• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Mar 29, 2021 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

In the liner notes of Rhino Records’ double-disc reissue of Black Sabbath’s 1980 album Heaven and Hell, new singer Ronnie James Dio is quoted as saying, about playing Sabbath songs live, “…why shouldn’t I tamper with Black Sabbath songs? I’m the singer now and, forgive me for saying so, I’ll do things my own damn way.”

And so it was. Ozzy Osbourne was out after a masterful run, ultimately culminating in 1978’s disappointing Never Say Die!, and former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio was in. Black Sabbath was starting over. Dio’s vocal style was vastly different from Ozzy’s, but from the opening notes of the stomping “Neon Knights,” it was clear that Black Sabbath was not looking back.

Heaven and Hell is an album that not only reinvented but reinvigorated Black Sabbath. It has on it some of the second wave of Sabbath’s best songs: the aforementioned “Neon Knights,” the epic “Children of the Sea,” the epic title track, and the moodily masterful speed demon “Die Young.”

Rhino’s reissue augments the album with exploratory new liner notes and an extra disc of bonus tracks. The latter mostly consists of live songs. There’s not a full concert here, which would have been extremely welcome, but rather four cuts from August 1980 in Connecticut and four from New Year’s Eve 1981-’82 in London. Songs are repeated. “Neon Knights” makes two appearances. “Children of the Sea” is here three times (the third as a live B-side), and the title track also appears three times (again, the third being a live B-side). “Heaven and Hell” is monstrously extended live, at 7 minutes, 12 minutes, and a blistering 14 ½ minutes, respectively. It’s a fitting capper to this reintroduction to the new Sabbath. (www.blacksabbath.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10