Disco de Black Sabbath: “The Dio Years”

Personally, I have never been a fan of the Dio-led Black Sabbath. I'm sorry, but I've always considered Sabbath without Ozzy to not be Sabbath at all, and considering I've never been much of a Dio fan either (solo or Rainbow) that didn't really help any. However, once upon a time, I gave Dio and Sabbath a chance, and ended up converting. "The Dio Years" compiles some of the best material to come from Dio's time with Sabbath after Ozzy's departure, including favorites and no brainers like "Neon Knights", "Heaven & Hell", "Die Young", "The Mob Rules", and a live rendition of "Children of the Sea". There are also three new tracks that are worth the price of admission alone: "The Devil Cried", "Shadow of the Wind", and "Ear in the Wall". This is one of those oh so rare cases when a compilation album is released with some new material, and the new material is actually pretty good. While one could argue that a few other tracks would have been more than welcome here (like "Time Machine"), "The Dio Years" is a pleasently surprising, well assembled compilation disc that fans of Dio or Sabbath, new and old alike, should definitely check out.

THE BAND: Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitars), Geezer Butler (bass), Geoff Nichols (keyboards), Bill Ward (drums on songs from "Heaven And Hell" only), Vinny Appice (drums on all other tracks).

THE DISC: (2007) 16 tracks clocking in at approximately 79 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page foldout containing song titles/credits, band members, what songs came from which albums, and a brief history/interview of the band during the Dio years. This release covers material from 1980-1992, and includes 3 new songs recorded in 2006/7. Digitally remastered sound. Label - Warner Bros / Rhino.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Heaven And Hell (5 songs), Mob Rules (4), Dehumanizer (3), Live Evil (1), Unreleased (3).

COMMENTS: After Rhino and Warner Bros put out "Symptom Of The Universe" (2002) covering the Ozzy years, I figured they had to do something with the Dio material. Thankfully I wasn't holding my breath... because 5 years later in '07, here it is finally. Another welcome addition would be to give us fans another Black Sabbath compilation covering the best of the Tony Martin era ("The Eternal Idol", "Headless Cross", "TYR", and "Cross Purposes")... that would make the trilogy complete. Dio's material with Sabbath was always strong, and somehow I picture Ronnie James Dio with Sabbath much longer than only 3 albums worth. Dio just seemed to be a great fixture in the band and at the time - the perfect replacement for Ozzy. Being an old school rocker from the 70's, I often wondered if anyone could replace Ozzy Osbourne... and Dio took it on and ended up doing an amazing job. Dio produced two classic albums with Sabbath in "Heaven And Hell" (1980) and "Mob Rules" (1981), followed by a good album over ten years later with "Dehumanizer" (1992). As for the songs on this release - most are well chosen, but there are some interesting inclusions and odd omissions. The staples are here - "Heaven And Hell", "Neon Knights", "Lady Evil", "Turn Up The Night", "The Mob Rules", "Voodoo", "TV Crimes", etc. "Heaven And Hell" has 5 of the album's 8 songs included here (and rightfully so)... the only track missing is "Children Of The Sea" (however, they make up for it by including the 'live" version with track 13). "Die Young " and "Lonely Is The Word" are good songs, but by no means classic. There are 4 songs taken from "Mob Rules", and the only questionable inclusion here is "Falling Off The Edge Of The World". Again, a good song... but, one of Dio's best songs in his catalog - "The Sign Of The Southern Cross" - absolutely needed to be here. The real question comes with "Dehumanizer". My 3 favorite songs here were also the most played from the album - "Time Machine", "Computer God" and "Master Of Insanity"... all strangely absent ("Time Machine" is the other song that needed to be here). While I miss all these omitted songs, this "Dio Years" disc is still a decent mix of songs from the era. The 3 new tracks are good (not instant classics, but still good) - one slow, one mid-tempo, and one fast... for me "Ear In The Wall" stands out. As with ALL compilations - the song selection will not be perfect. I honestly think to many reviewers here are knit-picking this release. "The Dio Years" is a nice package - a full disc of music, crisp sound, a lot of classic material, and for the most part good song selection. (4 stars).

Ah, the almighty Black Sabbath: originators of the heavy metal art form. There is simply no metal band on the planet that is better or more historically significant to the evolution of rock 'n roll as we know it. Originally formed in 1968 and taking on the name of the

that inspired them to take a darker approach to their musical stylings, Sabbath brought gloom and doom, shock and awe, and the heaviest sound ever heard by human ears to the masses during their

as their frontman. When Ozzy was fired in 1979, they lost perhaps the greatest frontman ever. Where to go from there?

had made a name for himself in bands like

and with classic rock giants

thanks to his unique vocal delivery and penchant for lyrics about the fantastic and supernatural. His voice is now considered the definitive standard of the metal genre, copied by everyone from

to

. As if that doesn't cement his legacy, he is also the original giver of the most iconic of metal gestures, The Horns. Add that together with the unbelievable talents of guitarist

, bassist

, and the massive drums of Bill Ward and you've got a true clash of the titans on your hands.

