The album kicks in with the rip-roaring "Neon Knights". Certainly influenced by the burgeoning NWOBHM "movement" (itself, very heavily influenced by Sabbath). The lyrical subject-matter is course very different from when Geezer and Ozzy principally wrote Sabbath's lyrics. Much more based in fantasy, the theme would mostly be continued throughout Dio's career and time with Sabbath. I like the song, very energetic, and the band sounds re-energized after the somewhat lifeless Never Say Die. Next is "Children of the Sea", one of the best songs recorded by the band, with or without Ozzy or Tony Martin for that matter. The introduction is amazing, I love Tony Iommi's gentle and pastoral acoustics, which are accompanied by Dio's very ethereal vocal. The song then turns it up, heading into a very heavy, Iommi riff, backed by Geezer's very rubbery bass (I don't really like his tone on this album, a low for me) and Bill Ward's fairly solid, if somewhat deflated drumming. I also really like the choir near the end of the song. A very nice song, and a live staple of Dio and Heaven and Hell for years to come.
"Lady Evil" is a good song that sounds pretty bad. I love Martin Birch's production, but for some reason, this one sounds all wrong. Very tinny, it seems to lack the mid-range so present in most hard rock and metal songs. Other than the production, it's a decent modern re-telling of the classic blues "evil woman" tale, certainly a teenage boy's fantasy come to life. Dio would repeat this theme many times throughout his long career, but this is my favorite example of this style of song from Dio. Iommi's solo is pretty stellar as well, very nice, but somewhat held back by the lagging rhythm section, which appears to be half asleep. A half-decent tune, but not amazing for amid a sea of killer tracks. The titular "Heaven and Hell" is an amazing track, one of the best by the band. Coming in along a hypnotic bass-line, Dio delivers one of his most powerful vocals, as well as some amazingly deep lyrics. Iommi awakens about a minute in, and delivers some very nice leads, followed by a great, chugging riff, metal heaven. The instrumental middle of the song is pretty long, but Iommi and co. keep your interest with some nice leads, and a very tight rhythm section, much better than the last song. A great track, an absolute classic. I love the short classical guitar outro, a perfect way to end the very long song.
"Wishing Well" is most people's least-favorite tune on the album, and I would have to agree. Although the band and certainly Dio sound great, I'm not a huge fan of the structure of the song. Kind of middling, it seems to never really "go anywhere" musically, sitting around the same chord progressions for most of the song. Also the lyrics are kind of cliche and corny (sorry RJD), not a bad song, but not in the same league as the other "class A" songs on the album. "Die Young" certainly brings the listener back in, an amazing song, and my favorite song recorded by the band with Dio. I love the vintage analog synthesizers provided by Geoff Nichols, very atmospheric. When the song kicks in, you swear that a fire-breathing dragon has just awakened. The song is blistering fast, with Bill Ward himself struggling to keep up at times. Dio sounds amazing, at the top of his game. Geezer's bass-lines are very complicated, beautifully intricate. The lyrics are hauntingly beautiful, telling of both the dangers and joys of burning out before you get old, very poetic. Metal at its best.
"Walk Away" has a tough act to follow in Die Young. Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of the song. Again, my problem is more with the goofy lyrics and very 1970s classic rock songwriting. The song sounds very dated for 1980 standards, like a Rainbow outtake or demo. A decent solo is a highlight, and Dio's vocals sound great, but not enough to save the song for me. Skip it. Last up is "Lonely is the Word". Painfully slow and plodding, I find the song to be another dud. Dio sounds good as always, but the guitars again sound thin and metallic. Bill Ward seems to be losing the groove occasionally, and you can actually hear the pain he was going through (substance abuse, family deaths) in his very mellowed and more reserved drumming. Although he is certainly more technically capable than Vinny Appice, it was clearly the right decision to have Vinny come in on the next album (Mob Rules review coming soon!). Meh!
"Heaven and Hell" is a very good album, but contains a couple filler tracks amid the killer tracks. But the great songs are bona fide classics, so they really do balance out the album. Fans of Dio, Sabbath, and/or metal in general should have already heard this album, but if you have not for some reason, you could do a lot worse than this stellar document.
Rating-8/10
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