Warning: This review is for the Black Sabbath snob. It's been 17 years since Black Sabbath have released a full studio album and even though they may be calling it Heaven & Hell it's not only Black Sabbath to me, but the best version currently available.
The Devil You Know is another display of Iommi as the master of the riff. After 40 years of putting out music, nothing seems to have gone sour. Sure, this album isn't as good as those first 4 or even 8 Sabbath albums, but it is definitely as good Dehumanizer, which was the last studio album released way back in '92. Dio's voice is unstoppable! He may be 120 years old but vocally he doesn't seem to age. My only complaint here is that he can be a bit too theatrical and sometimes covers up those drilling basslines and riffs that are more crucial to the Sabbath sound than vocal proficiency. Highlight songs on the album are the first single 'Bible Black' for being heavy as fuck and 'Eating The Cannibals' for having a killer guitar solo.
Vinny Appice on drums is the only band member to not contribute to writing or producing. He still manages to add his own flair and feels less sluggish than a modern day Bill Ward would. It's interesting because as much as this is an amazing album (could possibly be the album of the year for me), it still is off from being a classic Sabbath album. I consider Mob Rules and Heaven & Hell both classic Sabbath sounding albums, so Dio & Appice aren't the problem here. The problem is the Iommi-riffs that I love so much. They are great, but not 100% Sabbath. It's very reminiscent of Tony Martin-era material, specifically Headless Cross, which I also thought lost a bit of the traditional Sabbath sound. (Note: Tony Martin on Cross Purposes was fuckin' cool). Perhaps the change in band name is represented in the change in sound.
Black Sabbath, Sabbath with Dio, Heaven & Hell, whatever you want to call it, this is a must buy album. If you dont trust me, you can listen to the full album for free here. After you listen and realize how insanely good this is, buy it. The cover art is bad ass, too.
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