When Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice reunited in 2006, they did so under the band name Heaven & Hell so as to avoid confusion with the Osbourne-led Black Sabbath line-up. They released one studio album, 2009’s “The Devil You Know”, and then two live albums, 2007’s “Live From Radio City Music Hall” and 2009’s “Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell”. The name of the group is derived from the 1980 album “Heaven and Hell”, the first Black Sabbath album to feature Dio as lead vocalist. According to Iommi, the name change was made to avoid confusion between the two different line-ups of Black Sabbath, so that fans at concerts “would not expect to hear ‘Iron Man’ and ‘War Pigs’ and all that… it’s none of the old stuff, it’s none of the Ozzy period. It’s all Dio stuff. So by calling ourselves Heaven & Hell, it’s revisiting that period.”
Even though this is Black Sabbath in all but name, because they focus exclusively on Dio-era material. That said, these are essential listening for fans of that era, particularly “Neon Nights”. These seasoned veterans revisit their past (including 1992’s underrated “Dehumanizer”) The band showcase their new material with unmatched panache. This line-up may have only worked together sporadically over the years, but listeners should consider themselves lucky these metal masters crossed paths at all.
The four members of Heaven & Hell had recorded and toured together as Black Sabbath from 1980 to 1982 and from 1991 to 1992. Dio had replaced founding Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and Appice had replaced founding member drummer Bill Ward. The decision to call the group Heaven & Hell was made to differentiate the project.
After “Heaven & Hell” reunited to record three new songs for the 2007 compilation album, “Black Sabbath: The Dio Years”, they embarked on a 2007–2008 tour.
The band released the studio album “The Devil You Know”, containing the single “Bible Black”. The subsequent promotional tour, the Bible Black Tour, spanned from May to August .
The posthumous live album “Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell” was released in November, recorded in Germany at the Wacken Open Air festival on July 2009 Dio had been diagnosed with stomach cancer the band planned further activity following a brief period of rest for the singer. They were slated to tour in support of Iron Maiden in Europe from July to August, but the tour was cancelled due to Dio’s ill health. Dio died from this illness on 16th May 2010 at 67 years old.
The Fat Angel Sings 