The Rules of Hell Box Set can now be pre-ordered

Short note.. The Rules of Hell box set can now be pre-ordered through Amazon.com. Here is a direct link for you:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001AZ7RU0/73407921 (Amazon US)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001AZ7RU0/blacksabbatho-21 (Amazon UK)

It is due to be out on July 22nd, and contains all three existing Dio era Sabbath albums plus Live Evil in its original double CD format. Please note that Amazon.com has a pre-order price guarantee, if you order it now, and the price goes down between now and when it ships, you'll get billed for the lower price.

I have received a pre-release copy of the CD's, and can say I hear an improvement on them - especially Heaven & Hell. I haven't had a chance to fully digest them yet - plus this was just the CD's, not the packaging or the booklet. I'll have more to say about that when I receive the final product. But on first listen, the albums themselves sound improved, yes.

Deep Purple's Around the World DVD

If you're a fan of Black Sabbath (why else would you be reading this), then you're probably also a fan of Deep Purple. Both bands have long histories of personnel changes, and carrying on when popular opinion seemed to think that they should not. The primary difference between Black Sabbath and Deep Purple is that Sabbath stopped putting out new studio albums in 1995. Thing is, the year after that, Deep Purple started in on their revival, and started releasing some really good studio albums with Steve Morse. Some would have thought that Ritchie Blackmore's second departure from Purple would have killed the band for good, but if anything, it revived them - the work that Purple has put out since 1996 onwards has been almost uniformly excellent.

That is the reason for the DVD box set I'm talking about here. It's called "Deep Purple: Around the World Live". This is a very nice quality set. It's got four DVD's in it. The first three are all concert footage (interspersed with interview stuff as well). The fourth DVD is a rather long documentary on the history of the band in the Steve Morse era. The documentary talks about all kinds of stuff with Steve Morse, spends a lot of time on the departure of Jon Lord as well, and is really quite cool. There's some references to the other times of Purple's history, but this documentary is really all about the Morse era. Which I happen to love, so it was right up my alley. Ian Gillan even referenced a concert I saw with a friend of mine in 1994 in Texas, which was technically Steve Morse's third ever gig with Purple. There's a review I did of it back then still online over at the Highway Star website, too!

Anyway, there's tons of concert footage, and with the sets varying over several years, you don't get the same set lists all the time, it varies - and includes live tracks from Battle Rages On, an album I rather liked, and is under appreciated. I'm going to post the press release below, so there will be some more stuff to read. But the bottom line is this. If you like Deep Purple, and want to see more than just old music videos of Highway Star when Ian Gillan talks about Steve McQueen, then I urge you to check out this set. Its' really good stuff, and I didn't even get into the booklet that comes with this. :)

New York, NY (May 29, 2008)—On June 17, 2008, Eagle Rock Entertainment, through its wholly-owned Eagle Vision subsidiary, will release Deep Purple: Around The World Live [pre-book date May 28, Retail Sales Price $39.98], a 4-DVD boxed set chronicling live shows in 1995 India, 1999 Australia and 2002 England. The fourth disc, Access All Areas, is a documentary of the band, from inception on.

Deep Purple is one of the most beloved Hard Rock bands in music history. Seen as one of the key precursor bands to what ultimately became Heavy Metal, it is also in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the loudest band ever. Its debut album, Shades Of Deep Purple, came out in September of 1968. By year’s end, The Book Of Taliesyn was also out and 12 months later, in 1969, its self-titled third album made them stars. Superstar status was achieved in the ‘70s, and there was no looking back from there. All during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Deep Purple continued to make new fans, performing its music on stages all over the world. With 18 studio albums, six live albums, and 14 of Hard Rock’s greatest musicians (including guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, organist Jon Lord, vocalist David Coverdale, guitarist Joe Satriani, and the late Tommy Bolin) who have filled its ranks at one time or another, Deep Purple has sold millions of records, and are considered one of the greatest bands of alltime. (The current lineup, which has been solvent for six years, consists of vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Steve Morse, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Don Airey and drummer Ian Paice.)

