I’m not going to bore you with a lot of introductory details. By this time, everybody knows who and what Heaven & Hell is, and that pretty much speaks for itself. That being said, this could be a difficult review to write, as the only negative thing I could say about the individuals involved is that Ronnie James Dio once made me and a bunch of others wait over two hours for a post-show meet-and-greet session. Otherwise, I knew that I would like The Devil You Know from the moment it was announced; the only question was to what degree? The answer is, I like it a lot, but will concede that it does have its shortcomings.
I’ll get this out there right away – none of the ten tracks here measure up to “The Devil Cried,” one of the new tracks included on the Black Sabbath: The Dio Years collection. That wasn’t quite as surprising as the fact that this material leans more towards the slow/mid-paced vibe that is perhaps more closely associated with the Ozzy era. No big deal, though – Dio pulls it off with ease, along with Tony Iommi’s monster riffs, Geezer Butler’s thundering bass, and Vinnie Appice’s pounding beats. Everything is ridiculously catchy, or at least memorable to some degree. After just a few listens, I was able to recall at least part of every track, even lesser cuts like “Neverwhere” and “Fear.”
Highlights are many. “Bible Black” has a sinister vibe that plays right into everybody’s strengths. “The Turn of the Screw” seems to do the best job at capturing the classic vibe. One might not expect a track called “Follow the Tears” to be anything noteworthy, but the dirge-like riffs and melancholy mood may give you chills. “Breaking Into Heaven” . . . I’m not even sure where to start there. Great riff, great use of keyboards for atmosphere, and arguably Dio’s strongest vocal performance. I could go on, but it would just be more of the same.
I’m in an odd position here. I really like The Devil You Know, although I know it could be better. I’m probably also a little biased as ¾ of the personnel would appear on any top 5 list I might devise of their respective specialties. If you go into this expecting Heaven & Hell Part II you will only be disappointed. If like me you’re just excited that these guys are making new music together, you can’t lose.
