HEAVEN & HELL — The Devil You Know (review)

HEAVEN & HELL — The Devil You Know album cover Album · 2009 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Time Signature
Rock and roll angels...

Genre: doom metal / traditional metal

My first impression on hearing this album was "Holy cr*p! This stuff is heavy! It's superb!" It really is like going back to the roots of all things metal, and in many ways the best album that Sabbath never released (but then again, they did, kind of).

Doom-laden riff upon doom-laden riff, Heaven & Hell (or Dio-era Black Sabbath if you wish) take the listener on a timeless travel through heavy metal. Tracks like "Atom and Evil" (brilliant title!), "Fear", "Turn of the Screw", "Follow the Tears", and, last, but not least, "Breaking Into Heaven" (the doomiest and, for my money, best track on this album) remind us who invented doom metal in the first place. Iommi's riffage on these doomy songs is extremely well supported by Appice's heavy drumming. "Bible Black", "Double the Pain" and "Rock and Roll Angel" are more groovy midtempo tracks, but still heavy and doom-laden, while "Eating the Cannibals" and "Neverwhere" are uptempo traditional heavy metal tracks of the "Die Young" and "Neon Knights" type.

Musically, this is the perfect traditional doom metal album, featuring Iommi and Butler, who played an important part in the development of that genre.

There is another aspect to this album, and that is, of course, the vocals. Sadly, "The Devil You Know" would be Ronnie James Dio's swansong as he died earlier this year, a victim of cancer. May he rock in perpetuam. But what a swansong it is. He was in his 60s when recording this album, and his voice is as powerful as that of 30-year old - not once does he have a weak moment.

This should appeal to Sabbath fans, Dio fans, doom metal fans and traditional metal fans alike. It certainly was one of the best traditional metal releases of 2009.
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