Around The World Live disc bonus features an eight-song fourth concert from 1995 Seoul, South Korea (Disc #1), a 1999 documentary, “A Band Down Under” (Disc #2), and a 2002 interview with vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover (Disc #3).

This lavish boxed set comes complete within a hardback cover that also includes a 32-page specially commissioned book written by Joel McIver of Great Britain’s Classic Rock magazine, illustrated with photographs of the various eras covered by the concerts.

Packed with rare and previously unseen material, this is the ultimate Deep Purple 57-song nine-hour collection!

Track Listing
Disc #1 “Bombay Calling—India 1995”
1) Fireball
2) Maybe I’m A Leo
3) Black Night
4) The Battle Rages On
5) Woman From Tokyo
6) Perpendicular Waltz
7) When A Blind Man Cries
8) Perfect Strangers
9) Pictures Of Home
10) Child In Time
11) Anya
12) Space Truckin’
13) Guitar Solo
14) Lazy
15) Speed King
16) Highway Star
17) Smoke On The Water
Bonus Material “Live In Seoul South Korea 1995”
1) Black Night
2) Woman From Tokyo
3) When A Blind Man Cries
4) Perfect Strangers
5) Child In Time
6) Speed King
7) Highway Star
8) Smoke On The Water

Disc #2 “Total Abandon—Australia 1999”
1) Ted The Mechanic
2) Strange Kind Of Woman
3) Bloodsucker
4) Pictures Of Home
5) Almost Human
6) Woman From Tokyo
7) Watching The Sky
8) Fireball
9) Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming
10) Guitar Solo
11) Smoke On The Water
12) Lazy
13) Perfect Strangers
14) Speed King
15) Black Night
16) Highway Star

Disc #3 “Live At The NEC—England 2002”
1) Fireball
2) Woman From Tokyo
3) Mary Long
4) Ted The Mechanic
5) Lazy
6) The Well-Dressed Guitar
7) When A Blind Man Cries
8) Space Truckin’
9) Keyboard Solo
10) Perfect Strangers
11) Speed King
12) Guitar Solo
13) Smoke On The Water
14) Hush
15) Black Night
16) Highway Star

The Dio Years Poll

As we approach something that hasn't happened now in 13 years (the recording of a new Black Sabbath album - yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - Heaven & Hell. Sod that), I thought I'd query the fanbase about the three most recent studio tracks released under the name Black Sabbath. These are the three new tracks released on 2007's "The Dio Years" compilation.

It's been out for about a year now, so I wanted to see what people thought of the new tracks. There's a new poll available for them, and you can also check out some song samples via the MP3 widget below (and buy the tracks too if you're so inclined).

Take the poll, and let's see which wins. The poll is on the front page of the site towards the bottom of the page.

Rules of Hell Artwork Available

Rhino today sent over cover art for the Rules of Hell box set that is due out this summer. I'm passing it along to y'all. Shown here is the cover art for the set, and an image of what the overall box looks like. You can click on either picture for a larger version.

I do not yet have any info on what the booklet looks like, nor do I have info on when you will be able to place pre-orders. Once I do that, I will pass along more information.

New Studio Album in 2009, plus other news

I received a press release today regarding the upcoming "Rules of Hell" box set, as well as the Metal Masters Tour. Most of what is contained within is information we already knew, but there were a few tidbits in here worth pointing out before you check out the full press release.

