Why Does No One Ever Talk About This “Black Sabbath” Album From 2009?

Ask any diehard Black Sabbath fan, and they’ll quite matter-of-factly state that the 2009 record The Devil You Know is a Black Sabbath record, even if it was recorded under the name “Heaven & Hell.” Honestly, I agree. The lineup on this album includes Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, and Vinny Appice. That sounds like Black Sabbath to me, just without Ozzy. However, the name “change” came about from 2006 through 2010 to avoid confusion when it came to Ozzy Osbourne-fronted and Dio-fronted lineups of Black Sabbath in the past. There were probably also legal requirements involved.

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“We intentionally did that,” said Iommi of the name change. “All the material we’re playing onstage, it’s none of the old stuff, it’s none of the Ozzy period. It’s all Dio stuff. So by calling ourselves Heaven and Hell, it’s revisiting that period. If we’d have gone out as Black Sabbath, people’d have been expecting to hear ‘Iron Man’ and ‘War Pigs’ and all that — which is great, but we just decided to call ourselves something different.”

As a result, that may be why Heaven & Hell’s sole 2009 album, The Devil You Know, doesn’t get as much love. The Black Sabbath name isn’t on the cover. Or, perhaps, this album is just too painful to listen to among fans of Ronnie James Dio.

Ronnie James Dio’s Swan Song/Album for the Ages

So, why would fans have trouble sitting through this album? It might have something to do with grief. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio recorded the record while battling stomach cancer. You wouldn’t be able to tell, though. His performance from “Atom And Evil” to “Breaking Into Heaven” is absolutely incredible. He still managed to sound like he was in his prime, despite undergoing chemotherapy and being well into his 60s. 

Tragically, Dio passed away the year after The Devil You Know was released at the age of 67, following complications of stomach cancer. I can imagine that diehard fans would have trouble listening to this album because of that, as it really does sound like a swan song.

Despite not getting much love nowadays, The Devil You Know peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 when it was first released. It earned the Best Album award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. And I can’t help but think this album is still far too underrated compared to other often-heralded Black Sabbath albums. Rest easy, Dio.

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