Buzzbox

When Black Sabbath is on the bill, OZZfest essentially becomes a Black Sabbath concert with a day’s worth of openers. Even in 1999, when the festival boasted an amazing lineup (System of a Down, Deftones, Slayer at its best), Black Sabbath dwarfed all warm-up acts by delivering tight renditions of some of the best rock songs ever written. When the group kicked into the plodding chorus of the gloomy, crawl-paced classic “Black Sabbath,” torches on either side of the stage flared, and the effect was truly impressive and appropriate — not just the fire-for-fire’s-sake that so many modern metal acts employ. Speaking of flashy stage shows, seeing Slipknot and Marilyn Manson try to outdo each other with shocking antics and special effects might be worth the ticket price. But other than the conspicuously costumed members of Mudvayne, who might turn their early-morning appearance into a healthy buzz-creator as Slipknot did two years ago, the rest of the day’s attractions don’t offer much in the way of spectacle. Hardcore heroes Hatebreed, relatively unknown by OZZfest’s core audience, should set moshers in motion with the event’s fastest drumbeats and gruffest vocals, while radio-friendly-unit-shifters Papa Roach, Crazy Town, Linkin Park and Disturbed will get the kids to shout along and jump around, as seen on MTV.