• New Studio album in "Early 2009": Previously it was expected that the new album Heaven & Hell would have been out late this year, but apparently that's not happening. According to this press release, the album will be out in "early 2009". Now before a lot of fans go and get their panties in a knot, remember Early 2009 means more than "Up to January 10th". Don't forget, we're getting a new Sabbath (yeah, yeah, yeah - It's Black Sabbath, and you know it), album with Ronnie Dio - let's give 'em a chance to do it right before bitching about WHEN, eh?
• Album Track Listings: The track listing for the Rules of Hell box set is below. As expected, no new tracks are here. It's five Discs, with Live Evil being put back to its original two disc configuration when released back in the day. The three Dio era studio albums have no new or unreleased tracks. I did notice that the version of Dehumanizer being used is now confirmed to be the US version, which means both versions of Time Machine will be on there.
• Tour Dates: Not every date below on the Metal Masters tour will have all the bands. One date will not have Judas Priest, and one will not have Motorhead (not the same date). If you're in one of these cities, you'll want to check the listing below.
• Box Set Pricing: If you're into buying your tunes from places like Apple and their iTunes store, the pricing will be of interest to you. The box set will be available the same day as the physical version (July 22nd) for a suggested retail price of $24.99. 25 bucks for all the Dio era albums is quite a nice price, so if you're into buying your tracks digitally, that will be of interest to you.

Here's the entire press release for you to check out:

Five-CD Boxed Set Features Newly Remastered Versions Of
Every Dio-Era Sabbath Album, Available July 22 From Rhino

Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice Are Currently Recording Long Awaited New Heaven & Hell Studio Album, Set To Be Released By Rhino In Early 2009

Heaven & Hell Will Return to the Road This Summer for the Metal Masters Tour With Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament

LOS ANGELES – Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath were reborn in 1980 when founding members Tony Iommi and Terry “Geezer” Butler added vocalist Ronnie James Dio to the lineup. The band’s short but memorable time together added an unforgettable chapter in Sabbath’s storied history. Rhino relives the demonic fury conjured by the Dio era with THE RULES OF HELL, a boxed set featuring all three of the band’s studio releases (Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer) and their double live collection (Live Evil) – each recently remastered for the first time. The set comes packaged in a deluxe slipcase with extensive liner notes featuring all new interviews with the band. This five-disc boxed set will be available from Rhino on July 22 at all physical outlets, as well as www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $54.98. The set will also be available the same day at all digital outlets for a suggested list price of $24.99.

Two years ago, Dio, Iommi and Butler and drummer Vinny Appice reunited to record a trio of new songs for Rhino’s Black Sabbath: The Dio Years before launching a highly anticipated and greatly acclaimed world tour under their new moniker Heaven & Hell. Revitalized by the reunion, the lineup is back in the studio now recording the first ever full-length studio album from Heaven & Hell, set to be released by Rhino in early 2009. To whet the fans’ appetites for the new album, Heaven & Hell will return to the road for a short stint on the Metal Masters Tour, a month-long North American trek with Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament. This blistering metal juggernaut will launch August 6 in Philadelphia.

The Dio-era’s first effort, HEAVEN AND HELL, hit the racks on April 25, 1980. Greeted by ecstatic reviews, the album peaked at #9 in Britain. In the U.S., its Top 30 success gave the group its first platinum disc in six years. Opening with the chugging anthem “Neon Knights,” the album also includes the epic title track, “Wishing Well,” “Die Young” and “Lonely Is The Word.”

The group’s follow-up, MOB RULES, was the first without original drummer Bill Ward, who was replaced with Appice. The album bristles with Iommi’s signature dark riffs, Butler’s elaborate bass lines, Appice’s hammering behind the drums and Dio’s inimitable growling. The album includes the high-octane tracks—“Falling Off The Edge Of The World,” “Turn Up The Night,” and the title track—plus the mid-tempo rocker “Voodoo” and the slow-churning epic “The Sign Of The Southern Cross,” a favorite among band members and fans alike.

Released in December 1982, LIVE EVIL stands as a modern metal masterpiece and a testament to the power of the Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice lineup. Recorded in Seattle, Dallas, and San Antonio, the sound is upfront and aggressive, a virtual front-row seat for epic versions of their classics including “Neon Knights,” “Children Of The Sea,” “The Sign Of The Southern Cross” and “Heaven And Hell.”

DEHUMANIZER (1992) is seen by many metal aficionados as one of—if not the most—underrated work to ever carry the Sabbath name. After the lineup fell apart in 1982, the group reconvened a decade later to release this lost classic. The album forged something new, pushing its legend to a new generation of metal heads with incredible tracks like “I,” “Computer God” and “TV Crimes.”

