The Devil You Know

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While Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler form the nucleus of Black Sabbath, the band takes on a very different identity with singer Ronnie James Dio chartering the melodies and drummer Vinny Appice setting the rhythms. The name change to Heaven and Hell makes a certain amount of sense. The grungy, repetitive riffs the band excelled with under singer Ozzy Osbourne are replaced with more traditional, epic heavy metal fare. These fellas wrote the book on hard rock, so if they’re borrowing from anyone for the grunting riffs behind “Double the Pain” or “Bible Black,” it’s themselves. Most tunes head for the five to six minute mark to make their impression. The time is used to build the drama, throw in an extra guitar solo, and nail down a final chorus. The copyright may say 2009, but tunes such as “Rock and Roll Angel,” “Eating the Cannibals,” and “Breaking Into Heaven” could’ve been birthed three decades ago when these folks first got together. Classic hard rock moves at every turn.

via Apple Music