Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

Many had left Black Sabbath for dead at the dawn of the '80s, and with good reason -- the band's last few albums were not even close to their early classics, and original singer Ozzy Osbourne had just split from the band. But the Sabs had found a worthy replacement in former Elf and Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio, and bounced back to issue their finest album since the early '70s, 1980's Heaven and Hell. The band sounds reborn and re-energized throughout. Several tracks easily rank among Sabbath's all-time best, such as the vicious album opener, "Neon Knights," the moody, mid-paced epic "Children of the Sea," and the title track, which features one of Tony Iommi 's best guitar riffs. With Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath were obviously back in business. Unfortunately, the Dio-led version of the band would only record one more studio album before splitting up (although Dio would return briefly in the early '90s). One of Sabbath's finest records. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Name Credits Bill Ward Arranger, Drums, Vocals Billy Ward Drums, Arranger Chris Walter Photography Dan Hersch Remastering Dave Ling Liner Notes Dio Arranger Geezer Butler Bass, Arranger Geoff Nicholls Keyboards, Keyboards Hugh Gilmour Reissue Design, Original Sleeve Design, Liner Notes Joe Halbardier Project Assistant Kris Ahrend Project Assistant Lynn Curlee Artwork, Cover Illustration Martin Birch Producer, Engineer Masaki Koike Art Direction Mason Williams A&R Richard Seireeni Art Direction Ronnie James Dio Vocals Ross Halfin Photography Sheryl Farber Editorial Supervision Steve Woolard Project Assistant Tony Iommi Guitar, Arranger