Discounted Heaven & Hell Stuff

Now that the Heaven & Hell tour is over, and we await whatever happens after Tony's surgery, now's the time to get in on some deals.

The Rhino website is having a 50% off sale on some Heaven & Hell merchandise. I'm told the sale is only running for a week, so if you're interested, head on over and check it out here:

http://www.rhino.com/store/merch/blacksabbath/

Black Sabbath - The Unholy Trinity And The Birth Of Heavy Metal

As regular followers of my site know by now, I've been out of it most of the summer due to real life. I'm trying to plow through my backlog, and found this article written back in July by John Doran for the UK music site "The Quietus". It's not your usual take on Black Sabbath's early days, it's got a nice writing style, and is worth your time to read. If you haven't seen this by now, go check it out here.

This does touch on some of the usual stories a well versed Black Sabbath fan knows about the genesis of the band, but the writing style is rather cool - or so I thought. Has some videos to check out in the article too; check it out.

Heaven & Hell Stage Equipment Tour Video

The latest in the series of videos from the last night of the tour that just ended. This one is cool, it's Damian onstage a few hours before the concert, showing where the various bits of equipment for the band members are, and shows you some places you would probably never see otherwise. It's a really cool little tour of the stage area.

Check it out:

Halestorm Interview with Lzzy Hale

The next in our video series from the Atlantic City gig is tonight, on the opener, Halestorm.

For most of the US tour that just concluded, the opening band was Coheed & Cambria. Except for the final date. The last date (August 29th) in Atlantic City, the opener was a band called Halestorm. To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of them before. However, since they were opening for the Sabs, I thought I'd check 'em out. I was rather surprised at what I heard. Their story is quite interesting in that the band was formed about 10 years ago (there's more on Wikipedia). The lead singer is (in 2009) just 23 years old. You do the math.

Anyway, the lead singer was cool enough to spend some time with Damian, who was there covering Heaven & Hell, and we also got some good performance video to go with the interview. You can see that video below.

They also put out a new album this past April, which has a pretty good song called "I Get Off" (which according to iTunes was the most purchased song off the album). Anyway, check out the interview below, and if you're interested in buying the album, you can click on the cover art above, or listen to some song samples below. Thanks to Lzzy for the time!

Heaven & Hell Fan Reaction Video

Second up in our series of videos from the final gig on the tour in Atlantic City is available now. The first video was put online last night (and was an interview with Ronnie James Dio). This video focuses on some of the fans that Damian ran into in the concert hall, and at places like the merch table and the like. A few of them are actually folks from our forums here, which was a cool thing to have happen. (Hello to Serpentine and H&H!)

More video is coming, but check out this fan video below:

Ronnie James Dio Video Interview

The 2009 "The Devil You Know" tour is over now. As you probably have heard by now, Tony Iommi needs some surgery, and from what I can gather, that's part of the reason the tour is ending now. They didn't come to where I am, and it's a pretty regular stop (Dallas, Texas). Anyway, my friend and "Super Moderator" on the forums here Damian is from that area, and did attend. Since Damian does video stuff for a living, we thought it would be cool to have him go up there and film some things. Well, due to the kindness of the Heaven & Hell management, he was allowed access backstage to film a ton of things. Not all the video has been gone through yet, but we wanted to bring you something given the tour has just ended.

First up on our video selection is a short interview with Ronnie where he talks about how he feels about the tour now that it's ended, and what will happen going forward from this point. Check it out below:

There will be more video bits from backstage at the Atlantic City gig coming up shortly, once all the video has been gone through. :) If you want a preview, and want to see what Damian had to say about his time, check out this post on the forums here.

Heaven & Hell vs Britney Spears

This is freakin hysterical. Found a concert review story on noisecreep.com where they talk about the differences between Heaven & Hell and Britney Spears. I'm not going to post the whole thing, you need to head over to newscreep and read it, but check this part. Made me laugh. ESPECIALLY when coupled with the picture of Iommi that's in the story...

