In the early 2000s, Dave Grohl created a heavy instrumental riff meant for Ozzy Osbourne, but it never got used. Later, Grohl transformed this riff into a song for his metal side project, Probot. The track, titled “My Tortured Soul,” appeared on the Probot album released in February 2004.
Sharon Osbourne had reached out to various musicians to write songs for Ozzy, and Grohl submitted his heavy instrumental. He described it as “super duper heavy,” almost like a Melvins song, and thought it would be amazing if Ozzy sang over it. However, the Osbourne family decided not to use it. Grohl said, “They never picked it. They never used it. But I ended up using it for this record that I made. It was called Probot.”
The Probot album allowed Grohl to explore heavier music, stepping outside the usual sound of the Foo Fighters. This project came after the Foo Fighters’ 1999 album, which had a more melodic vibe. After finishing a tour, Grohl started writing heavier riffs and added drum and bass arrangements to his compositions.
Once the instrumentals were ready, he reached out to metal singers who had inspired him growing up. The album featured legends like Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead, Max Cavalera from Sepultura, and King Diamond, among others. Eric Wagner from Trouble provided vocals for “My Tortured Soul,” the song originally intended for Ozzy.
Grohl performed the track live on MTV2’s Headbangers Ball in 2004, but it was never released as a single. This year, he’ll be back on tour with the Foo Fighters, and fans can find all the dates and ticket links online.
