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( - DVD
- Band Interviews & rehersal footage
Play.com Review
The Devil You Know is the debut album from Heaven and Hell, the members of which were also the Black Sabbath line-up that gave us, Mob Rules, Live Evil and Dehumanizer. With this hall of fame-esq collection of rockers, expectations should, quite rightly, be set high. With a pedigree to match, these guys were never going to disappoint.
Tony Iommi has spent over 40 years proving that he knows how to write high calibre guitar riffs - he practically invented the mammoth, driving grooves of heavy metal. So, the fact that the riffs on The Devil You Know are good is no surprise. What is slightly surprising, is how sharp and fresh they are. Alongside Iommi is Geezer Butler on Bass guitar, once more renewing a duo that has developed an intricate understanding over their long careers. This is perfectly demonstrated on tracks such as 'Bible Black' and 'Follow The Tears', where Butler's crunching bass provides the perfect groove for Iommi's soaring riffs to glide over. Vinny Appice provides the rhythm for the frenetic fret work, superbly complimenting the more extravagant elements of the band's sound. The crisp production and thunderous volume of these three is the ideal backdrop for Ronnie James Dio to do what he does best. Make no mistake about it, he's most definitely at his finest here, combing darkly poetic lyrics with his voice's gorgeously passionate, theatrical enunciation. 'Double the Pain' allows Dio to show off the higher end of his vocal abilities - perhaps, more akin to his solo work - whilst up-tempo numbers like 'Eating the Cannibals' display his devilish aggression and ability to keep pace with the ferocity of the music.
The Devil You Know most definitely sounds like an album the band wanted to make, as opposed to a muted, half-hearted attempt to recapture former glories - a curse that so many heritage bands fall foul of. Whilst it is apparent from the album's opener, 'Atom and Evil', that down-tempo, doomy metal is the prevailing sound, it is done with such majesty and skill that a lack of fast rockin' anthems is not a drawback. Afterall, these are four of the men that pioneered the style, and it's riff-tastic to have them back together and back to their best.
- Atom And Evil
- Fear
- Bible Black
- Double The Pain
- Rock And Roll Angel
- The Turn Of The Screw
- Eating The Cannibals
- Follow The Tears
- Neverwhere
- Breaking Into Heaven
Average rating (9 reviews)
Black sabbath by any other name
Clunky | 07/06/2009 | See all Clunky's reviews (5) »
Stonking rock, delivered impeccably by some of rocks legendary performers. Three quarters are black Sabbath, the vocalist Ronnie James Dio and together they provide a riff-laden, rock fest with attitude and melody. No complaints at all. This is a classic waiting to be recognised. Get it today.
Another great slab of sabbath,
mrfenderbenderman | 02/06/2009 | See all mrfenderbenderman's reviews (17) »
Maybe albums like this seem so brilliant because of the never ending onslaught of pathetic modern "metal" but this certainly beats anything modern bands have to offer,
Heavy riffs, great lyrics( dio'scocept of dungeons and dragons no longer present) and vocals,
Dios voice has aged gracefully and the devil you know should stand proudly alongside the other sabbath albums in every true metalheads collection,
Does what it says on the tin
DavidDMuir | 27/05/2009 | See all DavidDMuir's reviews (5) »
Difficult to know what I can add to the many positive reviews already posted. Sabbath practically defined heavy metal and (in my opinion) Dio is the definitive Rainbow vocalist. Put them together and you have a stunningly good album. Heavy, rifftastic and menacing crunchy guitars. What more could you ask for? OK, some of the lyrics are a bit silly - but it's Dio singing them so I can over look that. Difficult to choose a favourite track at the moment, but an early contender is "Follow The Tears".
Well worth checking out.
