In the early 2000s, the name Black Sabbath returned to the public eye, not out of nostalgia. The band had just reunited its classic lineup with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals and Bill Ward on drums and was inducted into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006. Simultaneously, the lineup with Ronnie James Dio on vocals and Vinny Appice on drums reunited to release three unreleased tracks on the compilation album *The Dio Years* .
The result was so productive that the group decided to go on tour, recorded live on the Live From Radio City Music Hall . To avoid confusion with Sabbath's main tour with Ozzy and due to ongoing legal disputes, Tony Iommi decided to call the group Heaven And Hell . The reference is to the 1980 album of the same name that marked Dio's entry into the group.
An unreleased edition of the album The Devil You Know was released on CD in 2023.
The Devil You Know was Dio's last studio album.
Released in 2009, The Devil You Know brings the pure cream of Black Sabbath during the Dio era. Featuring the rhythmic riffs that shaped Iommi's identity from the beginning, as in tracks like "Atom And Evil" and "Double The Pain," the dense and macabre atmosphere and Dio's powerful and mesmerizing vocals, sung in lower tones due to his age, contribute to the album's funereal aura.
Considered by fans as a canonical album in the English group's discography, the work unfortunately also marked Ronnie's farewell to the studios. The vocalist would pass away in May 2010 from stomach cancer, thus ending the project and causing Sabbath to go on hiatus until the release of 13 in 2013 , with Ozzy back on vocals.
The classic and distinctive rhythm section of Sabbath is more than present in The Devil You Know . Beyond Tony's aforementioned mournful riffs, we have the rhythmic amalgam that Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice create, making the drums and bass something close to a malignant Siamese twin (think of the fusion between the covers of Van Halen 's Balance and Born Again ), as in the tracks "Rock And Roll Angel" and "Bible Black".
It's worth highlighting that even weakened by age, Dio brings all the power possible in his small but mighty body, not falling short of his golden years and closing his career with a flourish.
An album for all the fans.
This album is recommended for all rock and metal fans, after all, it's Black Sabbath! But I believe that fans of doom metal, stoner, and heavy metal will connect more strongly with the work. The album spares no effort in presenting the best of dark melodies, malevolent vocals, and epic compositions. Highlights include the powerful "Atom And Evil" and "Bible Black," the latter being highly recommended for fans of the 1981 Mob Rules
Tracklist:
01 – Atom And Evil
02 – Fear
03 – Bible Black
04 – Double The Pain
05 – Rock And Roll Angel
06 – The Turn Of The Screw
07 – Eating The Cannibals
08 – Follow The Tears
09 – Neverwhere
10 – Breaking Into Heaven
READ ALSO : Black Sabbath: Tony Martin's album box set gets a release date