With a new Mk 1 album in the works

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

….I thought it would be fun and topical to see what people's thoughts on The Devil You Know are two years and a half years after it's release - well after the initial excitement caused by a new Sabbath album.

Here's my view on the album, song by song:

Atom & Evil
- The album has been often labeled as a “grower”, and this song certainly falls into that category with me. I wasn't too crazy about it in the beginning and thought it wasn't a fitting opener for the album, but now it's one of my favorite tracks on it. I like the somewhat progressive structure of the song, the intro and the first verse have a doomy and menacing atmosphere, but with the second verse the atmosphere turns into a more mournful direction with the change of the vocal melody and the nice guitar passage rolling beneath it. Overall it's very well written and arranged and the band's performance is top notch. I also give plus for the juicy bass slides

Fear
- A song I've like from the minute I heard that massive main riff, and probably the second best song ofn the album. When I first heard it I remember thinking “this album will be great”. I had only heard Bible Black before the album's release, so I had no idea what the album would be like. Appice get's a lot of shit from his performance on TDYK, but in this song he delivers. I love how he follows the riff in the intro with drums. A small detail that improves the song a lot.

Bible Black
- A master piece. This has the classic evil Sabbath groove. The intro is one of the best acoustic stuff Iommi has ever written, and numerous fantastic riffs and classy soloing. Iommi at his finest. Couple that with the best vocal performance of the album, great story and a fantastic arrangement and you have a song that rivals any classic song from the band.

Double The Pain
- A good more uptempo tune and probably one of the catchier songs on TDYK. I often find myself humming the vocal melodies. Great bass intro by Geezer, and overall a solid song. I just lately noticed the acoustic guitar in the pre-chorus which adds a nice touch.

Rock & Roll Angel
- A song that I didn't initially like aside of the brilliant solo section and the “Perfect strangers in the dark” segment. But it has grown on me more and more as time has passed by. Now I think it's one of the absolute highlights of the album. The acoustic work show's Iommi's versatility and fits the song perfectly. And I must give points from the intro, which really surprised me when I first heard it. It's somewhat reminiscent of the way After Forever starts. But I still don't like the chorus, it sounds forced and awkward and doesn't really fit the song.

Turn Of The Screw
- Album's worst track, and one of the most boring songs this line-up has made. It sounds more like DIO than Sabbath. I pretty much always skip this one.

Eating The Cannibals
- A song I absolutely loved when the album first came out. I still think it's a very good track, but I don't think it's the elite of the album anymore. A nice uptempo, even a bit upbeat, song with witty lyrics. Brings a nice change to the album's feell.

Follow The Tears
- A fan favorite, and for a good reason. That atmospheric intro worked well in a live situation and really fired up the crowd. This is a song that makes you want to break shit and fist pump. Lyrically it's the best cut of the album. I think this song would have become a staple in the live sets.

Neverwhere
- A good high octane track with wonderful riffing by Iommi. The only negative aspect is the lyrics, which are probably the weakest of the album.

Breaking Into Heaven
- A majestic piece. I love it now, but I didn't really get into it initially. This song has some of the best vocal melodies on the album, the pre-chorus and the chorus itself are particularly good. It's a well arranged epic piece and a fitting end to the album. My only gripe is the main riff, which is surprisingly unimaginative. Yes, I said it. Iommi has made a riff that doesn't live up to the standards of the rest of the song

The performances of Geezer, Dio and Iommi are awe-inspiring as usual, and the song writing is strong. Appice's performance is good enough, but it is true that his playing is unimaginative in some tracks. But he does some nice little thing's inside the songs that some may not notice, and certainly has his strong moments on TDYK too. He has never been a really bombastic drummer who thinks outside the box, but those little thing's he does are enough to make his performance satisfying.

