Average Rating: (4.5 out of 5 stars)
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lightning caught in a bottle
This is a classic album. What Black Sabbath created here, with Ronnie James Dio singing and composing, opened another perspective of musical finesse for what would be called "Heavy Metal". I don't care for labels, the music and the lyrics come together in the very first place, and this CD is mean business! Perfection is a dangerous word, but here I can use it without any hesitation. And finally, at long last, the sound is upgraded to the sonic level it surely deserves. Excellent!!!
Submitted by htakara (São Paulo, Brazil)
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A whole new Sabbath
This is the first album without Ozzy on vocals, and it's obvious that Sabbath has been reborn. One could argue that the last album with Ozzy, Never Say Die!, was a new sounding Sabbath, but it was simply a watered-down version of classic Sabbath. Heaven & Hell is a breath of fresh air after listening to the final Ozzy-era albums. Dio's vocals allow Iommi and Butler to lay down some killer, faster-paced riffs that were not possible with Ozzy. The new sound is much more uplifting and not as "morbid" as the Ozzy albums were. Oddly enough, the 3rd album with Dio, Dehumanizer, would turn out to be the heaviest album yet -- even heavier than all of the Ozzy-era albums.
Submitted by CD_Music_Freak (Earth)
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MK III lineup
I remember when this album first came out in 1980, I was not real happy because Ozzy had been replaced. But as I listened I grew to really like this album. Strong both musically and lyrically, it is about time it gets the remastering it deserves!(no disrespect to the Castle remasters)This is a masterpiece with no weak tracks.
Submitted by Darryl (Pensacola, FL & Fulton, MO)
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The Reborn Godfathers of Heavy Metal
It's difficult to talk about this album without any trace of Passion clouding the thoughts. The Ozzy Years were the foundantions for what Heavy Metal is all about: scary and catching guitar riffs, almost jazz bass lines and pounding (even swinging) drums. If Ozzy had a unique stage persona, when Ronnie James Dio came aboard the Sabbath ship, they reinvented themselves, even better than before. More melodies within the "doom" frame carried by the name.
I have purchased the Rhino remaster, and now the Sanctuary / Universal, to hear the differences: the American remaster has a punchier and louder sound, but the inner sleeve was the weakness - the European edition is so much better on this matter (lots of pictures). The bonus CD has some live tracks (the 'B' sides for the singles). Which one is the best? A difficult choice.
Submitted by htakara / htk (São Paulo / SP / Brazil)
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The best version of Black Sabbath!
The music is so clean and crisp. Ronnie James Dio is by far a more talented vocalist the Ozzie. The best thing that ever happened to Black Sabbath was the joining of Dio in my opinion.
Submitted by dcj415 (Big Cove Tannery PA , USA) 
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