Heaven & Hell - "The Devil You Know"

Heaven & Hell
"The Devil You Know"
Rhino Records
Released April 28, 2009
***

I'm a sucker for Dio-era Black Sabbath - I freely admit it. When I was in high school, er, junior high, we didn't have annual Ozzfest reunions, we had that little elf with the big voice singing about dragons and kings and neon knights. Sabbath's songs were tailor-made for young sci-fi/fantasy geeks.

Plus there was that really cool album cover with the angels smoking which was guaranteed to piss off parents and teachers.

So I was thrilled when Dio and his Sabbath bandmates reunited as Heaven & Hell a few years ago. Geezer and Tony hadn't done anything other than play Ozzy's backup band for about 10 years - and Geezer admitted that he was sick of it in an interview with me back in 2007. Here was a chance for me to see the Sabbath of my youth without Ozzy, or more importantly Sharon, Osbourne's presence.

And I'm excited that after two years of touring the four are still getting along well enough to record an album of new material. So in honor of tonight's concert in Phoenix (which I'm sadly missing), here's a look at Heaven & Hell's new studio album.

Geezer and Tony sound completely rejuvenated, from the doom-metal opening of "Atom & Evil" through the chugging riffs of "Follow the Tears" - there is no doubt that this is Black Sabbath. But while it's obvious that they have learned a few new tricks there are places that sound like they are simply recycling "War Pigs" and "Supernaut," especially on "Turn of the Screw."

The problem is that the lyrics that appeal to a 12-year-old boy don't really register with a 38-year-old man and Dio hasn't really found anything new to write about in 30 years. Thankfully nothing quite equals "The Devil Cried," a new track included on a 2006 Sabbath compilation which opened with the ludicrous line, "One fine day... in HELL." That doesn't make Dio's lyrics about demons battling angels and knights slaying dragons any less silly. But I honestly can't hear him singing about anything else.

Ultimately, it fits comfortably next to the three previous Dio-era Sabbath offerings, and shows the band isn't content to tour on past glories - I respect that, although I can't guarantee that I wouldn't take a bathroom break during any of these songs.

An aside - Demons, magic, dragons, angels - hmmm, maybe I could make a refrigerator poetry set for Dio lyrics?

Buy "The Devil You Know"