Schoultz’s Lo-Fi Motel

Heaven and Hell

The Devil You Know

Rhino Records 

What did they say in that Prego spaghetti sauce commercial from about a decade ago?  Oh yes—”It’s in there.”  That sums up the highly anticipated release by Black Sabba…um, er…sorry. Black Sabbath is the band name that Ozzy Osbourne’s caretaker/nurse/wife Sharon now owns the rights to.  At any rate, considering classic Black Sabbath and their legacy, Heaven and Hell carry on the tradition in grand fashion without coming across as a nostalgia act with The Devil You Know.

The Prego reference?  Oh yeah.  It is all in there.  The heavy, dense, murk of loud.  The fantasy/paranormal subject matter, plus cover art that will make Sabbath’s unwitting offspring, the euro black metal bands, sit up and take notice.  Yes, it is all in there.

So what sets this apart from Sabbath in all it’s other incarnations?  For starters, it is the first Sabba—um, H&H album to sound like the Sabbath of the golden years of 1970-76.  I say golden years with some reserve.  While Sabbath’s Vol. 4 remains my all time personal idea of a high mark, I loved the Dio years.  Hell (ooops, there’s that word), I  loved 1983’s Born Again with the legendary Ian Gillian as vocalist.  Ah, let’s admit it, any album bearing the name Black Sabbath was never a total let down.  Even in the late ’80’s and early 90’s when it was just Tony Iommi and a bunch of other guys that included journeymen with first names of Geoff and Tony from various ’70’s -early 80’s hard rock bands.  However, the Dio era Sab was the one that comes closest to eclipsing the Ozzy years.  And for damn good reason.

Ronnie James Dio is, among all other things sweeter than honey, the Methuselah of Rawk.  I’m not sure how old the guy is but just consider: he sang with doo-wop groups in the late 1950’s.  On this release his voice hasn’t lost a thing.  That alone is paranormal.  The thing with Dio is that he has always been at his best when he is the member of a band that doesn’t carry his last name.  This effort is a prime example.  This is the best best music he has been a part of since…well, Dehumanizer.  Tony Iommi’s guitar work goes from dark, foreboding power chord murk to a transcendence of beauty that lifts the compositions from mere efforts of dark rage to the bookends of raw emotion, the guitar solo as art as opposed to ego stroke wankery.   Geezer Butler remains the secret weapon.  While Tony Iommi is Sabbath/H&H, Geezer is the trademark.  His bass work is what got Sabbath into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (a dubious distinction at best).  Vinny Appice is Vinny Appice.  His drumming is the background to H&H’s miniature operas of nightmare.  However, there are still nights when I wonder what it is that Bill Ward is up to these days.

“Atom and Evil” instantly recalls the Sabbath of old and makes you miraculously forgive the song’s idiotic title.  “Bible Black” is an epic that you stoner rock refugees have been craving since computers still held floppy discs or Queens of the Stone Age’s first release.  Keeping with a welcome trend I’ve been noticing, there are only 10 tracks.  Just enough to make you want to play the goddamn thing again after the first play.

Enough with the words.  The Dark Princes of Rawk are muchos alive and kicking all kinds of ass.  Are you brooding, feeling raw and dark and wanting to beat Seether sensless and bloody for covering a @#$%ing Wham! song?  Go out and purchase The Devil You Know (no pussy-ass downloads!  Buy the CD, the Lp!!!!  Look at the scary cover!  Read the lyrics/poetry of Ronnie James Dio!) and flash ‘em the horned goat!

And may God bless you all.

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