• Record Label: Rhino
  • Release Date: Apr 28, 2009
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 29
  2. Negative: 1 out of 29

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  1. NovemberH
    Aug 4, 2009
    10
    Ugh. People need to realize that bands constantly evolve. Just because it doesn't sound like the Black Sabbath you know doesn't mean it isn't good. The Devil You Know is excellent. Ronnie James Dio's heaven (and hell)-sent vocals blend together with heavy, face-melting riffs for a new generation, proving to the masses that METAL ISN'T DEAD!
  2. BobR
    May 4, 2009
    3
    I listened to this release twice through. There is nothing very memorable on this CD. This is coming from a long time Sabbath fan, Dio fan and Ozzy fan. I have all their albums, all the various Sabbath incarnations, and this CD might be the most disappointing of them all. Born Again is a close second. Thumbs down.
  3. LeeS
    Apr 30, 2009
    9
    Awsome album. As they did in their last tour, they proved they haven't missed a beat. Listen to Iommi channeling Eddie Van Halen in Follow the Tears. Some of his best work in years.
  4. BartC.
    May 5, 2009
    10
    I never thought I'd see the day where Ronnie James Dio would be fronting Black Sabbath again (yes, they're called Heaven and Hell now, but it's the same band with a different name
  5. BrianC
    May 9, 2009
    7
    Better than DeHumanizer, bot not as great as Mob Rules and Heaven and Hell. Best song is with no doubt "Follow The Tears"(closely followed by "Bible Black"...man, THAT is Heavy as Hell and made the hairs down my neck rise and my arms got goose-bumps. THAT feel is why I love Heavy Metal and this album is surprisingly better than expected. But not that great to be a top album that will be Better than DeHumanizer, bot not as great as Mob Rules and Heaven and Hell. Best song is with no doubt "Follow The Tears"(closely followed by "Bible Black"...man, THAT is Heavy as Hell and made the hairs down my neck rise and my arms got goose-bumps. THAT feel is why I love Heavy Metal and this album is surprisingly better than expected. But not that great to be a top album that will be remembered in Heavy metal history. Mob Rules and mostly Heaven and Hell, yes, but not "The Devil You Know". Still "Bible Black" and "Follow the Tears" should be on a future "best of" Sabbath/Heaven & Hell....they will be on my own next Cd-R with the greatest Metal songs to enjoy when I drive the car or go nuts at home (poor neighbours).;-) Expand
  6. AdamM
    Apr 30, 2009
    10
    Best album since Paranoid, Dio is God!
  7. DanielH
    May 2, 2009
    10
    Great album, their best since Ozzy's era!
  8. Leon
    Oct 4, 2009
    10
    Masterpiece!
  9. FelipeP
    Apr 29, 2009
    10
    Fantastic return of Dio!
  10. JamesH
    May 5, 2009
    10
    What's wrong with Rolling Stone Magazine? No wonder I dropped my subscription years ago. This is one of the best Metal albums EVER. The head banging riff in "Follow the Tears" is worth the price of the album by itself. GREAT JOB H&H - Can't wait to see you LIVE!
  11. mattf
    May 6, 2009
    9
    Overall a great outing for a classic lineup, not perfect but a treat for Sabbath fans and all metal fans.
  12. EvilJohnM
    Jul 14, 2009
    7
    I have always been a fan of this line up, accept for vinnie - man, this guy is to boring. The other guys are there as always. But this album would have been much better if i was not bored of the no fils drumming. Even though i really like this album and have flogged it through my stereo until my wife screamed - NO MORE! i still cannot stand the bloody drummer. This guy should listen to I have always been a fan of this line up, accept for vinnie - man, this guy is to boring. The other guys are there as always. But this album would have been much better if i was not bored of the no fils drumming. Even though i really like this album and have flogged it through my stereo until my wife screamed - NO MORE! i still cannot stand the bloody drummer. This guy should listen to Shaun Rienheart a little bit, just a little bit. Collapse
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. While the Osbourne-fronted and Dio-fronted versions of Black Sabbath are, again, very different bands, this is an album that matches its moment every bit as perfectly as "Paranoid" did back in 1970.
  2. There is a small group of Black Sabbath fans who believe the band produced its best work after singer Ronnie James Dio replaced Lord of Darkness/future variety-show host Ozzy Osbourne in the late '70s. Alas, their case will not be aided by their new album.
  3. Heaven and Hell excel at ye olde power-dungeon plod. Too bad Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler's most churning riffs tend to last mere seconds, before getting buried under attention-deficit arrangements and Dio's theatrical mythopoeia--which gets tiring when so many songs exceed six minutes.