It was a quintessential New York moment at what's billed as the 'World's Most Famous Arena': One throng of people at Madison Square Garden are queued up to see Britney Spears in the arena, and another to see Heaven & Hell play downstairs, at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. In the end, age won out over beauty as Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice held sway over a sold-out crowd during a 90-minute set in support their latest album, 'The Devil You Know.'

While Britney's 'comeback' tour saw the 27-year-old lip-syncing through her 10-year body of work, a man easily old enough to be her grandfather effortlessly led a band that's been around for over 40 years. And instead of costume changes and choreography, Heaven & Hell let the music do the talking. One thing's for sure -- unlike others associated with their band, Heaven & Hell's talent has not diminished over time. As the architect of some of the best riffs in metal, Iommi also knows how to play tasteful solos alongside his shredding -- shredding that still holds up well.

Saturday Night's Concert

A quick comment about the final gig on the TDYK tour, which is Saturday night in Atlantic City..

I was informed that it's a 21 and over concert. If you're under 21, you're not going to be admitted.

While it was not specifically stated, I have to believe the reason for the restriction is that the concert is technically inside a casino.

Some HUGE Heaven & Hell Advertising

I was poking around Google Street View this afternoon, and looking at places I do business with, and/or buildings where some of my friends work. I hit the building in Burbank, CA where the Warner Bros / Rhino offices are. When I saw the building, I saw they had this massive side wall advertising area. Depending on which "view" you used on Street View, you either saw a Smashing Pumpkins advert from the summer of 2007 up there, or you saw an advert for an album called "Press Play" by Diddy in 2006. I captured views of those below:

So I emailed my contact at Rhino and asked them if they had anything like that up on the wall for Heaven & Hell this year. They indeed had a giant Heaven & Hell advert up on that wall, from a time not too long before the album was released a couple of months ago up until mid August, when it was taken down. My contact also sent me over a picture of it to use on the site. You can check it out below. I live right outside of Dallas, TX - Burbank, CA is not a place I visit, so I haven't seen it with my own eyes. Have you seen it in person? Drop me a line if you have, I'm curious.

I did inquire what happens to them after they are taken down. My contact said they're taken down by some outside firm who deals (presumably) in exterior advertisments, and then it's delivered back to Warner. I assume they go into storage somewhere, but I didn't get a conclusive answer as to what happens to them, but they aren't destroyed, which is what I figured happened to them.

Check it out below.

The Devil You Know Second Single [UPDATE]

The first single from the new 2009 album was "Bible Black". The song was pretty darned good, and now word comes out that the second single has been chosen. That track is "Follow the Tears". After I read that news, I hit up my contacts at Rhino records and asked them a few questions about said single:

1. Q: Is there going to be a video?
   A: I was told there was no video planned.
2. Q: Is it going to have a physical release of media to the public?
   A: I was told there is no physical media release, unlike Bible Black. Whether it turns up as a digital single release on iTunes or whatnot, I don't know. Given you can already buy the song individually on iTunes, I would think not, but we shall see.
3. Q: Is there a press release for it or something?
   A: I was told there's no formal press release announcing the single.

So it appears that there's a "single" release, but you won't be able to purchase it. Given how much attention this kind of music gets in the US (sarcasm), I wonder if I'll hear this on the radio at all. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Seriously, if you hear this on your radio station, let me know, I'll be curious to know if there's any impact from a non physical media single release like this.

UPDATE: I received one of the promo CD's from Rhino in the mail since I originally posted this story a couple of weeks ago. It has two tracks on it. Both of them are "Follow the Tears". Track 1 is a "Radio Edit", and Track 2 is "Album Version". The running times vary significantly. The "Radio Edit" is just 3:43, where the standard version is 6:10. The inside of the jewel case paper insert has US tour dates on it, and there's no artwork to speak of save for what's below. It's a pretty bare bones thing, but it was not intended to be sold, so it kind of makes sense. But to be honest, other than my own talking about this, I've not seen a word about this anywhere. Has anyone else? Anyway, here's the cover art for it.

