I have to be honest, I never really got into Black Sabbath. A combination of being slightly too young for the original incarnation and a general disinterest in the doom laden, bombastic grooves of the band in general. By the time I reached an age where I might appreciate them, Sabbath operated such a revolving door policy with regards to band members that even founder member Geezer Butler quit the band in disgust.
On the other hand, I've always been a fan of Ronnie James Dio, so when Black Sabbath, the Dio Years was released in 2007, I snapped a copy up immediately and was blow away by just how much quality material they managed to produce in the Dio era (Dehumaniser apart). Equally interesting were the four new tracks the band recorded for the double CD album. A successful world tour under the moniker "Heaven and Hell" swiftly followed (presumably due to the fact that Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward are still part of the reformed Black Sabbath lineup).
Two years later, with some reports putting Ronnie James Dio at the ripe old age of 67, the Mob Rules line-up of Black Sabbath, now "Heaven and Hell", (Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice) have released their debut album The Devil You Know. And it's pretty damn brilliant.
From the opener "Atom and Evil" to the closer "Breaking into Heaven", this album rocks and is sure to be one of the heaviest releases of the year. The crushing weight of Iommi's guitar is underpinned by Butler's pounding bass lines and Appice's steady beat. Dio's menacing vocals soar over the riffs in terrifying fashion.
The Devil You Know is an unusual album in the sense that there are no obvious weak tracks. Tony Iommi seems to have thrown off the shackles of recent years and indulges both himself and the album's listeners with some of the heaviest Sabbath guitar riffs heard in many a long year as well as some excellent solos.
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