The Return of Black Sabbath: Heaven and Hell

When most people think of Black Sabbath, they think first (if not only) of Ozzy Osbourne. Sure, all of the famous songs- War Pigs, Ironman, Paranoid, etc., were all sung by Ozzy, but this should by no means dissuade people from checking out their other incarnation with singer Ronnie James Dio, a man with a voice beyond description. When Ozzy was thrown out of Sabbath for being a wasted mess, Tony Iommi chose the singer from fellow British metal guitar-master Ritchie Blackmore's band Rainbow to take his place.

That singer was Ronnie James Dio, possessor of one of the most powerful and versatile voices around, and he shortly revitalized the ailing Sabbath with the release of the Heaven and Hell album, a must own for any true metal fan. The Dio years were not nearly popular as the ones with Ozzy, and only lasted a few years before Dio left to form his own band and release the Holy Diver album, but for many fans, including myself, these years produced some of their best music. I, for one, never expected a reunion of this lineup, as Black Sabbath with Ozzy continues to play to large crowds around the world, so it was a complete surprise when I learned of the "Heaven and Hell" tour.

First, let's get a couple of things straight. Ozzy is a mess, and no longer any good. He uses teleprompters on stage, sounds terrible, and sings the same songs every time. When Sabbath first got back together, I was first in line to sleep out for tickets to the Philly show, and I loved every second of the concert. I was 16, a huge Sabbath fan, and it was the first time I had ever heard these songs live, so it was a great experience. I saw them the next three times they came, and it was the exact same show, all the same songs and the same Ozzy schtick ("I love you all!" and all that). It's tired and boring now, and, let's face it, Ozzy needs to hang it up.

I had essentially written them off for dead before the Heaven and Hell tour began working its way across the U.S. I went to see them at the Philadelphia Spectrum last week, and have to admit I had a good deal of trepidation going into it, having never hear Dio live before, and hearing the rumours that the's 67 years old (I have no idea if this is true or not). I wasn't sure he could still hit those sustained high notes of 25 years ago, and didn't really expect him to. I expected a decent performance, but nothing spectacular. Underestimating Dio was my first mistake. Underestimating Tony Iommi was my second. Coming on right when they were supposed to at 9:00, the reunited Heaven and Hell proceeded to tear the place apart with pure rock fury, and I don't think any of us knew what we were in store for.

Dio sounded great, absolutely great, and if he's really 67 then I am absolutely blown away by the thought he can still sing so powerfully at that age. If he's not, then I'm still impressed. He hit the high notes, had all the power, and had the audience in the palm of his hand all night. He certainly didn't have a teleprompter, either. Better still was Tony Iommi, who sounded better than I've ever heard him sound before, just tearing it up on guitar all night, playing extended jams, and busting out some incredibly fast chops that I didn't know he was capable of. The same goes for Geezer Butler, who was as great as ever, at times even overpowering the guitar (it reminded me of old Cream performances) with his fast, heavy, and always melodic bass work. On drums was Vinnie Appice, as Bill Ward is still not in the best health, who played with Dio in his solo band, and he was fast, tight, and heavy, giving you everything you'd want in metal drumming.

They show was about two hours, with one very brief intermission towards the end. They played all the hits from this era, including "Heaven and Hell", "Neon Knights", "Children of the Sea", and pretty much everything you'd expect, but no Ozzy songs. A spectacular light show really added to the mood, with Dio at one point lit up in red looking like Satan himself. If you have any interest in metal at all then you should check this show out when it comes to your town, it is simply awesome.