THE RULES OF HELL
Track Listing

HEAVEN AND HELL

1. “Neon Knights”
2. “Children Of The Sea”
3. “Lady Evil”
4. “Heaven And Hell”
5. “Wishing Well”
6. “Die Young”
7. “Walk Away”
8. “Lonely Is The Word”

MOB RULES

1. “Turn Up The Night”
2. “Voodoo”
3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross”
4. “E5150”
5. “The Mob Rules”
6. “Country Girl”
7. “Slipping Away”
8. “Falling Off The Edge Of The World”
9. “Over And Over”

LIVE EVIL

Disc 1

1. “E5150”
2. “Neon Knights”
3. “N.I.B.”
4. “Children Of The Sea”
5. “Voodoo”
6. “Black Sabbath”
7. “War Pigs”
8. “Iron Man”

Disc 2

1. “The Mob Rules”
2. “Heaven And Hell”
3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell”
4. “Paranoid”
5. “Children Of The Grave”
6. “Fluff”

DEHUMANIZER

1. “Computer God”
2. “After All (The Dead)”
3. “TV Crimes”
4. “Letters From Earth”
5. “Master Of Insanity”
6. “Time Machine”
7. “Sins Of The Father”
8. “Too Late”
9. “I”
10. “Buried Alive”
11. “Time Machine” (Wayne’s World Version)

Heaven & Hell North American Tour Dates
(Except where noted, all shows also feature Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament)

AUGUST

6 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center
7 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
9 Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
10 Wantagh, NJ Jones Beach Theater
12 Hamburg, NY Grandstand Stage/America's Fair **
13 Toronto, ONT Molson Amphitheatre
15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena##
16 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
18 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Center
19 Chicago, IL First Midwest Band Amphitheatre
22 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
23 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
24 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
27 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
28 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
30 San Bernadino, CA Hyundai Pavilion At Glen Helen
31 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

**Featuring Motörhead and Testament ONLY
## Featuring Judas Priest and Testament ONLY

Random News Bits and Stuff

As I've mentioned below, I've been playing catch up with a seven month backlog of emails and submissions. Several things have taken a slide due to this. This post will have several things I've run across in the email pile I thought are worth a look.

• Eric Singer Interview: A cool interview posted in January 2008 with Eric Singer. He talks about just about every major band he was in (including Black Sabbath), and some he was not (Ozzy Osbourne audition). Cool interview; check it out here.
• Chicago area Tribute Band: Ran across a link to a Chicago based Black Sabbath tribute band that focuses on the Dio years. Check 'em out here.
• Old 1980 Interview with Sabbath: This is a cool old interview with Geezer, Ronnie, & Vinny during their tour of Australia in 1980. Video quality is crap, but it's still cool to check out.

I also ran across a lot of emails thanking me for the Eternal Idol retrospective article, as well as many condolences for the miscarriage my wife and I had a few months back. Thanks to all who wrote in for both of those.

Cool Map on the BBC Website

I'm making a major attempt at getting caught up with all of my backlogged Black Sabbath email tonight. In doing that, I ran across this cool link which was sent to me back in September 2007 from someone at the BBC. Here's what they said:

We're a BBC site, and we've just produced an interactive "Music Map" featuring lots of info on the famous musicians who lived in this area - and some of the notable gigs.

There's a nice section on the early years of Sabbath, and on Bill Ward' s old house, that still has gates with the opening riff from Paranoid on them. There are photos and an interview with the guy who bought the house off Bill.

I'm sorry to Jerry Chester over at the BBC for letting this slide SO long. This is a cool little thing y'all have put together.

Anyway, you can get to the interactive map by going here. It's worth it.

Rules of Hell Box Set Update

A couple of days ago I posted the news that there will be a box set based on the four Dio era Black Sabbath releases. I posed some questions of band management regarding some details on the set, and I can now bring you an update based on what I found out.

