Heaven & Hell
The Devil You Know

After fourteen years since the last studio album by Black Sabbath (Forbidden) and seventeen years since the last one by the current lineup (Dehumanizer), Heaven & Hell (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, and Vinnie Appice - therefore 100% Black Sabbath despite the name change) finally release The Devil You Know: what is certainly the most anticipated album of the year in the rock-metal scene, and which has surely proven to be an excellent candidate to truly become the album of the year.

The Heaven & Hell project was born in 2006, when Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio met for the release of the compilation The Dio Years. The two also composed three tracks ("Shadow Of The Wind", "Ear In The Wall", and "The Devil Cried") featured in the aforementioned compilation. Simultaneously with its release, Tony and Ronnie decided to organize a promotional tour, together with the other ex-members from the '80s, Geezer and Vinnie. What was supposed to be just a few live performances lasting a couple of months turned into - thanks to the great enthusiasm of the fans - a monumental world tour lasting a year, resulting in Live At Radio City Music Hall (2007), an excellent double live album, also released in a limited edition with a DVD. At the end of this long and exhausting series of concerts around the world, the four decided it was too disappointing to end that way, without continuing what could prove to be a prolific collaboration. Thus, the idea of a new studio album was born, which brings us back to The Devil You Know.

An album that was awaited with hope and skepticism: hope from those who felt that Black Sabbath (because that's what it is) would not betray expectations; skepticism from those who feared that the band's sound would remain at the levels of the three tracks released on The Dio Years, whose level, unfortunately, is not exceptional. Yet all the fans followed with impatience, curiosity, and expectation every news about the album, whose release was imminent. From the early revelation of the album's cover-art (rather ugly and tacky, there's no need to beat around the bush), a mystery was created around the numbers 25 and 41, placed alongside the emblem of the winged devil, numbers on which the most fanciful theories circulated. In the end, the explanation: it is a passage from the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 25, verse 41, which reads: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels"; naturally referring to the Last Judgment. As for the album's name, Geezer Butler stated: "The meaning behind this title is very simple, actually. Everyone still sees us as Black Sabbath and often still calls us that. So, even though we thought of calling ourselves Heaven & Hell, we are still very attached to the Black Sabbath experience. So, we are still the devil you know, in the sense that we are still Black Sabbath. That's the story behind it." But, beyond the anecdotes and curiosities, the question that fans asked more than any other is: "How will the music be? What will The Devil You Know sound like?". Without further ado, let's dive into the track-by-track analysis of this new exciting product of the genius of Iommi and company.

The start is entrusted to the gloomy and sepulchral tones of "Atom & Evil", supported by an Iommi riff that is as doom as can be found on the scene today, well accompanied by the Butler-Appice duo, on which Dio's theatrical vocals intertwine, stunning in the chorus. Doom slightly different from the typical Sabbath style: it almost seems that Our heroes wanted to confront their own imitators, on the latter's turf. Naturally, Iommi & co. emerge victorious without difficulty.

"Fear", with its decidedly more sustained speed, suddenly breaks the heavy and immobile atmosphere of the opener, yet it is not one of the best tracks on the album, despite the great work of Butler and the good solo by Iommi. Still a good piece.

A dreamy acoustic guitar arpeggio, veined with a delicate solo by Iommi and accompanied by Dio in his most melodic and gentle guise, opens "Bible Black", one of the masterpiece tracks of the album. Then a sudden change of tone makes the song suddenly aggressive, with Iommi's riffing to be framed and Dio grating. Also noteworthy is Tony's beautiful guitar solo, perhaps the best of the album, along with that of "Rock 'n' Roll Angel". Note that the version included in The Devil You Know is much expanded compared to the single, with many more Iommi solos.

The start of the following "Double The Pain" sees Geezer taking the lead with a powerful and pulsating bass (his performance is truly excellent!) before the rest of the band comes into play. Another rather "driven" song, with a very engaging chorus. Iommi's solo in the middle of the track is short but incisive before a break reprises Geezer's bass intro. This is another standout track of the album.

"Rock 'n' Roll Angel" is the most "airy" song on the album. In fact, the pounding and energetic riffing by Iommi is broken in the central phase by a delightful acoustic guitar break. It accompanies the guitar solo, a true masterpiece of evocative intensity, which is then embraced again by the main riff. Great performance by Dio in the choruses. The finale is entrusted to a sublime blend of acoustic and classical guitar, which chase each other fading slowly.

After the brief interlude of lightness, with "The Turn Of The Screw" we return to a level of unheard power: perhaps the most powerful track on the album, which will surely have a devastating impact live. Excellent performance by all the musicians, but Butler deserves special praise for his incredible bass lines.

The next, very fast (for Black Sabbath) "Eating The Cannibals" is another minor track on the album: it has a good groove but slightly loses itself in the chorus, which is not particularly brilliant.

But it's time for another masterpiece: keyboards of almost sacred solemnity and Iommi’s powerful guitar, accompanied by Appice's rolls imitating a war drum, open "Follow The Tears". With its very low and "evil" riff, supported by a solid rhythm section, and Dio's vocal lines reaching great heights in terms of theatricality and evocation (especially in the "sinister" chorus), "Follow The Tears" resumes the doom of "Atom & Evil"; however, it is a much more varied track compared to the opener, with many more nuances and changes of tone.

Almost as if to create a contrast between slow and fast, "Neverwhere" bursts in ninth place, the fastest track on the album. Not among the best episodes of the album, but definitely superior to "Eating The Cannibals" and "Fear".

The album concludes, just as it began, with another doom song, "Breaking Into Heaven", which follows the line of "Atom & Evil". Mighty riffs and a heavy and static rhythm section, except for the beautiful rhythmic progression that accompanies Iommi's solo. Ronnie's vocal lines are stunning, reaching the peak for expressiveness and charisma in the verses, while the chorus is less brilliant. Still an excellent track, and a worthy conclusion to The Devil You Know.

What can we say, ultimately, about this album? First of all, that the sound, while being extraordinarily current, has deep roots in the past experience of Black Sabbath: in terms of sound, one could talk about a blend between Mob Rules and Dehumanizer (the latter especially for the aggressive vocal line chosen by Dio), all revisited in a more current way. Appice prefers rather simple and immediate drum lines, leaving room mainly to Iommi's guitar and Butler's bass, on which the sound of Black Sabbath has always been built much more than on the percussion. The result is a dark, heavy, doomy, and extraordinarily massive album, with few airy spaces, and with predominantly linear compositions and song form. An album not easy to digest, but one that certainly requires multiple listens to catch all its nuances. In short, an album that will likely grow with each listen.

Finally, two words of well-deserved praise must go to the performance of the musicians: formidable! Heaven & Hell (aka Black Sabbath) reaffirm that they still have a lot to say, and a lot to teach the new generations of musicians. It’s a strange feeling to think that Tony Iommi, a distinguished and sober man in his sixties, is still able to compose such devastating riffs! Nonetheless, with this album Black Sabbath have shown that they are still the masters, that the baton has not yet passed, and if they wanted, they would still be the undisputed lords of the hard 'n' heavy scene. They are still the "devil we know".