The name on the cover says Heaven & Hell, but don’t pay any attention to that—this is a Black Sabbath album, the first with the Ronnie James Dio-led lineup since 1992’s Dehumanizer. Respect for original frontman Ozzy Osbourne (or fear of his wife’s wrath) pushed Dio, drummer Vinny Appice and original Sabbath members Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) to adopt a new name, but The Devil You Know is in every way a continuation of the music they were making in the early 1980s after Osbourne left the group.
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As such, it doesn’t quite measure up to classic albums Heaven & Hell (from which the band takes its new name) and Mob Rules, although it’s more consistent than the spotty Dehumanizer. Even approaching 70 (!), Dio still sounds menacing singing about his typical subject matter (evil, Satan, despair, etc.), and Iommi’s riff-writing prowess has only slightly diminished over the decades. Songs like “Fear” and “Follow the Tears” could easily teach metal bands half (or even a third) the age of these guys how things are done.
Sure, the ferocity has dimmed a little, and the songs all tread familiar ground (some for a bit longer than necessary). But Devil feels more vibrant than the band’s frustratingly unproductive reunion with Osbourne, and makes the first case in years for the value of continuing Black Sabbath—whatever they want to call it.
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