Individual Releases: The albums will likely eventually be released on their own, but no plans yet, and even that's not for sure. For now you should consider them part of the box set only.

Remastering: This is not the same remastering sessions that produced last year's "The Dio Years" releases. This is a totally new remastering session from the Dio Years sessions.

Five Discs: The press release stated that there would be five discs in this release. The five discs will be Heaven & Hell, The Mob Rules, Dehumanizer, & Live Evil. Live Evil will be two discs as it was when it was originally released way back when, so that's where we get the fifth disc.

Extra Tracks: There are no extra tracks here, the albums are as they were originally released. I specifically asked about the alternate version of Mob Rules (Heavy Metal soundtrack), and the alternate version of Letters to Earth (TV Crimes Single). Was told they're not being included. Less clear are the two versions of Time Machine. The 1992 version released in the US had two versions (standard & Wayne's World). The WW version was not on versions outside of the US. Since this is being released by Warner/Rhino, it's likely the one on here will have both, but I don't know that for sure at this time.

I was told the "new" extras will be extensive liner notes and things along those lines. I also do not know at this time what the packaging will look like. One of the emails I got said that had yet to be completed, so I doubt there's full decisions made on this stuff yet. Once I get some artwork and further details, I'll be sure to update straight away.

UPDATE: Something occurred to me a few hours after I posted this. I don't know whether this box will be available under the name Black Sabbath or Heaven & Hell. Will update with that too when I find out.

Website question

UPDATE: This has been fixed. Thanks to Adam Alexander for pointing me in the right direction. Turns out it was the "Gallery" templates and using a strict doctype. Changed it to transitional, and it worked fine.

---------

I have a strange question that I can't seem to find an answer to, so I thought I'd take it to you, the site visitor. If you're good at diagnosing HTML problems, I have something for you to look at. It's the code that generates the Photo gallery here. The gallery is being generated by software called (boringly enough), "Gallery". I'm using their theme system to embed the site's look around the bits that Gallery itself generates for the pictures.

Anyway, the problem is with the embedding. If you look at the two images below, it's the same code generating these. However, one looks wrong.

  

Anyway, the problem is with Firefox. Usually I have this problem the other way around, but Firefox has had that black bar on top of the menu for awhile now, and I've never been able to figure it out. I fiddled with the ad banner code and moved the "boxed" version from the news section (which is generated by Movable Type) to the gallery section. However, that too has a weird display problem similar to the black bar above the menu.

I'm thinking it's with the overall framing code like I'm missing one small tag somewhere that will get rid of the problem. If you know HTML well, can you take a look at this, and see if you can figure out what the frig I'm doing wrong?

If you can solve the problem for me, I can probably hook you up with a free CD or something (the first email I get about it that actually solves the problem will be the one I pick for that).

Thanks for any help you can give. I've been doing websites now for 13 years, and this one is a bugger for me.

New Tour Dates & "Black Box 2" Announced

Today brings a major announcement from band management. I was just emailed a press release which folks will find very interesting. The entire press release is listed below, but I'll get to the bullet points of the thing here:

Tour announced:

First up is a tour dubbed "The Metal Masters Tour". This is an 18 date trek across parts of the US. It starts on August 6th, and ends up August 31st. A complete list of dates:

Wed 06-Aug-08 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
Thu 07-Aug-08 Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
Sat 09-Aug-08 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
Sun 10-Aug-08 Nikon at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY
Wed 13-Aug-08 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON
Sat 16-Aug-08 Post Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA
Mon 18-Aug-08 DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
Tue 19-Aug-08 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL
Fri 22-Aug-08 Superpages.com Amphitheatre, Dallas, TX
Sat 23-Aug-08 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston, TX
Sun 24-Aug-08 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX
Wed 27-Aug-08 Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, NM
Thu 28-Aug-08 Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ
Sat 30-Aug-08 Glen Helen Pavilion, San Bernardino, CA
Sun 31-Aug-08 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA

Dates as to when these shows tickets' will go on sale are in the full press release further down the page. The other bands on the tour besides Black Sabbath er, Heaven & Hell are Judas Priest, Motorhead, & Testament. I've seen Motorhead with Black Sabbath a few times in the past on the Cross Purposes & Forbidden tours. Judas Priest will have a new album out, as will Testament, and Heaven & Hell's new album I don't think will be out then, but should be well underway. Could we see a new track during these dates? We'll find out.

