 into menacing riffs and consuming visions of hellfire./p
p Guitars set a sinister pulse for Vinny Appice's raw, spine-tingling drums to herald 'Atom and Evil.' These are your final rites, and Dio's condemning tenor bids absolute surrender: 'Expand your mind, we've got a place for you/ Just make believe that one and one are always two.' /p
p Just when 'The Bible Black' enthralls with an innocent, wistful intro worthy of 'Stairway to Heaven,' the facade is torn away, revealing the red-hot obsession boiling beneath. Dio's clarion snarl (think angry Gregorian monk) frames the album's fall from grace, drawing an epic centerpiece of crosses and bones. /p
p From there, Heaven and Hell basks in its own shadow. 'Eating the Cannibals' is a Harley of a track, its engine ripping with a flurry of bass pedal to an 80-mph, traffic-swerving solo from (probable AARP qualifier) Tommy Iommi./p
p Though a few tracks aren't as sinister with the volume cranked low, it's the album's only major sin. Between 'Cannibals' and 'The Bible Black,' Devil bloodies our gums, with fresh material for new and old fans alike. It's their masochistic power to peel back the skin that counts, fueling what will surely be one of this year's biggest metal releases. So do yourself a favor and drown yourself in the distortion./p
p)
4/5
Hide the women and children ‘mdash; Black Sabbath’s back.
They might call themselves Heaven and Hell now, but don’t be fooled by the moniker change: This is Ronny James Dio-era Sabbath. The Devil You Know is a thunderous comeback, descending (as only Sabbath could) into menacing riffs and consuming visions of hellfire.
Guitars set a sinister pulse for Vinny Appice’s raw, spine-tingling drums to herald ‘Atom and Evil.’ These are your final rites, and Dio’s condemning tenor bids absolute surrender: ‘Expand your mind, we’ve got a place for you/ Just make believe that one and one are always two.’
Just when ‘The Bible Black’ enthralls with an innocent, wistful intro worthy of ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ the facade is torn away, revealing the red-hot obsession boiling beneath. Dio’s clarion snarl (think angry Gregorian monk) frames the album’s fall from grace, drawing an epic centerpiece of crosses and bones.
From there, Heaven and Hell basks in its own shadow. ‘Eating the Cannibals’ is a Harley of a track, its engine ripping with a flurry of bass pedal to an 80-mph, traffic-swerving solo from (probable AARP qualifier) Tommy Iommi.
Though a few tracks aren’t as sinister with the volume cranked low, it’s the album’s only major sin. Between ‘Cannibals’ and ‘The Bible Black,’ Devil bloodies our gums, with fresh material for new and old fans alike. It’s their masochistic power to peel back the skin that counts, fueling what will surely be one of this year’s biggest metal releases. So do yourself a favor and drown yourself in the distortion.