The Devil You Know (Heaven & Hell album)
| The Devil You Know | ||||
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| Studio album by Heaven & Hell | ||||
| Released | April 28, 2009[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2008 in Rockfield Sudios, Wales | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, doom metal | |||
| Length | 53:31 | |||
| Label | Rhino, Roadrunner (Europe) | |||
| Producer | Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler Additional production by Mike Exeter |
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| Heaven & Hell chronology | ||||
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| Alternative Cover | ||||
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The Devil You Know[1] is the only studio album from heavy metal band Heaven & Hell released under the band name "Heaven & Hell"; the members had previously recorded as a group in an earlier line-up of Black Sabbath.[2] The Devil You Know was Ronnie James Dio's final studio appearance prior to his death in May 2010.
The album's US import was released in Japan on April 24, 2009, four days earlier than its original due date of April 28. The Japan domestic pressing which is a SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) was released on April 27. Produced by the band and sound engineer Mike Exeter.[3]
The Devil You Know reached the top 10 in its first week of release, debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 30,000 copies sold.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Conception
In 2006 the Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath line-up recorded three new tracks, "The Devil Cried", "Shadow of the Wind", and "Ear in the Wall" for an upcoming greatest hits package entitled Black Sabbath: The Dio Years. Guitarist Tony Iommi said that the tracks were created because he felt there was nothing worthwhile releasing in the vaults from the Dio-era studio recordings and so these new songs were written and recorded. The song "The Devil Cried" was released as a promotional single for the release.[5][6] Initially Dio commented that after the recording of those songs, he expected to leave the band and return to Dio and that another "Sabbath album" was "the last thing on my mind".[6] Iommi commented that Heaven & Hell agreed on an album whilst the band was in Japan on their 2007 tour.[7] The band started work on the album before and after the Metal Masters Tour in Dio and Iommi's houses respectively.[3] Each member submitted CDs of material for the project.[3] Iommi has described the work so far as being "really good, pretty powerful".[8]
[edit] Title and art
The album artwork is adapted from a painting by Per Øyvind Haagensen entitled Satan.[9] The artwork features the numbers 25 and 41.[10] Geezer Butler stated in an interview that the numbers refer to the Bible verse Matthew 25:41, which deals with the Last Judgment where "those who sit at the left side of God are cast down into Hell".[11] He also has explained that the name of the album is a reference to the name of the band, as fans know them as Black Sabbath.[12] When finalizing the cover art, the band narrowed it down to their two favorites but had a difficult time making a final decision. The second of those two favorites prominently features the traditional Black Sabbath devil logo. That alternative cover is available exclusively at Wal-Mart within the United States.[13]
[edit] Critical reception
Initial reviews of the album have been very positive. Allmusic described the album as being like Black Sabbath's Paranoid in matching its moment.[14] However, it goes on to note that Heaven & Hell expresses a "very different side of their musical personalities" than Black Sabbath, and that the differing band name is suitable.[14] Metal Hammer described the album as "one of the heavy releases of the year".[15] Martin Popoff rated the album as better than Dehumanizer, but not as good as Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules.[16] He described Dio's vocals being delivered with "thespian enunciation" and "passion".[16]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Blabbermouth.net |    link |
| Sputnik Music | link |
| IGN | (7.9/10) link |
| Metal Hammer | [17] |
| Hard Rock Hideout | link |
Music review blog Gears of Rock said the album is "purely sinister, an instant classic, that melts your face with gloomy rhetoric and riffs of impending doom."[18][unreliable source?] The album currently holds a score of 63 at the aggregate review site, MetaCritic.[19] Metal-Rules.com named this album the best metal album of 2009.[20]
[edit] Touring
Heaven & Hell embarked on a second international tour (after their 2007 tour) in support of The Devil You Know. The band's first scheduled date was in Bogota on May 5, 2009.[21] They were supported by progressive rock acts Coheed and Cambria and The Mars Volta on North America for a select number of shows in August 2009.[22]
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Atom and Evil" | 5:15 |
| 2. | "Fear" | 4:48 |
| 3. | "Bible Black" | 6:29 |
| 4. | "Double the Pain" | 5:25 |
| 5. | "Rock and Roll Angel" | 6:02 |
| 6. | "The Turn of the Screw" | 5:02 |
| 7. | "Eating the Cannibals" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Follow the Tears" | 6:12 |
| 9. | "Neverwhere" | 4:35 |
| 10. | "Breaking into Heaven" | 6:53 |
| iTunes exclusive bonus tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 11. | "I" (live) | 6:30 | |||||||