Black Sabbath 2 CD Deluxe Edition Video Review

It's been pointed out to me several times in email that I have never said anything about the new "Deluxe Edition" versions of the first three albums. That's right, but if you've been following my site, I've had some heavy "real life" situations get in the way. Today I'm changing that. I've posted not just a review, but a big VIDEO review of the first of them, the original self titled album, "Black Sabbath". Check out the video below where I talk about the release. I show you a complete unboxing, showing everything that is inside there, speak to the sound quality, the extras on the second CD, etc, etc...

But before we get to the video, here's some ordering links for you. If you want to buy it, please use the links here on my site - I could use the coin right now (again, real life). Thanks, and enjoy!

ORDERING LINKS:

• Amazon UK Store
• Amazon.com US Store

ORDERING NOTE: Actually, given the current rate of exchange as of Aug 18th, it would cost $22.20 to buy it from Amazon's UK store and have them ship it to the United States. Given the value of this package, I say it's worth every penny.

Oh, you can discuss the review on this thread on my forums.

REVIEW UPDATE: Minor updates to my review. The book I mention towards the end is not Mark Weiss, he was the photographer, I believe. And the poem from the original release *IS* here, but not the upside down cross. That was my error.

Tony Iommi Needs Hand Surgery

A few years back, Tony Iommi had to have surgery for carpel tunnel syndrome. When I talked with him backstage after a 2007 concert, I asked him how he was doing with that, and said it was fine, didn't seem to be an issue. A little while ago, I had heard on the grapevine that Tony needed hand surgery, but since I couldn't get confirmation, I didn't want to post it here. There's enough rumour out there without me inventing more. So this morning, I saw an interview with Tony linked to from Blabbermouth, and it confirms the hand surgery issue. Whether or not it's a re-occurrence of the carpel tunnel or something else I don't know. I've attempted to find out from Tony's manager, but as of yet haven't gotten any details.

There's also that concert on the current tour where Tony had such severe back pain where he had to be taken out on a stretcher, and Ronnie, Vinny, & Geezer came out and apologized for canceling at the last second.

So hopefully Tony can get the surgery he needs, and that it's successful. That issue aside, the interview linked to is quite good. Talks about more than Tony's health problems. What Tony thinks of the new album a few months down the road, what it's like with different singers, and more details on his hand issue. Make sure to read it.

Geezer Butler PETA Testimony

While I'm personally not a vegetarian, I ran across this video of Geezer Butler giving his testimony on why he doesn't eat meat, and hasn't since age 8. Unlike a lot of Peta videos, there's no overt "shock imagry" to the thing, so if that kind of thing turns you off (like it does me), then you can watch this video and not worry about that.

August 10th Concert Change Information

Heaven & Hell has issued the following statement regarding the concert in San Jose on August 10th...

Heaven & Hell's live performance on August 10, previously scheduled for the San Jose State Event Center in San Jose, has been moved to The Warfield in San Francisco. All previously issued tickets for the San Jose State Event Center will be valid for the performance at The Warfield. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Refunds are available at point of purchase. Please contact Ticketmaster for more details.

About Me

As several of you know, in late May I lost my job (which I held since Dec of 1992). Six days after that, my son was born. You would think that the extra free time would mean the site would be more updated. But I have to say, I've not felt like doing much of anything since I lost my job. Except family stuff. I'm still here - the site will get caught up soon. Keep sending in concert reviews and pictures from the tour. As long as I get them, they will get used - eventually.

Sorry for the delay.

Tony Martin Speaks on cancellation of Headless Cross Tour

Last night, I got an email from Tony Martin with some remarks about the cancellation of the Headless Cross Tour. Before you read Tony's words, I suggest you re-read the press release announcing the cancellation.

Tony's email:

Hi Joe, yeah sadly, the US tour is off.

