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A few obviously rhetorical statements to begin, then. First of all, no matter what the dictates or mandates of Sharon Osbourne and the sheepish concessions of other interested parties might be, this is a fucking Black Sabbath album. I’ve got a good mind, in fact, to refer to the band as such throughout the body of this review but, Sharon would probably sue me. Kidding. Secondly, to say that this record is highly awaited is a vast understatement, considering that the fervor applied to Dehumanizer and its eleven-year gap behind Mob Rules pales in comparison to this record’s seventeen-year interval. But enough about context and history: how’s the record? Pretty damned excellent, actually, slotting somewhere between the sometimes knee-dragging ennui of Dehumanizer and the euphoric NWOBHM contemporaneity of the first two.
Coming off the heels of three superlative new tracks from the Dio Years compilation of two years prior, The Devil You Know hits hard and fast – well, slow to mid-paced – with stompers like “Atom and Evil,” “Bible Black” and “Double the Pain.” “Rock and Roll Angel” salvages a piss-poor opening riff and mawkish chorus with one of the best guitar solos in toto, and the record’s back end includes some of the lustiest tracks here, such as “Eating the Cannibals” and ”Neverwhere.” Conversely, I can easily prophesy that doom metal bands yet to be born will look to the likes of “Follow the Tears” and “Breaking into Heaven” as both musical cues and viable namesakes as those of erstwhile generations did with “Iron Man” and Master of Reality. All personae sound at or near their best, with special credit due to Geezer’s bass popping out of a uniformly brilliant mix, though Vinny’s playing isn’t nearly as tricky as his work elsewhere. Marginally disappointing, but he’s still one of the most intuitive drummers out there. Dio, of course, sounds as great as ever, his innate sense of theatricality imbued with wisdom, tonal control and good taste.
In summation: formulaic as the best forty-year-old bands have earned the right to be, The Devil You Know (cheeky title, then?) reasserts Heaven and Hell’s continual validity alongside and perhaps atop its more famous incarnation and yet again poses the familiar win-win dilemma: will the follow-up be next year or in 2021?
| Tracklist |
| 1. Atom and Evil |
| 2. Fear |
| 3. Bible Black |
| 4. Double the Pain |
| 5. Rock and Roll Angel |
| 6. The Turn of the Screw |
| 7. Eating the Cannibals |
| 8. Follow the Tears |
| 9. Neverwhere |
| 10. Breaking into Heaven |
: 53:54
| Buy other Heaven And Hell albums |
