Jake E. Lee’s time with Ozzy Osbourne in the 1980s marked a defining period in his career. As the guitarist who stepped in after the tragic loss of Randy Rhoads, Lee played a crucial role in shaping Ozzy’s sound during the mid-’80s, contributing to albums like Bark at the Moon and The Ultimate Sin. His guitar work helped carry Ozzy’s solo career to new heights, blending melodic precision with an aggressive edge. But despite the success and fame, Lee has openly reflected on how his final years with Ozzy were marked by growing frustration — and how his next venture, Badlands, became the creative outlet he desperately needed.
In recent interviews, Jake E. Lee has explained that working with Ozzy eventually became artistically limiting. Early on, he enjoyed the challenge of helping to redefine Ozzy’s sound after Randy Rhoads’ death. However, as time went on, Lee began to feel boxed in by the musical direction and tight control surrounding Ozzy’s projects. He described how the creative process became less about collaboration and more about meeting expectations. “Toward the end of The Ultimate Sin, I started to feel like I couldn’t express myself fully,” Lee recalled. “Everything had to fit a certain formula. It stopped feeling like music and started feeling like a job.”
Lee’s growing dissatisfaction didn’t stem from a lack of appreciation for Ozzy or the fans — he respected both deeply. But as a musician who thrived on exploration, he needed an environment where he could stretch his creativity without constant oversight. That freedom finally came when he formed Badlands in the late 1980s alongside singer Ray Gillen and drummer Eric Singer.
Badlands was a sharp departure from the polished, radio-friendly metal of Ozzy’s band. Instead, it drew heavily on blues-based hard rock, allowing Lee to reconnect with his roots. In Badlands, he could write and play exactly what he wanted, without anyone dictating the sound. The group’s raw, soulful energy reminded him why he fell in love with music in the first place.
For Jake E. Lee, the transition from Ozzy’s structured environment to Badlands’ creative freedom was more than a career move — it was personal liberation. It proved that even after years of commercial success, true fulfillment for an artist comes from authenticity and the ability to create without boundaries.