Zakk Wylde, leader of Black Label Society and member of Ozzy Osbourne , said in an interview with Mark Strigl Ozzy's Boneyard channel , transcribed by Loudwire , why he didn't join Guns N' Roses in the 90s.
Wylde said he received a phone call from Axl Rose in 1995, asking if he wanted to reunite and play with the band. The guitarist called Slash to confirm the invitation, and he told Zakk that they were considering him participating in some rehearsals.
“I thought, ‘yes, of course,’ because they’re great guys and a great band,” and added that they did some rehearsals on dates when Guns N’ Roses was available.
This period was shortly after the recording of Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzmosis Joe Holmes to replace Zakk on the tour. "Nothing was happening," Zakk recalled, and Ozzy kept questioning whether he was really going to "play with the guys," but he said he didn't have an answer yet, and so Ozzy made the decision to make Holmes the permanent guitarist for his tour promoting the newly released album.
Seeing that the opportunity with Guns N' Roses wasn't progressing, Zakk decided to use his riffs, add lyrics, and start his project Black Label Society. It was at this point that he called on bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Joe Vitale to begin recording Book of Shadows , BLS's first album, which was released in 1996.
Following that incident with Zakk Wylde, Slash left Guns N' Roses in 1996, and several guitarists were hired for Guns N' Roses afterward. Zakk Wylde continued his project with BLS and returned to Ozzy Osbourne's band on several occasions.
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