| 12. | "Die Young" (live; lyrics by Dio; music composed by Dio, Iommi, Butler, Bill Ward) | 6:46 | |||||||
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums Chart | 5[23] |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 8[24] |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 15[25] |
| German Albums Chart | 17[26] |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 37[27] |
| French Albums Chart | 53[28] |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 84[citation needed] |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 31[29] |
| Polish Albums Chart | 20[30] |
| UK Albums Chart | 21[31] |
| USA Albums Chart | 8[32] |
[edit] Personnel
- Heaven & Hell
- Ronnie James Dio – vocals, keyboards
- Tony Iommi – guitar
- Geezer Butler – bass guitar
- Vinny Appice – drums, percussion
- Production
- Produced by Dio, Iommi, and Butler, with additional production by Mike Exeter
- Recorded by Mike Exeter
- Mixing and additional recording by Wyn Davis, assisted by Mike Sutherland and Adam Arnold
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen
- Art direction and design by Masaki Koike
- Cover illustration by Per Øyvind Haagensen
- Photograph by Chapman Baehler
- Etchings by Johann Koch
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (2009-02-10). "Heaven & Hell Feeling Devilish On New Album". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003940100. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher. "AMG Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p916527. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ a b c "Heaven And Hell: Classic Rock Hears Their New Songs". Classic Rock. 2009-01-06. http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/heaven-and-hell-announce-album-details/. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ "Heaven & Hell's 'The Devil You Know' Lands in U.S. Top 10". Blabbermouth.net (Roadrunner Records). May 6, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=119520. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
- ^ Wickstrand, Philip. "HEAVEN AND HELL". http://www.metaleater.com/interviews-heavenandhell022007.php. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ a b Bennett, J. (2007-06-27). "RONNIE JAMES DIO: 'The Last Thing On My Mind Is Doing Another BLACK SABBATH Album'". blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=75635. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ "TONY IOMMI 'Putting Riff Ideas Together' For HEAVEN AND HELL Album". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-01-28. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89439. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ "Heaven & Hell 'Six Or Seven' Songs Into New CD". Billboard. 2008-07-25. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003831992. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ Haagensen, Per. "Art by Per". Per Haagensen's official site. http://www.artbyper.com/gallery_satan1.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-30.[dead link]
- ^ "Heaven and Hell artwork revealed". Rock Radio. http://www.rockradio.co.uk/rock-news/heaven-and-hell-artwork-revealed/krqpcbn4/. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ "HEAVEN & HELL's GEEZER BUTLER Discusses 'The Devil You Know'". blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=118460. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ "HEAVEN & HELL: New Audio Interview With RONNIE JAMES DIO, GEEZER BUTLER Available - Mar. 27, 2009". blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=117024. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ "Black Sabbath news". http://www.black-sabbath.com/news/index.html. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
- ^ a b Freeman, Phil. "The Devil You Know - Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1538717. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ "Track-By-Track: Heaven And Hell - The Devil You Know". Metal Hammer. 2009-03-30. http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/track-by-track-heaven-and-hell-the-devil-you-know/. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin. "Hardwares". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. http://www.bravewords.com/hardwares/1001451. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
- ^ Lawson, Dom (June 2009). The Devil You Know Review. Metal Hammer. pp. page 87.
- ^ 'Gears of Rock [1]'
- ^ 'MetaCritic [2]'
- ^ 'Metal-Rules.com [3]'
- ^ "Tour schedule and concert dates". Heaven & Hell official site. http://www.heavenandhelllive.com/index.cfm?pk=viewall&cd=MAE&pid=402470. Retrieved 2009-03-30.[dead link]
- ^ "Heaven & Hell Official North American Tour Dates Confirmed". KNAC. 4 May 2009. http://knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=6966. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
- ^ Suomen virallinen lista
- ^ Swedish Albums Chart
- ^ Norwegian Albums Chart
- ^ Deustch Albums Chart
- ^ Austrian Albums Chart
- ^ Disque en France
- ^ Swiss Albums Chart
- ^ Polish Albums Chart
- ^ "Chart stats:Heaven & Hell". http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=12293. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ "Discography - Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?JSESSIONID=LYnXKFKJJNbnyqybdP0z5XLjGYZYRy0VQpnJWv42c0glCYgKfm3p!-45752739&aid=1246116&pid=866009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.[dead link]
[edit] External links
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