Released: 1980
Tracks: Neon Knights; Children of the Sea; Lady Evil; Heaven and Hell; Wishing Well; Die Young; Walk Away; Lonely is the Word
Best track: Heaven & Hell
Tracks to skip: Lady Evil, Walk Away
Damn, they’re not messing around here. Right out of the gate the revamped Sabbath comes storming out and it’s clear they’re going to kick your ass. Neon Knights is a great track and a perfect introduction to the Dio-fronted Black Sabbath.
Ronnie James Dio had previously played with Elf and, more popularly, Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow before joining with Black Sabbath, who had recently kicked out Ozzy Osbourne for a 2nd time. I think the general perception is that Sabbath had lost their way on the previous two albums, Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die. It’s true (and admirable) that Sabbath was never content to be “just a heavy metal band” and once they gained popularity in the early 70’s they experimented quite a bit with instruments, composition styles and production throughout the decade. Still, I think there was a desire from the larger Sabbath fan base that wanted the heavy stuff, since that’s what Sabbath was best at. Is it fair to pigeon-hole them into being “just” a heavy metal band? Not really, but I think the fans wanted it and the band did too. The band had grown and experimented, but really weren’t what they used to be. So, the solution is get a new singer who brings a completely different presence and talent and essentially re-define yourself.
The Ozzy vs. Dio comparisons are naturally going to happen. Rainbow had been a very popular band in the 70’s so people knew what Dio was capable of. I think both singers were “good” for Black Sabbath and they each brought good things to the band. What I like about Dio is that he’s more of a true vocalist than Ozzy is. I think Ozzy has the charisma and personality, but Dio has the qualities that make him a better singer. For one, Ozzy can’t write lyrics and his melodies aren’t terribly creative (see Iron Man). Dio’s lyrics are…interesting…and even though I don’t think he’s a lyrical genius, he brings out a world (circles and rings, dragons and kings…not to mention rainbows and pleas to LOOK OUT!) that is quite poetic at times and the fantasy lyrics work perfectly for heavy metal. I think Dio sounds great on this album and he really reinvigorated the band. They seriously needed this kick in the ass.
Heaven and Hell is far from a perfect album, though. I love Neon Knights and Children of the Sea is another excellent composition that features some great bass playing by Geezer Butler. After these two great songs, what’s the next move? Lady Evil….wait, really? Man, this song is bad and it sounds like a KISS song. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me that the two worst songs on here (Lady Evil & Walk Away) not only sound like KISS, but they’re both about women – “relationship” songs in a sense. In an otherwise amazing side 1, Lady Evil sticks out and makes you wonder what the hell they were doing. The song bites, there’s not much more to it. Finally side 1 closes out with the title track and probably the best song on the album. H&H is an excellent and very well-written song. It perfectly captures the darkness and light of this band, not to mention completely enveloping the listener in this fantasy-metal realm. Besides the lyrical imagery, the song just flat out kicks ass.
The rest of the album, side 2, is decent, but nowhere near as solid as those 3 songs from side 1. Wishing Well is a pretty good tune and there are some nice changes in the chorus of Die Young, even if the song as a whole is only OK. Walk Away, bleh, more KISS-a-like stuff. Lonely is the Word, again, is decent and features an interesting jazzy guitar solo (lots of guitar playing on this song, actually), but it’s still just an OK song. The keyboards on this one are especially annoying. So yeah, the second side has some moments (Wishing Well is the best complete song), but mostly it’s forgettable. That’s disappointing coming off the mostly excellent side 1. Then again, I’m looking at this almost 30 years after its release. Some things will age better than others and something that may not appeal to a 32 year-old guy in 2008, might have totally kicked ass to a 15 year-old kid in 1980. Another thing is that I didn’t grow up listening to this album, I heard it for the first time a couple of years ago. Still, my opinion is that the 2nd side doesn’t hold up to the first and that’s where the classics are. I do think the band succeeded in reinventing itself and with the recent reunion of the band (known as “Heaven & Hell” to avoid any problems with Ozzy & Sharon Osboure) they’ve reconnected with people’s love for this material. You could probably spring for the “best of” from this lineup and cover the best songs, but there’s always the chance you’d dig the other stuff on this album.
Rating: 83
November 24, 2008, 
1:33 pm
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