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Aug 04, 2023 Web Exclusive By Ian Rushbury

How do you replace the irreplaceable? You’d need to have a word with the chaps in Black Sabbath about that. When Ozzy Osbourne was fired from that most iconic of rock bands in 1979, he left a huge void which was efficiently filled by ex-Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. With Dio at the helm, they set off on a hot streak, which would sadly and inevitably end with squabbling, unrest, and the start of a revolving door policy regarding band members. Only the stalwart Tony Iommi has been present for all of Black Sabbath’s shenanigans.

Live Evil followed two excellent, Dio helmed albums—Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. It was released to serve a dual purpose—to counteract the rather lackluster, semi legal, Ozzy era live record Live at Last, which emerged in 1980, and to wring the last drops out of this line up of the band.

Live Evil is a snapshot of a band in fine form. The most recent songs sound fresh and vibrant while the “classic” era material is re-energized and handled with the appropriate mix of abandon and reverence by all the performers. “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” and especially “Iron Man” all sound as dark and intimidating as they ever did. Whether by accident or design, the audience have been mixed so low that it sounds as if they’re playing to about 50 people who are about half a mile away.

Live Evil was the last, truly satisfying Sabbath album for many years. Eventually, Ozzy re-joined for 13—probably the last recorded throw of the dice for the band, but this live document of the early eighties version of the definitive heavy metal band can hold its own with anything in their catalogue. (www.blacksabbath.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10