I beleive the wording they want us to use is irreconsileable differences.

And dont that sound like the biggest load of bollocks!!! ......But it really was irreconsileable!

I can tell you this though... it wasnt differences between the band!!! We spent the last 2 days in rehearsals with the songs and it sounds awesome!!!! Rolf has captured Iommi's spirit wonderfully. Danny is drumming like a demon and Jamie really thunders on bass!! Cool guys, I love ya, you really are the best!!!

Black Moon is just a killer track, Born to Lose and Lost forever really rock!!! Put those in with Lawmaker and Headless Cross and Man!!!! It flys!!!!

All the guys in the band wanna just convey our misery and dissapointment that we werent able to get there and play it to ya.... We are still packed and ready to rock but we just couldn't get the rules of engagement agreed!! And beleive me we tried to the last minute!!!!

Well, it aint over yet, there are others knocking on the door wanting to know if they can help now so we'll be back..

Thanks to all the families for hanging in there and supporting us, you matter to us more than anything.

And you fans have been sending great words.... thanks guys... and girls!!! Get ya tickets refunded, re-group, and live to rock again, We know you want us there and we wanna come so...

Dont worry.... we havent given up!!!!! I refuse to unpack untill i'm in the States!!!

Tony Martin

UPDATE: Tony's bassist, Jamie Mallender also has a comment on the cancellation. Taken from his website, Jamie had this to say:

Jamie is deeply disappointed and would like to add the following statement, "It was a very sad moment when we had to make the decision not to fly to the USA. I extend my sincerest apologies to the fans who have already made plans to attend the gigs and have purchased tickets. Judging by the volume of e-mails I have received over the past couple of months, there was a lot of interest in this tour and that just saddens me more deeply. I have never toured the USA and I can't tell you how excited I was about going there. Lots of people are trying to get a statement out of me about the tour cancelation, but I really don't feel like discussing it right now. This has hit me very hard, and has left my family in financial difficulty. I have 2 children to provide for, so I have to pick myself up and find some work to try to replace the lost earnings. I gave up all my other work to free me up to do this tour and many months of hard work went into putting an awesome show together. In rehearsals this week I have to say that I have never heard a tighter, more powerful sounding band. Tony's voice was in unbelievably good shape and it is a crying shame that America and Canada will not get chance to experience this now.

The other bad news is that I will not be able to go Brazil in September to play the shows with Tony, Danny and Geoff, as cancellation of the US dates means it is no longer financialy viable to take me there. This situation I have to say, is in no way the bands or the organisers of the Brazil dates fault. It is just a knock on effect from losing the USA tour."

Headless Cross Tour Cancelled

I just got this press release sent to me a few minutes ago. That's seriously a bummer. I was told they were already not coming to Dallas, TX (where I live), so I was going to miss it, but I really wanted this tour to come off.

Headless Cross Tour 2009 Canceled

Former members of Black Sabbath, Tony Martin, Geoff Nichols and the Headless Cross Tour will cancel in the USA and Canada.

Due to personal and creative differences, Shakers Management Group truly regrets to say that the Headless Cross Tour will be canceled. All ticket refunds will be handled by the venues.

All parties involved express their deep sadness that we couldn't come to terms and we wish to apologize to all the fans and venues for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Shakers Management Group

Kind Regards,

Frank Welcker
Owner ~ Principal
Shakers Management Group LLC
http://www.myspace.com/ShakersMGMTGroup

Metalway Festival Cancellation Video

Thanks to Sab fan Carlos Martinez who sent in this video. It's Ronnie talking to the audience at the Metalway Festival in Spain last night when the gig there was cancelled due to some severe back pain that Tony Iommi experienced right before going onstage. Make sure and click the "HQ" button on the player to get higher quality.

