Heaven And Hell Fans

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Heaven and Hell is a musical collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. The four members of Heaven and Hell recorded and toured together as Black Sabbath from 1980-1982 and again from 1991-1992. In 2006, while the foursome reunited to record three new songs for the compilation album, Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, they decided to embark on a 2007 - 2008 tour. This was facilitated by the fact that current/founding Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was slated to perform a solo tour during that time frame.

Because of the projected continuation of the band's original lineup (Iommi, Butler, Osbourne and Bill Ward) and the 2006 induction of the original lineup into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Iommi (owner of the Black Sabbath name) decided to call the touring group Heaven and Hell. The moniker was taken from the first Dio-fronted Black Sabbath recording, Heaven and Hell.

In an October 2005 interview with the program "Masters of Rock", aired on BBC Radio 2, Ronnie James Dio revealed the fact that he would be writing with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi once again. Dio mentioned that two songs would be penned, and were to feature on a "project" entitled Black Sabbath - The Dio Years. Iommi, the owner of the Black Sabbath name, chose to call the collaboration "Heaven and Hell" so as to distance the group from the Osbourne-fronted Black Sabbath.

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward (who performed on the 1980 Heaven and Hell album and the first half of the tour) declined to be band's drummer before they recorded three new tracks. Ward's departure made way for a reunion of the other Dio-fronted Black Sabbath line-up which included journeyman drummer Vinny Appice. It was Appice who replaced Ward midway through the original Heaven and Hell tour in 1980 and remained the Black Sabbath drummer for two years coinciding with Dio's tenure in the band from 1980-1982 and again when Dio reunited with the band in 1991 and 1992 (he also backed the Osbourne-led version of the group briefly in 1998).

Additionally, while Black Sabbath has historically included Geoff Nicholls on "behind the scenes" keyboards, those off stage duties were performed by Scott Warren of Dio during the tour.

In August 2008, Heaven and Hell took part in the Metal Masters Tour alongside Judas Priest, Motörhead and Testament. The band are set to embark on a tour in 2009, making a stop at the Sweden Rock Festival among other places, like the Wâldrock festival at Holland and Wacken Open Air.

Even before the beginning of the tour, the members had said that the Heaven and Hell 2007 tour was a one-off and had expressed their plans to go their separate ways. Dio would return to his band (Dio), having stated his desire to produce Magica II and Magica III, sequels to Dio's 2000 album Magica. Meanwhile Iommi and Butler looked forward to a continuation with the original line up of Black Sabbath. However, in a March 2007 interview, Dio and Iommi expressed that while they were both tied to separate contractual commitments in 2008, neither would discount the possibility of future collaborations. Appice had yet to disclose his definitive plans regarding his post Heaven and Hell activity - but appears he will continue working with his latest band, 3 Legged Dogg.

In October 2007 Blabbermouth reported that the band members had decided to continue their collaboration and record and release a new album in 2008. This information was confirmed by Ronnie James Dio during an interview with the website Komodo Rock published on November 1, 2007. The group convened in early 2008 at Iommi’s home studio in England to begin writing for The Devil You Know. “We finished ‘Breaking Into Heaven’ and put together ideas for several more tracks before taking a break. The chemistry was there straightaway. It was like no time had passed,” the legendary guitarist says.

To Butler’s delight, one aspect had changed since the band’s last album, 1992’s Dehumanizer. “Because of technology, everyone now comes in with a CD of ideas that we can pull from. None of that endless jamming about in the rehearsal studio until someone comes up with something. It was such a pleasure to make this album and very much a band effort.”

Following the initial writing session for The Devil You Know, the band spent the summer of 2008 on the road before relocating to Dio’s home studio in Los Angeles to finish writing. The first song they completed there, “Bible Black,” would become the album’s first single. The epic track about a book of sinister scriptures set the tone for the rest of the session. “When you start off with a blockbuster like that, it makes writing so much easier because it gives you a benchmark to measure the other songs against,” Dio says.

Exceeding those expectations, the band wrote 10 songs that are rich in sonic detail. Each uncoils with a three-dimensional fullness thanks to a macabre mix of snarling riffs, bone-crushing tempos, and evocative tales from the dark side. While the album is definitely steeped in hellfire and brimstone, Appice notes that its black clouds are lined with gleaming melodies that give the music depth. “The contrast makes all the emotions and sounds feel even more intense.”

Each band member finds room to shine on the album. Iommi burnishes his status as a six-string deity with sinuous riffing on “Atom And Evil,” “Fear,” and “Neverwhere.” Dio’s dynamic voice shows its versatility with the majestic melodies of “Breaking Into Heaven,” while his pen tells twisted tales like “Eating The Cannibals” with provocative flair. Butler’s thunderous groove slips out of the rhythm’s deep pocket to add wicked countermelodies and dexterous runs during “Double The Pain,” while Appice’s tasteful timekeeping on “Follow The Tears” shows that less is more, giving the slow-burning song enough room to catch fire.

After the band finished writing for the album, everyone spent several weeks on their own fine-tuning their parts before rehearsing. Appice says the break was invaluable. “We had a few months to live with these songs. It gave everyone enough time to work out ideas on their own and find out what worked best for them and the song.”

Following a week of rehearsals in Los Angeles last winter, the foursome returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, the same place they recorded Dehumanizer 17 years earlier. Playing live in the studio, the band worked quickly, needing less than three weeks to record the album—two weeks ahead of schedule.

Many of the songs were captured in one or two takes, Iommi says. “When you have a great band like this, it makes sense to go in and play them together. That’s the way we’ve always done it. I mean, somewhere along the line we were gonna have to play them live; might as well start in the studio,” he says with a laugh.

Because of the rehearsals, Butler says playing came easily, allowing them to focus more on expressing the feeling of each song. “We’ve learned from the past that you can kill a song doing it over and over. The first Sabbath albums were done in two or three days. Technically they weren’t great, but vibe-wise they were great. It goes to show, if you capture that feeling, that’s all you need.”

When the songs were finished, Dio says he and his bandmates marveled at their own brutal efficiency. “We almost felt guilty to tell you the truth. We looked at each other at one point and said: ‘Is it really done? I can’t do it any better. Can you? No. Then I guess were done’,” he recalls laughing. “At the end of the day, I think what separates this band is that we know who we are. We want to do one thing well and not try to be something we’re not.”
Heaven & Hell truly is The Devil You Know.

Biography courtesy of 'Heaven and Hell live' and Absolute Radio.

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