Today – May 16th, 2020 – marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of Ronnie James Dio. Dio was a legend long before his death, an elder statesman whose voice over the course of a 50-year career remained a powerful, mighty weapon. He was theatrical without being ridiculous, poetic without being pretentious; he was, essentially, the platonic ideal of a heavy metal singer. Released in 2009, Heaven & Hell’s The Devil You Know serves as the band’s only release, and marks Dio’s last appearance on a studio album.
Heaven & Hell – consisting of Dio on vocals, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler on guitar and bass respectively, and Vinny Appice on drums – was essentially a contemporary reconfiguration of 80’s-era Black Sabbath. The songs on The Devil You Know are all very much in the Sabbath vein: heavy guitars, deep rumbling bass, and muscular drum work all bolstered by dramatic vocals. Each song sits comfortably around the 4-7 minute range, propelled forward quality riffs, powerful vocal lines, and a rock-solid rhythm section. Despite largely staying within the frameworks of traditional heavy metal and doom metal, there’s a good amount of variety to be had. Some songs, like “Atom and Evil” or “Fear”” are straightforward slabs of metal, while others like “Bible Black” or “Rock and Roll Angel” are more dynamic, with bluesy solos and acoustic guitar work. This is the rare album where I can say there’s not an ounce of filler or fat to be found, even with a 54-minute runtime. Every song has some stand-out element to it, some distinct riff or vocal line, that separates it from its peers.
Then there’s Dio’s performance. It’s natural for any vocalist as they approach 70 for them to lose their power or ability. Dio’s voice on The Devil You Know is undoubtedly aged, but it is no less powerful than in the Black Sabbath Mob Rules days. His voice is higher-pitched yet still gritty, somewhere between a yell and a croon, and it matches perfectly with the band whether they’re going through fast-paced metal or crushing doom. As a lyricist, Dio was always enigmatic, weaving cryptic stories laced with contrasting imagery and themes. The Devil You Know carries forward those tropes while adding dark, at times Apocalyptic imagery. “Atom and Evil” opens by retelling the fall of Adam and Eve, who are cast out into a world where “if [they] cry as one, the tears that fall can kill the fire,” while closer “Breaking Into Heaven” describes Hell’s armies sacking the kingdom of Heaven, fallen angels claiming the power and light for themselves. In-between there are tales of unquenchable addictions, ironic punishments, and desperate people doing desperate things – imperfect as narratives but provocative as lyrics, and an appropriate pairing with the music of Iommi, Butler and Appice.
The Devil You Know may not have been intended to be Dio’s final album, but it serves as a worthy epitaph nonetheless.
Delayed Burial 