Published on Apr 22, 2004
Entering the second phase of Black Sabbath’s career — marked by
the appearance of Ronnie James Dio, formerly of Rainbow, as lead
throat — there were many questions regarding the band. Could they
survive without the maniacal ball of energy known as Ozzy Osbourne
fronting the band? Would Dio prove to be a worthwhile replacement?
Could Black Sabbath rebound from a few disappointing releases and
recapture at least some of their past glory?
The answer to all of these questions, bound in the eight songs
which comprise
Heaven And Hell, were all the same: Yes. This album marks a
change in Black Sabbath’s style, but one which seems like a natural
progression for them, even if it does make them sound a little bit
like Rainbow.
The first notable thing on this album is the guitar work of Tony
Iommi, something which had been improving with each consecutive
album Black Sabbath recorded. Granted, it sometimes began to sound
like so many other heavy metal guitarists’ style, but for the time
being it felt like the right thing for Iommi to be doing. Second,
the songwriting tightened up a great deal, no doubt in part because
of Dio’s hand in the process.
Then, of course, there are the songs themselves. There’s a
reason that the title track is revered among Black Sabbath and Dio
fans alike. This sinister, plodding number captures a sense of the
evil which seemed to float over the band in their earlier days.
Likewise, tracks such as “Neon Knights,” “Lady Evil” and “Die
Young” all keep the listener’s interest for the duration of the
album.
If there is anything missing from
Heaven And Hell, it is the veiled sense of humor which
seemed to permeate the band during their Osbourne era. Sure, a song
like “Black Sabbath” could scare the hell out of you given the
right mood. But somehow, you always knew that the band’s tongue was
firmly planted in its cheek, creating an almost playful, albeit
sinister, feeling about the music. With Dio, the overall feeling is
simply sinister – much like the way Dio’s solo career would
sound.
It also takes a little bit of adjusting to the overall change in
Black Sabbath’s sound. Granted, the shift turns out to be a good
thing for Iommi and crew, making them sound the tightest this group
had ever been. But if you’ve grown up with a steady diet of the
rough-and-tumble sound of albums like
Paranoid and
Master Of Reality, it takes a few minutes to regain your
senses with this new version of Black Sabbath.
Still,
Heaven And Hell proves to be well worth the time and effort,
and remains a classic in the group’s catalog. For Dio’s debut, it
proves to be a multi-leveled success.