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Black Sabbath
The Dio Years
April 3
Black Sabbath is a seminal metal band, yes, but it's also hosted one of the more storied games of musical chairs in rock history.
Second only to Ozzy Osbourne in helming the band was Ronnie James Dio, who fronted three studio records including Heaven & Hell and Mob Rules in the early 1980s and then Dehumanizer in 1992. Dio's early work with the band, spawning the singles Heaven & Hell, Turn Up the Night and Neon Knights, was his strongest, and it brought the band out of a post-Ozzy commercial slump.
This collection of tracks comes out amid the reunited band's current tour. And while a Dio-era Sabbath greatest-hits record is an unquestionable stretch, the three new songs here make the album interesting.
The Devil Cried is the best of the three, and it highlights Tony Iommi's careening riffs as they collide with Dio's over-the-top — yet still finely formed — vocals. It's hardly classic metal, but it's an A-for-effort outing for these rock geezers pushing 60.
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