The production is unfortunately very typical for this age, with the overall sound being too muddy to my liking. I really hope that the upcoming album won't suffer from this modern day “plague”. But I like that Geezer's bass is really upfront. And the tone of the individual band members is incredible though: that unmistakeable roar of Iommi's guitar, Geezer's groovy and full sounding bass, Dio's always magical vocals, and despite of them being so low in the mix, the BIG sound of Appice's drums. It's just that the overall sound scape isn't clear enough.

All in all it's a fantastic album that has managed to peak my interest even after getting over the initial hype. To put things in perspective, I'd say I nowadays rate it higher than Dehumanizer, and I love that album too. It's more than a fitting end to one of the two classic Sabbath line-ups, and an album that doesn't have to shame in the company of it's predecessors.

Now to wait how Mk 1 will continue their legacy...

[celt]

Dio-era Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) is my favorite band of all time; I like them even more than Sabbath Mk I. I really like TDYK and still listen to it at least every other week. I think it could have been better. I think they should have brought somebody in to produce it, someone with the gonads to tell them if something is crap and to forget it, or if something is good but needs more work. I heard Ronnie tell a story about how Martin Birch pushed them on a lot of songs on their first two albums together, that a lot of times they thought they were done with a particular song and Martin would make them work on it, and work on it. There are a few song on TDYK that perhaps could have used that kind of persistence. Nonetheless, TDYK is an extremely strong album. Bible Black, Follow the Tears and Breaking Into Heaven are some real gems and I never tire of hearing them.

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

Dio-era Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) is my favorite band of all time; I like them even more than Sabbath Mk I. I really like TDYK and still listen to it at least every other week. I think it could have been better. I think they should have brought somebody in to produce it, someone with the gonads to tell them if something is crap and to forget it, or if something is good but needs more work. I heard Ronnie tell a story about how Martin Birch pushed them on a lot of songs on their first two albums together, that a lot of times they thought they were done with a particular song and Martin would make them work on it, and work on it. There are a few song on TDYK that perhaps could have used that kind of persistence. Nonetheless, TDYK is an extremely strong album. Bible Black, Follow the Tears and Breaking Into Heaven are some real gems and I never tire of hearing them.

Your post reflects my feelings on the album and Sabbath in general perfectly. I really think they should have used a professional producer to bring and outside perspective to the song writing, mixing and such. It could have provided the extra push to make the album even better.

[Josef_K]

I wrote a review on this album on "rateyourmusic.com" not too long ago:

Given the age of these musicians, this is a very impressive album. I like the production, the themes and atmosphere. It is looking ahead in time, doesn't stick the the "good old sound" but as Ronnie Dio mentions in an interview on why the album turned out like it is "Well, it hasn't been a very happy world for a long long time". Sounds like Dehumanizer right there. And actually it is, the same vibe lies over this album as with Dehumanizer, but it is still not consciously looking back and trying to be Dehumanizer. It is still reflecting the true feelings of the artists involved. Song by song now:

Atom and Evil: Almost too much of a cliché title for some, but this song is amazing. The riffs are classic Iommi-ish, Ronnie's vocals are powerful as are his lyrics, the drum and bass sound is thunder as always. A very powerful song. 4/5

Fear: Hell yeah. I REALLY like this riff. Also contains one of the best lyric lines off the album: "We ran until we found we had the power, illuminate the world and make it burn". Also extremely powerful. 4,5/5

Bible Black: The single off the album. Really strong stuff here, the classic structure with the soft acoustic intro going into a thunderous riff and a real metal song "Children of the Sea" style. Not as good as Children of the Sea though. 4/5

Double The Pain: I think Geezer came up with this riff. Some extremely good lyrics from Mr. Dio here, excellent thundering bass etc etc. 4/5

Rock and Roll Angel: The riff in the verses kind of remind me of "I" off Dehumanizer. The song isn't really as good as the others at first, I would give it a 3,5/5 if it wasn't for the acoustic parts, those are golden. 4/5.