Black Box II announced:

When Black Box was released in 2004, one of the things not mentioned then was "what about remastering all the other Sabbath albums?" Well, today (part of) that has been announced. First off, I must state that this is NOT called Black Box II. That's my own name. This is called "The Rules of Hell".

I have already asked a few questions of Band management regarding this box set, when I get some answers, I'll report back. What I've asked is this:

1. Is this a new remastering session, or is it the same sessions that produced the versions used on the Dio Years?
2. Anything in the way of extras, or is it just the albums like it was in Black Box?
3. Will there be Geezer (or Ronnie as the case may be) approved lyrics again like there were in Black Box?
4. Will the albums be made available on their own, or only as part of this box set?

Again, I do not know the answers to these questions - yet. When I find out, I'll report back. This is very cool, as the Dio era albums need an upgrade. I'm hopeful about the extras, because there are more tracks sitting around than what were on the actual albums, so hopefully some of that stuff can be released, too. Here is the official text regarding this set:

Heaven & Hell will be supporting the release of ‘The Rules Of Hell’ a five-CD boxed set available on July 22nd from Rhino Records which features re-mastered versions of all four Dio-era Black Sabbath albums (‘Heaven and Hell,’ ‘Mob Rules,’ ‘Live Evil,’ and ‘Dehumanizer’) in a deluxe package with new liner notes.

A personal note: That leaves "Black Box 3: The Everything else set". Bring that on too, guys!

Judas Priest MP3 available:

While not directly Sabbath related, the same press release has announced that you can download for free an MP3 from the new Judas Priest album, Nostradamus here.

This is all very exciting news, and I really need to get off my duff and caught up with old emails and submissions before a new tour starts!

There's also a cool interview over at Billboard.com with Rob Halford talking about the tour and Judas Priest's new album. Check that out here. (Thanks Blabbermouth)

If you want to read the official press release, it is available below:

Continue reading "New Tour Dates & "Black Box 2" Announced"

Bill Ward remembers Cozy Powell

Below is the text of an email I received from Bill Ward regarding the recent anniversary of the death of Cozy Powell..

H! Everyone.

Thanks, Joe, for reminding us it's been ten years since Cozy died. I think about him from time to time. I've always been grateful that our last phone conversation ended on a high note. I felt we were both sincere with each other, sharing mutual respect when touching on our individual histories in Hard Rock/Metal.

Over the years, death has sometimes come quickly to old friends, and I've felt the pain and dilemma of not returning a phone call as I would have liked to, but didn't; not being able to say a proper good-bye in life; being upset, or undone, or unresolved from the last conversation, then feeling the loss of that end. With Cozy, I felt we had the perfect ending conversation. We talked from the heart. In hindsight, our conversation seems gift-like, fitting perfectly into the great order of things. Cozy died about ten days after he and I spoke, maybe sooner, I'm not sure.

OK. Drum students - listen to this man. Check out the band Rainbow. Listen to "Stargazer." Cozy is a master. Listen to the top of the song - that's Cozy Powell playing. Discover this giant of Rock drumming. He lives forever on records and in our hearts.

Thanks, Coze - nice work.

--Bill

Cozy Powell

Tomorrow (Saturday the 5th) is the 10th Anniversary of the death of Cozy Powell. There's no good words to discuss that, so I'll just put a short remark up here..

Cozy sought me out in 1997 to do a website for him. The shock of sitting at work and getting a phone call from England from Cozy Powell himself was quite a big one for me. A moment I'll never forget.

Check out this video I found from Brian May from April 1998 to Cozy. Has one of the better tracks Cozy has ever drummed on, "Resurrection", from Brian's solo album "Back to the Light".

