SEND TO MOBILE PHONE   

I’m sure those who purchased this album on it’s official release date are much like me. We just wanted the new fucking songs! Yeah, Ronnie is back with Sabbath for the time being for a tour and this collection of highlights (thats up for argument) from the four albums these chaps released together…”Heaven and Hell”, “Mob Rules”, “Live Evil”, and “Dehumanizer”. Check out my previous review (HERE) for a word on those first two milestones of Metal albums.

Before I get to the new tracks let me say that these songs sound amazing. I just listened to heaven and mob last nite on vinyl and I gotta say that this digital remaster did something to these songs…seems to be more weight…a fuller sound…just what kind of fucking tweaking is going on here? No matter, all the tracks sound killer and the track listing is no real surprise although they left out a fav of mine “The Sign of the Southern Cross” from “Mob Rules”, and the absence of “Time Machine” from 1992’s “Dehumanizer” is a bit puzzling since it was by far the most well-known track from that album…maybe thats part of the reason it wasn’t include here, as that album is very underrated.

The 3 tracks included here from that album drive that point home, great stuff that stands up well against the master classics from ten years prior. Only one song is included from “Live Evil” but they picked a mindfukker, the excellent “Children of the Sea”. For me, this live version is even better, more lively, that the studio version from “Heaven and Hell”, Ronnie gives the performance of a lifetime on this song. Alright, the new shit. First up is “The Devil Cried’. Pure vintage all the way. Everything you would expect. A crawling number with massive riffs, thunderous drums/bass and fucking proof that Ronnie James Dio hasn’t lost a thing! This guy is not human.

The next new one “Shadow of the Wind” is not only a killer song but stands up among the best this band has ever written. I’m not kidding…everything about this song is pure mastery. Tony’s guitarwork on this track is both heavy as fuck with a simple main riff that shakes yer insides and also melodic over the chorus, and I’m telling you what, contains one of his best solos to date! The standout yet again though is Ronnie, what a display of vocal genius here, every breath, every word, perfect. The last new song “Ear in the Wall” closes out the album nicely. This one is more upbeat comparable to “Neon Knights” of “The Mob Rules”. Again, nothing negative to report here…and this song has a majestic chorus that makes the hairs stand up. Overall, this is a no-brainer for any Metal or hard rock fan, and I only paid ten bucks for it, so fucking get this already!

As a final note the packaging for this CD was quite surprising, not the cover…its pretty basic (although the embossed slipcase is a nice touch) but what should have been on the cover is on the inside…most of one side of the foldout has awesome original artwork by Wes Benscoter (see above!). I’ve been a fan of his work for many years via the numerous album covers he has done for many Death Metal bands, most noteably for me, MORTICIAN. Who would’ve thunk he’d be doing a major part of the layout of a BLACK SABBATH album? Not I. The other side of the foldout has a lengthy history of the band. Instead of this (which most buying this are already gonna know) I would have liked to see some rare photos. The background of the CD tray does have a cool, old live pic, but the fucking round series of prongs that holds the CD off the surface of the tray nearly completely obscures Ronnie! How could you fuck that up? Despite these minor bitches, this is well worthy of adding to your collection.

Read all of Shane’s Music Reviews in our Music section.