Having cut three weighty albums in partnership with erstwhile Deep Purple axeman Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1978, Ronnie James Dio of Elf and Rainbow fame would be given the unenviable task of replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. Osbourne's final Sabbath studio efforts, 'Technical Ecstacy' (1976) and 'Never Say Die!' (1978), were lacklustre at best, and Sabbath's demise seemed on the cards. Little did anyone know, the next chapter in Sabbath's career would be arguably as glorious, and further contribute to the band's legacy. To celebrate that chapter, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, Universal Music has opted to reissue 'Heaven and Hell' (1980), 'Mob Rules' (1981) and 'Live Evil' (1982) in deluxe, expanded editions. By now, each and every metalhead worth his or her salt should be familiar with the tracks that adorn each release, but nonetheless, let's go through the formality of refreshing the memory about each.
'Heaven and Hell': Not missing a beat, "Neon Knights" chugs along at a quick, authorative pace. Exploiting fantasy-themed lyrics, Dio's lyric writing meant bassist Geezer Butler could concentrate on the musical aspects of Sabbath, so gone were the wartorn dirges ("War Pigs", "Children of the Grave") and foreboding ("Black Sabbath") prevalent on earlier Sabbath fare. However, it's on "Children of the Sea", the first track penned with Dio, where Dio flexes his vocal range for the first occasion upon Sabbath material. All these years, this vindicates Sabbath's choice back then; as opposed to searching for an inferior Ozzy clone, the band chose someone with an equally distinctive voice in his own inimitable way, but one with a superior vocal range. With all due respect to Ozzy, he could never stretch and elongate the vocal notes in the casual, potent way that Dio does.
"Lady Evil" is a mid-paced stomper, and arrives before Dio's magnum opus: "Heaven and Hell". An epic number spanning almost seven minutes, the music largely takes a backseat during the verses yet moves along just quick enough to move the composition along, letting Dio flourish. Charging forward towards its conclusion, an acoustic guitar does the honour of winding down the number. Despite not straying from a given formula, "Wishing Well" is by no means a mediocre cut. "Die Young" has a slow, ethereal opening, largely in part due to keyboardist Geoff Nicholls which re-emerge during certain sections of the song, but then ties with opener "Neon Knights" as being among the faster album tracks. "Walk Away" and "Lonely Is the Word" fail to end 'Heaven and Hell' on an extremely high note, but they don't end the album on a low note either. Bonus content on the second disc mainly consists of live tracks recorded in Hartford, Connecticut during 1980, with a mono edit of "Lady Evil" completing the track listing. Truth be told, none are so astounding as to be deemed essential, but will be greeted with a warm welcome by Sabbath completists.
'Mob Rules': Having a blueprint which could be relied upon, 'Mob Rules' comes hot on its predecessor's heels. The pacier, sprinting opener established by "Neon Knights" is continued by "Turn Up the Night". "Voodoo"'s underpinning riff has a cool, cocksure swagger that's difficult to resist, a riff amongst many that shows why guitarist Tony Iommi is deemed the premiere riff-master. Of course, Dio's vocals shine respendently when able to work in partnership with riffs of this calibre. A slow, plodding epic, "The Sign of the Southern Cross" gathers momentum throughout its tenure. Slower cuts like this greater exhibit Sabbath's doomier side, and Dio's ability to handle tracks of all sizes and proportions. An instrumental interlude, "E5150" serves its purpose, its purpose being to build anticipation for the title track, "The Mob Rules". A stalwart of a number, it's arguably the greatest of Sabbath's faster numbers in the Dio era catalogue.
However, the four tracks which conclude 'Mob Rules' aren't anything remarkable. Albeit not awful, they do nothing much to stand out amongst the pack, going as far as to suggest that Sabbath should've spent extra time in authoring material for the album. Each respective musician is still at their greatest on these songs, but the strength of the compositions is woefully absent on those four songs. Two bonus cuts immediately follow, them being a live rendition of "Die Young" and a demo version of "The Mob Rules".
It's 'Mob Rules'' deluxe second disc that vindicates this re-release, that disc being 'Live at Hammersmith Odeon', something that was originally available from Rhino Handmade in limited quantities - five thousand to be exact. Those who bought that might feel let down in hindsight, but those who couldn't get their hands on a copy will likely feel quite happy indeed. Those who've witnessed Dio, Iommi and co. perform live will attest to the tight musicianship exhibited by the band, and particularly Dio's vocals not wavering live and living up to their studio accomplishments. While Dio executes vocals on Ozzy era Sabbath tracks with convincing aplomb, it's great that the band has opted not to perform Ozzy era tracks in their Heaven & Hell incarnation. Dio supporters will correctly point to Dio's wider range, but only one man can actually give Ozzy era tracks proper, genuine justice, and that's Ozzy himself. Dio might be the only person who can definitively sing "Heaven and Hell", but the same can be said for Ozzy when it comes to "Iron Man" and the like. That isn't to say Dio does a subpar job, though, because he does a decent job nonetheless.
'Live Evil': Unfortunately, 'Live Evil' is what makes 'Live at Hammersmith' particularly special, and nothing validates this more than listening to both back to back. Sabbath lore has long documented the furore that occurred during the mixing stage for 'Live Evil', leading to the departures of Dio and drummer Vinny Appice. 'Live Evil' is the victim of too much mixing work in the studio, and is an album a gifted mixer needs to revisit. Armed with the master tapes which existed prior to the excessive mixing, and might still do in a vault somewhere, 'Live Evil' could probably actually match 'Live at Hammersmith'. With this deluxe, expanded edition, crowd noise as well as Dio's interaction with the audience have been restored.
Each reissue sports extensive liner notes that recall each period in question, the record company having chosen experienced hands to undertake that task; Dave Ling ('Heaven and Hell'), Bryan Reesman ('Mob Rules'), and Steffan Chirazi ('Live Evil'). Using their way with words as well as interviews with those involved, the journalists transport you back to that time - have you never read a Black Sabbath biography that touches on the outfit's Dio years, perhaps now is the time.
Those who've yet to make essential metal album purchases in 'Heaven and Hell' and 'The Mob Rules' should opt towards these deluxe editions, particularly in the case of 'The Mob Rules'. Irrespective of whether they're in regular or deluxe format, these two genre mainstays are a rollercoaster listen overall and are required listening. The vocals of Dio paired against the riffery of Iommi as well as the songwriting process of both bassist Geezer Butler and Iommi is a powerhouse team by anyone's standards, especially at their best as is the case on those two albums. As for 'Live Evil', merely buy if you're a Sabbath completist, and / or 'Live at Hammersmith' has quenched your thirst for more live Sabbath.
Reviewed by Robert Gray