I'll have some more materials and tributes up in the next couple of days. I would have had more up on time, but a personal tragedy in my life has distracted me, and kept me from prepping for this.

Rumors

I heard a few interesting rumors in the last few days or so, and wanted to pass them on.

What I've read tells me that there's going to be a big cool tour in the fall, that being Heaven & Hell will be touring with Judas Priest & Motorhead. When I read about this, I immediately checked with band management, and as usual, they didn't have anything to say about rumors, but if this is true.. Oh man.. I saw Sabbath with Motorhead several times in the mid 90's when Tony Martin was the frontman. I saw Priest a few times in the 80's, and again on Ozzfest 2004. If this comes off, it's going to be one heck of a tour! Where they'll play I haven't heard anything about, but these things tend to come off in the US a lot.

I also heard rumors of some live dates during the summer, but I don't know if it's the same rumor as the Motorhead/Priest one, a different one, or just BS.

But it appears something is going on, and I have to imagine they're into writing the new album by now. I haven't had much to say lately, but this might be why.

Now I just need to get through my pile of emails and get caught up before more live dates get announced.

UPDATE: I found this text over at Ronnie James Dio's site, which has some detail on the writing, which is underway. Nice to see that.

If you've been wondering what Ronnie is up to, wonder, no longer: After taking some well-deserved time off after last year's monster Heaven and Hell world tour, Ronnie will be heading off to the UK in March to begin writing the new Heaven and Hell record with the guys. Tony Iommi will then travel to LA to reunite with Ronnie, Geezer and Vinny to continue working on the record during April and May.

Then, Ronnie will take a break during the summer to play a few special up close and personal dates for the Dio fans.

UPDATE: Rob Halford of Judas Priest all but confirms this on this story I just read.

Heaven & Hell Artwork

I received this email awhile back from Sabbath fan Eric Goldberg, and it's sat in the dark recesses of my inbox for ages. In going through email tonight, I saw it, and thought I'd bring it up now. Thanks Eric, and sorry for the delay.

I'm not sure if you know or are interested, but the image of the Angels fighting on the front of the "Angel War" Heaven and Hell shirt that says on the back "The closer you get to the meaning, the sooner you'll know that you're dreaming" is taken from a famous image from an illustration of Milton's "Paradise Lost" by Gustave Dore, a French artist who lived in the middle of the 19th century. (As a side note, Dore lived a little over 200 years after Milton, and is famous for also illustrating Dante's "Divine Comedy" and Poe's "The Raven".)

The H&H shirt is pretty close to the original (much closer in fact than Sabbath's "Eternal Idol" cover was to Rodin's sculpture). See below for a comparison:

In case you are interested, you can see more of Dore's images on the web if you Google him, but here are a few sites you may find interesting:

• http://dore.artpassions.net/
• http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/dore/
• Milton's Paradise Lost
• Dore's Illustrations for Paradise Lost

Black Sabbath: The Dio Years MVI Version now available

I got some info sent my way today for something I didn't even know existed. It's an MVI version of "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years". Since I've never heard of this until today, I'll copy straight from the Rhino website on the release. They describe it better than I could. :) I do have a copy coming my way from the record label, once I get a chance to look at it, I'll post a review for you to check out.

MVI is an innovative DVD-based music format that, in addition to offering all the benefits of an audio disc, delivers leading-edge video and interactive extras, plus a one-click capability to save digital music files onto a hard drive. Choice video content on BLACK SABBATH - THE DIO YEARS (MVI) includes footage of live performances of “Neon Nights” and “Die Young” from 1980 and a promo clip for 1992's “TV Crimes.” The MVI Disc also features the URTone ringtone application and ringtones for “Heaven And Hell” and “The Mob Rules,” plus a photo gallery, buddy icons, wallpapers, weblinks/ROM and a complete booklet PDF.

You can read more about the release over at the Rhino website here. If you'd like to order one, Amazon.com has them available for sale now.