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Heaven & Hell: New Album Available for Free Streaming
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Heaven & Hell's newest album comes out Tuesday, April 28th
Three years ago, legendary metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio reunited with former bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler for the first time in decades, ostensibly to record just three new songs for a Best Of album. This 1980's version of Black Sabbath may not be as famous as the Ozzy Osbourne fronted era, but to many true metal fans, songs such as Mob Rules and Heaven & Hell are just as classic as Iron Man and War Pigs.
One thing rapidly led to another, and soon, with the addition of drummer Vinnie Appice, the band was headlining a national tour under the name of Heaven & Hell, in order to make it clear that only Dio-era Sabbath songs were going to be played. Touring with the likes of modern metal heavyweights such as Megadeth and Machinehead, and later with contemporaries such as Judas Priest and Alice Cooper, Heaven & Hell recieved rave reviews as tour dates and festivals continued to be added, and the group has now been playing live shows for three years and counting.
With the unexpected success of the reformed band, a full album of new materiel was nigh inevitable, and is finally set to be released this Tuesday. Featuring Iommi's signature slow, crushing riffs and song structure, and Dio's famous operatic vocals, The Devil You Know is classic Black Sabbath, and can be heard in its entirety on VH1's website for a limited time.
Even on the first listen, it is apparent that despite the advancing age of these musicians, they have not lost a step in their power and delivery. The power chords and drum beats blast out as heavy as ever, and Dio's poweful, foreboding voice never wavers or loses its edge. The choruses are as heavy as they are catchy, and Iommi's guitar solos are poignant enough to make one forget that grunge and rap-metal ever happened. The entire album maintains the classic Black Sabbath tone, sounding just as powerful as they did 20 years ago, without sounding dated at all.
While the band is currently only signed up for overseas tour dates, a North American tour in support of the new album is no doubt in the near future, and fans of Sabbath, Dio, or just classic metal would do well to keep their eyes peeled for not only one of the most important bands in heavy metal history, but for the top notch groups that Dio & friends always takes out with them as well.
For more info: Check out Heaven & Hell's website
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