It's one thing to hear a live recording from a band you have been enamored with practically half your life, but it's another to have actually been on hand at the gig that the CD was recorded at. Such was the case for this writer on March 30th, 2007, when the reunited Dio/Iommi/Butler/Appice version of Black Sabbath, under the guise of Heaven & Hell, took New York and Radio City Music Hall by storm for a sold out show. Recorded for CD and DVD, this show was historical for many reasons, mostly it was a chance for fans to see this line-up for the first time on stage in over 15 years. For some it might have been for the first time ever, and for this writer, the first time since 1982 on the Mob Rules tour. Seeing as the Sabbath line-up with Ozzy has been relegated to playing Ozzfest the last few years and playing just the classics that the Ozzman can still sing, the thought of hearing Dio with the band again and seeing them perform songs like "Neon Knights", "Children of the Sea", "I", "The Mob Rules", "Die Young", and of course "Heaven and Hell" was a dream come true.
The CD is exactly as I remember it that night (I'm sure it will be even more so after viewing the DVD), with all four members at the top of their game and really impressing the audience, and having a blast doing it. Iommi's massive power riffs crush, Appice's pounding drums simply thunderous, Geezer's bass rumbling with menace, and Dio's vocals right on target, singing like a man half his 65+ years. In fact, Ronnie sounds more at home vocally singing these songs than he has with his own solo material the last decade. You get the whole concert on this 2CD set-in addition to the above classics already mentioned, there's a brilliant version of "The Sign of the Southern Cross", a steamrolling "Computer God", and two of the new songs, "The Devil Cried" (which includes a tasty Appice drum solo) and the doomy "Shadow of the Wind". One of the biggest surprises is "Lonely Is the Word", the underrated track from the Heaven and Hell album, which features a particularly bluesy Iommi.
Soundwise, this set is just fantastic, and the booklet comes with commentary from Dio, Iommi, and Butler (what, no Vinnie guys?), plus photographs from the show. Let's only hope that this is not the last time we see these guys come around, and that future tours and studio recordings are in the works.
Track Listing
CD 1
1) E5150/After All (The Dead)
2) The Mob Rules
3) Children of the Sea
4) Lady Evil
5) I
6) The Sign of the Southern Cross
7) Voodoo
8) The Devil Cried
CD 2
1) Computer God
2) Falling Off the Edge of the World
3) Shadow of the Wind
4) Die Young
5) Heaven and Hell
6) Lonely Is the Word
7) Neon Knights
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