Heaven And Hell

2004年にリリースされたリマスター・シリーズ!
オジー・オズボーンの脱退に伴い、後任にエルフやレインボーで活躍したロニー・ジェイムス・ディオが加入し制作された9thアルバム。(1980年作品)
全英9位/全米28位
代表曲「ネオンの騎士」、「Die Young」収録

オジー・オズボーン脱退後に元レインボーのヴォーカリスト、ロニー・ジェイムス・ディオが新たにヴォーカリストとして加入し、これまでにない方向性を提示した1980年リリースの名盤。従来のダークでブルージーな世界とディオの中世的様式美センスが見事に融合、ヘヴィーメタルの新しい形を作ったといっても過言ではない傑作。

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|