Heaven & Hell – Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell
Release Date: 2010Nov16 (US)
Label: Armoury Records
Rating: 4.5/5
What can I say about Heaven & Hell that has not been said a hundred times over? Not only are we talking about the best version of post-Ozzy Black Sabbath, but Neon Nights is the last recorded live document of Ronnie James Dio. The band was in fine form as they headlined the first night of the 2009 Wacken Open Air Festival, and there is a DVD available that includes the “E5150” opener, and “Country Girl” before the fiery closer, “Neon Knights”. This disc still packs in nearly 75 minutes of glorious, masterful metal, with a good cross-section of Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer, and The Devil You Know.
Heaven & Hell charges hard out of the gate with “Mob Rules”, with a ferociously screeching Dio at the forefront. It’s funny… I wasn’t really sure when, or if, it would start to sting while writing about Ronnie here, especially after several spins with dry eyes. But man, something happened this morning during “Children of the Sea”, when I became thankful for every vicious vamping moment of his impressive, seven decade-spanning career. Tenacious D‘s “Dio” actually reminded me about the man ten years ago, and not only did Dio ignore their “advice”, he continued to meet his archetypal high bar until the end.
But let us not ignore the rest of the band, whose name change I fully support, by the way. Black Sabbath is still my favorite band, and much as I respect Bill Ward and love the first Heaven and Hell album, we all have heard he was unhappy without Ozzy there, and Vinny Appice is truly the ideal fit. His thunderous caveman attack is mitigated with subtle variations, and this balance is also what I love about Geezer Butler. His fluid fingers are, to this day, among the most complementary in all of Metal. He gets some shine on “Time Machine” with a pulsing solo in the middle, but his best moments are fleshing out Iommi’s incredible leads, such as on “Neon Knights”.
And you really cannot say enough about Tony Iommi. I’ve heard he can be something of a douche, but if I made a career out of writing consistently heavy riffs that crush contemporaries and upstarts alike, I’d be one proud fellow. At the crux of speed, technique, efficiency, and timbre dwells this giant. The fact that he still sounds vital as ever is testament to his legacy, and while all of these men have performed on various projects, the story of Heaven & Hell remains remarkable. They showed that—apart from supergroup-y hype, legal issues, and sometimes many years between albums—they could still release relevant music, reflective and updated to the respective decades, yet uniquely familiar along the way. Should all great bands be so blessed.
FCC: 10 (at 11:53)
Try 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11
01. Mob Rules
02. Children of the Sea
03. I
04. Bible Black
05. Time Machine
06. Fear
07. Falling Off the Edge of the World
08. Follow The Tears
09. Die Young
10. Heaven and Hell
11. Neon Knights
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