Heaven & Hell - Live from Radio City Music Hall

In 2006, the thunderous four-man Sabbath line-up fronted by Ronnie James Dio reformed in the studio to record three new tracks for Rhino’s Black Sabbath: The Dio Years. The chemistry between Dio, Vinny Appice and original Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler was so explosive that they agreed to officially reunite under the group name Heaven And Hell the title of their revered first album and hit the road. Marking the first time the hard rocking quartet had played live together in fifteen years, the launch of the Heaven And Hell tour has unleashed furious sonics and an awesome metal spectacle that’s been ecstatically received by fans. Recorded on March 30, 2007 at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, this extraordinary concert album captures the band bashing through Sabbath’s Dio-era best at a show that sold out in a matter of minutes. Album Description

A true Black Sabbath Dio-era reunion here despite it being under a different moniker

The rock band Heaven and Hell (better known as the Ronnie James Dio fronted incarnation of Black Sabbath as not to confuse some people of who Black Sabbath consisted of after the original lineup got inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006) released the second Dio-led Sabbath lineup's double live album entitled Live at Radio City Music Hall 2007 in August of 2007 in time for their fall US Tour which had Queensryche and Alice Cooper on the bill.
If you Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward poseur fans thought singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice were absolutely nothing without Ozzy (who admittedly is a caricature of himself these days), just one listen to this double album and it will erase that thought very quickly as Iommi and Butler were the sound of Sabbath.
The album (and its off-shoot DVD) was recorded at Radio City Music Hall in March of 2007 just as the recently reunited early 1980s incarnation of Sabbath were about to release its best of called The Dio Years. After not playing together for 15 years, would either the reunion work or should have they stopped in 1992, read on and find out as I did when I bought the album last year.
We open with the eerie "E5150" which segues into the Dehumanizer track "After All The Dead" and you know Sabbath/Heaven and Hell means business and rock out. Next is "The Mob Rules"* where Dio unleashes an unearthly scream and a barnhouse version of the track follows. Other classics from the Dio era Sabbath albums that are given a fresh live spin on this album are "Children of the Sea"*, "Lady Evil", "I", "The Sign of the Southern Cross"*, "Voodoo"*, "Computer God", "Die Young", "Heaven and Hell"* (in a killer extended version), "Lonely Is the Word" and "Neon Knights"* and they all rock as hard, if not better than the versions on either of the band's three studio efforts or those tracks marked with a * that were also on the band's first live album together, 1982's Live Evil.
Also, two of the three tracks that appeared on The Dio Years best of released earlier in 2007 which are "The Devil Cried" (with Vinny Appice's killer drum solo) and "Shadow Of The Wind" are great pieces that are tasters for the upcoming reunion studio album of this great band which is due in 2009.
Myself having seen this tour in September 9, 2007 outside Boston, this live album is recommended! July 24, 2008

vintage rock and roll ...alive and kicking

excellent live performance form the historical members of BLACK SABBATH...just riding the metal-tiger still after all those years: the schedule of the live act is strongly based on "the mob rules" and "heaven and hell" sabbath's albums...and the atmosphere is just the dark and bluesy heavy underworld that Iommi and Dio gave us so many years ago

good production, satisfying level of "live feeling", a very METALLIC looking package...very very well! just a little complaint for the voice of Ronnie James on the mike...still rocks but hey, time has no mercy for no-one...KEEP ROCKING! February 29, 2008

Must have

For me this is the best line-up as Black Sabbath. I know it's this called "Heaven and Hell" which I think is a better name for this line up. Anyway this CD really rocks. Especially where it counts. Tony Iommi guitar playing is phenomenal. There is not a bad song performance on this entire CD. Ronnie James Dio vocals push through with strength & vision. I highly recommend the DVD too! February 13, 2008

A Great Set!

So a bunch of guys from Black Sabbath get together and tour playing Sabbath material and release a live album...great, another Sa...what? Heaven & Hell? Eh, Sabbath have earned the right to do whatever the Hell they want, so if they want to tour as Heaven & Hell, it's no skin off my back.

Anyway, the album itself is pretty damned good! A lot of live Sabbath, without the cringe worthy moments that have been known to happen when Dio covers Ozzy Osbourne era songs. It's Dio era Sabbath, playing Dio era Sabbath...can't ask for more, can you? And they do hit a lot of great tracks (not bad, considering they've only three albums of material form which to choose). This is really just a great live album. Dio still has it, Iommi still has it, Geezer still has it...good stuff! February 2, 2008

great, but not perfect

Almost two hours of live material from the newly reunited Dio-era lineup of Sabbath. The sound quality is great. The classics are there, as well as some new ones. However, they extended some songs to the point of dragging on a bit too much. For example, the song "Heaven & Hell" goes on for 15 minutes. Sure, it's good to hear soloing, but bogging each song down with solos gets repetitive after a while. Aside from that, no real gripes. A great addition to any metal collection. January 12, 2008

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