Heaven And Hell : Deluxe Edition ［JEWEL］

1969年のバンド結成以来、ギタリストTony Iommiを中心にへヴィ・メタルのオリジネーターとして活躍を続けるBlack Sabbath。Richie BlackmoreのRainbowを離れたRonnie James Dioを新ヴォーカルに迎え、新たな境地を開いた1980年アルバム『Heaven & Hell』。2010年にリリースされた2枚組デラックス・エディションのジュエル・ケース仕様が登場。ラインアップはTony Iommi (g)、Geezer Butler (b)、Bill Ward (ds)。Geoff Nicholls (key)がサポート。

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|