Bible Black Fan Made Music Video

OK, when the new album came out earlier this month, I think a lot of us were excited to learn that there was going to be a new music video. The first "single" was going to be Bible Black, and we were getting a video for that. Then we found out it was going to be animated. OK, I thought that could work. The last official music video by the band was the animated track "Get a Grip" from 1995's Forbidden, so it wouldn't have been the first time. It premiered on Eddie Trunk's VH1 show "That Metal Show", and wow, was that bad. If you haven't seen it, here is the official video for the song:

Apparently, the fans weren't the only ones turned off by that. I read a quote online not long after the video came out from Tony Iommi himself who said the video was the only thing about the new project he wasn't happy with. He said this specifically. "I think it' bloody awful, to be honest. It looks like Casper the Ghost or something. We didn't have anything to do with it.. that was sort of just presented to us, really." Due to the overwhelming negative reaction, I decided to contact the company who made the thing. They're called "23d Films". I wrote them twice offering them a venue to tell their side of the story, and they never replied to me. If you look over their portfolio on their site, this video doesn't appear anywhere - I wonder if that's due to the reaction the video got or not.

Anyway, while waiting for 23d to contact me back, I decided to hit up a Black Sabbath fan by the name of "Stephen King" (no not THAT one). Two years ago he produced the seriously badass fan made video for the track "Ear in the Wall" (which, if you haven't seen, you really should. Check it out here). Anyway, I told him about the official Bible Black video, and said he really should take another crack at it. He said he'd look into it, and this morning, I got word that he finished it. You need to look at this. While fan based, it definitely shows what can be done when someone is invested in the subject matter they're producing. This shows.

Check it out below:

Click here to discuss this video on our forums.

The Tony Martin Band to tour the USA

In a move I've hoped would happen for some time now, I got word from Tony Martin directly that his band will be touring the USA this summer in July and August. I've always wanted to see the TM band, and I'll (hopefully) finally get the chance. The idea behind the tour is to celebrate the 20th anniversary release of the Black Sabbath album, "Headless Cross". That will also be the moniker of the touring band, too - "Headless Cross". The band will be:

Tony Martin - Vocals (and I assume violin if he plays his track "Scream")
Rolf Munkees - Guitars
Jamie Mallender - Bass
Danny Needham - Drums
Geoff Nicholls - Keyboards

While no specific dates have been mentioned, I did get an email from Tony Martin himself a little while ago this afternoon with some details. Here's what Tony had to say to me..

OK Its official and you're the first call.

yesterday they confirmed that all visa applications were under way and that means we're definateley on our way.

Everything thats out there up till today has been speculation but if you wanna start talkin about it you can say you heard it for real from me.

The band is gonna have an advertising tag of Headless Cross.. its really the Tony Martin band, and thats what we enter the states as.. but the promoter has got itchy fingers i think and decided its better to use the album title .... I'm not ENTIRELY happy with it just because ,.... but I decided to run with it .

So the idea is to commemorate 20 years since Headless Cross and I can reveal that some of the songs have NEVER been done live before... Like Black Moon... Its a REALLY complex track but we're gonna bring it to the stage and show it off... also we've just left behind th anniversary of Eternal Idol so there's gonna be some more off that album too like Born to lose.

Looking forward to getting out there and seeing what response we get.

I have to say its been a hard slog with negotiations and getting visas and stuff so we come at VERY short notice and hope to be with you guys in just under 3 weeks from now!!!

The band consists of myself, Geoff Nicholls, My drummer Danny Needham, Empire guitarist Rolf Munkes, and Jamie mallender, we are a couple of members short normally we like to have more people up there but it wasnt possible this time round but we got it covered.

We arent able to bring with us much in the way of visual stuff just because there is so little time to get it all together so ... its just the songs... Me and....well .... i hope.. you guys!!! Dates are becoming published and that was a little premature cause some of them didnt have confirmation but from now there will be and so if you find something near you its almost certain to be real.

But you can always check with me i guess.

We're out there till the end of August.

Best wishes
TM

When I have more information on this tour, I'll be sure and update with that. Looking forward to it!