It was crazy. And there were so many people at shows. It was madness. Yeah. It was great."

Back in 2017, PARADISE LOST guitarist Gregor Mackintosh named BLACK SABBATH's 1971 effort "Master Of Reality" one of the 10 albums that "blew" his mind. He said at the time: "I have to choose the 'Master Of Reality' album because it's the most raw, with a sludgy guitar tone. It's got some of the most evil, if not groovy, riffs — like 'Lord Of This World'. And, obviously, [Tony] Iommi's soloing and effortless way of playing. Then I went through everything from BLACK SABBATH and I love everything now. But 'Master Of Reality' is really the one for me, because it sits right in that kind of sludgy, slow doom I was really getting into at the time."

PARADISE LOST's 17th album, "Ascension", came out on September 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band's first LP in five years, following 2020's critically acclaimed "Obsidian", was produced by Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory.

PARADISE LOST performed alongside KING DIAMOND and at festivals in Europe this summer before embarking on the first part its "Ascension Of Europe" tour this fall.