In a powerful and deeply personal tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, System Of A Down guitarist and vocalist Daron Malakian has reflected on the passing of his hero, calling him the undisputed “King of Metal” and recounting how the legendary Ozzfest tour was the “heavy-metal summer camp” that transformed his band from a fledgling act into global superstars.
Speaking in an extensive new interview with Rolling Stone, a tearful Malakian shared his raw reaction to the news of Osbourne‘s death on Tuesday, July 22.
“I hate to say this, but it feels like that day was the day that metal died,” he said. “You have the King of Pop, the Queen of Pop, the King of Rock & Roll, and Ozzy’s like the King of Metal. Him passing away, it feels heavy.”
For Malakian, the loss was deeply personal, as he credits Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne‘s traveling festival with giving System Of A Down its big break. He described his first time on the tour in 1999 as “some of the best times of my f**king life.” Back then, the band was still touring in an RV and playing on the second stage at 11 o’clock in the morning, but for a young Malakian, it was a dream come true.
“I was just in awe of the people that were around me,” he recalled. “Motörhead was headlining the second stage. Lemmy [Kilmister] had this old, turquoise Eagle tour bus. One time I saw him sunbathing next to the bus with turquoise Speedos on… And then you would see Ozzy walk by here and there.”
“My dreams were coming true,” he continued. “I’m just sitting here having conversations with these people that I used to see in music videos or they were on my wall when I was a teenager. And there I am with my band.”
Malakian also shared a classic story that perfectly captured the band’s rise from festival newcomers to headliners. After he and drummer John Dolmayan got naked on stage at the end of their song “Sugar,” they were called into the production office and sternly reprimanded. “‘Who the f**k do you guys think you are?'” he recalled a production manager telling them. “‘This is not System of a Down Fest… this is the Ozzfest.'”
The punchline came a few years later, when System Of A Down had graduated to headlining the festival themselves. “John and I were like, ‘Wait a second, can we get out there naked every night now?’” he laughed.
His humorous and heartfelt stories paint a vivid picture of the vital platform the Osbournes created for a new generation of artists. “‘Ozzfest‘ was huge for us. It was such a big push for our band,” Malakian concluded. “I’m very grateful to Sharon, very grateful to Ozzy.”
