The 1980's is probably my least favorite decade of the rock n' roll era. Finding a favorite album from this decade took a lot of thought. I came to the conclusion that I enjoy Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell album the most, just a hair more than Apitite For Destruction. First off, Angels smoking for an album cover is spectular, so good that Van Halen ripped it off a few years later. The thing that hits me the most as I listen to this album is the energy. I know it is a hard rock album, but I can't help but feel that the band is rejuvenated here. The main reason for that is the great Ronnie James Dio. He is the prototypical voice of rocking hard. Another influence that I have not heard but is probably there is the growing punk and new wave of British heavy metal that was bubbling up at the time. The band could not rest on past accomplishments with hot new bands ready to take their place.
The album starts out with the roaring "Neon Nights," a song that sounds like it was shot out of a cannon. This is the latter day Black Sabbath's version of "Paranoid." Yeah, the fantasy lyrics can become a bit much from time to time, but I do like to be transported to an alternate universe from time to time. "Children of the Sea" is more like an old Sabbath tune as it moves slowly but with power. It could not be a Sabbath album without it really. "Lady Evil" starts out with an interesting moving bass line which I really like. No hard rock album should ever keep the bass in the back of the mix. "Heaven and Hell" is the obvious centerpiece of the album and it is an all time rock epic. Just the name "Heaven and Hell" is cool as hell. My favorite song on the album is "Die Young." When the song get moving in the middle and end, it is a real burner.
It is a shame that Dio and Black Sabbath only created three albums together. I think this album stands up to Sabbath's best work with Ozzy Osbourne. They could have rocked with the best metal bands of the 80's like Metallica and Iron Maiden among others.
Monday, January 18, 2010
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