"The Dio Years" collects the best of Black Sabbath's output from the few years they played together and adds three newly-recorded tracks that prove that no member of this band has lost anything between 1982 and now, though Ward has had to bow out due to health issues. "The Devil Cried" is an amusing tale of the damned in Hell holding a contest to see who's story could make Satan weep for them. What could be so awful that the source of all evil would pity you? Let's just say that it's the best break-up song ever and leave it at that. "Heaven and Hell" is their best-revered classic from this era and with good reason. "The Mob Rules" was prominently featured in the 80's animation classic

and still rocks like a mutha. As if all of this wasn't intimidating enough for aspiring metal bands, songs like "Falling off the Edge of the World" and "Children of the Sea" are epic enough to make any legendary band jealous. My personal favorites have to be "Turn Up the Night" with it's trilling and thrilling guitar solos and the impending-doom dirge of "After All". Here's the opening lines:

"What do you say to the dead

Will you forgive me for living

Can't believe the

things that they said

Wonderful day for a killing"

The music for this is amazingly dark, even more so than the words.

"I" is among my personal anthems; an a$zicking thrasher celebrating the power of individuality and force of will.

"I am anger under pressure

Lost it cages, a prisoner

The first to escape

I am wicked

I am legion

Strength in numbers, a lie

The number is one."

If that doesn't pump you up, nothing will. There is not a bad song on this album or any other Sabbath CD that I've heard.

Tony Iommi is one of my all-time favorite guitarists. Nobody is even in the same room as him when it comes to proficiency with writing dark, powerful, and memorable riffs that can be played and enjoyed by anyone. His guitar tone is instantly recognizable and is the absolute sound of electric doom with solos that will melt your face if you are not careful. Iommi may not have the flawless virtuoso technique of an Yngwie Malmsteen or a Steve Vai, but considering he's missing the tips of two of the fingers on his fretting hand, I think we can cut him some slack there. Besides, how many Malmsteen riffs can you really bang your head to? Nobody touches Iommi in that department. Geezer Butler is right behind The Who's John Entwhistle (RIP) in terms of sheer finger-picking ability on the bass guitar. Amazing musician. Bill Ward was more of a percussionist than a standard time-keeping classic rock drummer. His power and rhythmic embellishments help set the tone for many a classic. With Dio's classic vocals, stage presence, and dark fantasy and occult-inspired lyrics, these guys were a perfect storm of metal brilliance together.

"The Dio Years" is a great album for any fan of rock music, new to the art form or old-school to the bone. Black Sabbath is the greatest metal band of all time and whether fronted by a legend like Ozzy or a legend like Dio the result was always amazing music that delved deep into the underworld where few bands of the time dared go. The three new songs are as good as the thirteen old ones and I can't wait for the rumored new studio album. Either fearing the wrath of one Sharon Osbourne (DIE!) or wishing to be freed of expectations, the band has taken on the name "Heaven and Hell" and toured together the past few years. If you're looking to add some serious gloom, doom, and boom to your Halloween playlist then look no further. This is top-shelf hard rock/heavy metal music no matter what your standard.

I don't typically buy, review, or recommend compilations. I got this one (released April 2007) because of the three new tracks. I normally don't do that, either (usually the new tracks they put on compilations are of b-side quality at best) but Dio-era Sabbath is a special exception for me. I wasn't disappointed; the new songs are great. "Ear In The Wall" is the standout.

I'm not sure who picked the older songs for this, but they weren't using their ears. For starters WHERE is "Sign Of The Southern Cross"??? This isn't just a personal favorite of mine; most Dio and Sabbath fans I know consider that one special and in fact the band is playing it on their current reunion tour. Granted that it's a long song but I would have happily given up both "Turn Up The Night" and "Lady Evil" for it. It seems bizarre to me that those two songs were included here, to be honest. Neither is bad, but neither is greatest hits material either. I was also rather shocked by the under-representation of the Dehumanizer album. Three songs is not nearly enough. There are six songs here from Heaven And Hell, four from Mob Rules, and three from Dehumanizer. NOT well-balanced. I would have preferred to see four from each album (remember they'd have to have one song less in order to include "Sign Of The Southern Cross). Perhaps this: "Neon Knights", "Heaven And Hell", "Die Young", and "Children Of The Sea" from Heaven And Hell; "The Mob Rules", "Voodoo", "Sign Of The Southern Cross", and "Falling Off The Edge Of The World" from Mob Rules; and "After All (The Dead)", "TV Crimes", "I", and "Computer God" from Dehumanizer. This would be much more representative of this lineup's total recorded output.

My recommendation is this; download the new tracks (legally!!!) and buy the albums individually. There are only three of them and they are all great metal masterpieces so you really can't go wrong.

Like many who have reviewed this album, I think the absence of The Sign of the Southern Cross is a serious flaw in an otherwise respectable collection. That said, this is still a good compilation for anyone getting acquainted with the Dio led version of Black Sabbath, and perhaps that omission is meant to encourage a newcomer to seek out what's missing. It is, after all, called The Dio Years, not The Best of the Dio Years. In any case the only reason for a serious fan to own this instead of the individual albums from which most of the tracks are culled, is for the three new songs at the end. They aren't necessarily for completists only, but I don't think these songs offer much in the way of new ground or a fresh start. After this many years the Iommi/Dio approach is pretty well cemented, so the new songs fit comfortably with material written decades ago. Only a noticeable improvement in sound quality distinguishes them from the rest. They're also represented in the album notes as the preview to a forthcoming Sabbath album. Given their history, I'm inclined to think that's all they could crank out before they folded up yet again.