The Turn of the Screw: "Onto the next one..." I've always been weak for songs dealing with insanity, such as Pink Floyds "Brain Damage" and David Bowie's "All the Madmen". This one isn't as good as them, but it's a fine song. 4/5

Eating the Cannibals: Not really a typical Iommi riff, it is kind of... bouncy... but it works good. Some very interesting lyrics here from Dio, but as a whole maybe the song isn't the most innovative in structure or soundscape. 3,5/5

Follow the Tears: Must be the DARKEST song off the album. The lyrics get even darker, the riff gets darker, they add Church Organ. I mean, how can you possibly go wrong? My personal favorite off the album, this is the shit. 4,5/5

Neverwhere: Has a Dio (the band) feel to it, which isn't a bad thing. Also here Iommi's riff tends to be a bit "bouncy", but I like this one a lot. 4/5

Breaking into Heaven: Some of the best melodies on the album are found here. The lyrics hold up to the rest of the material, really interesting stuff. Not the first song you think of and get hooked at from first second, but it's good. 3,5/5

None of the songs are BRILLIANT, MINDBLOWING and SHOULD BE REMEMBERED FOR ALL TIME. I really want them to be remembered, but I have to be honest and say that they have done much better music together before. Still, as I said, this is more than impressive for a 65+ bunch of dudes. They must be Gods or something...

So yeah, it's a really good album, but I'm not sure whether it beats my least favorite Sabbath album (Never Say Die) or not. It's definitely up there with the greatest band that has ever existed but... I don't know, Black Sabbath never ever seem to put out weak material, it's just a matter of what you feel like listening to at the moment that decides what is better, that's my experience :D

[mds]

A solid album and one that I listen to frequently. Bible Black and Follow The Tears are among the best this line-up ever produced and would have been staples in the set list for years to come had Ronnie remained with us.

[Monster Boy]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

[profusion]

I find myself still enjoying this album after two years, though I don't listen to it as much as Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules. It has its place in the Sabbath canon. My main problem with it is the same one I had when it was released: not enough uptempo songs or even mid-tempo chuggers. Too much of a dirge throughout. I guess that's just what they were into writing at the time. They said at the time that they didn't go into it with any preconceptions.

[Josef_K]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

You seem to have a habit of being the only person who bothers to tell others which albums you dislike ^^ same with the Tony Martin era albums. I appreciate that though, just like I myself think of TDYK as the "worst" Dio-era album you seem to do so as well. Only difference is that you are maybe not as into the Dio-era of Sabbath as I am. I won't return to our discussion of what is laughable lyrics though, so I will let that comment remain unchallanged

[lukehatton]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

You've obviously never listened to Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die. "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)"??? What's that about? A transvestite becoming president of the United States? What??? "Johnny Blade" has the line: "Well, you know that Johnny's a spider." Come on, you don't think that's laughable. The Mk1 era is littered with lyrics just as bad: Am I Going Insane, Rock N Roll Doctor, Fairies Wear Boots, Swinging The Chain are all pretty dreadful, laughable lyrics. The last few Ozzy-Iommi songs, Psycho Man, Selling My Soul, are nothing special. In fact they sound more like Osbourne solo songs, rather than Sabbath songs.

Osbourne solo is no better. Didn't he have a song about paying the gas bill? Oh, I forgot, Ozzy didn't write that.

[nunoni]

TDYK is a fantastic last offering by Dio/Sabbath.

That said, a new MK I is a very exciting prospect, and a fitting wat for Black Sabbath to end their career, back to where they started.

[Axeman77]

Great album, as is the others, could never find a fault in any of the Sabbath catalogue except maybe "Breakout" from NSD. But this is incredible, Atom & Evil is a perfect opener, couldn't be anywhere else on the album, Breaking into heaven one of my favs to, great album . RIP Ronnie.

[Ochlocracy]

I also like this album. I basically agree with your opinion in all the songs except Double the Pain, which I still find a little too long.

[Josef_K]

You've obviously never listened to Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die. "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)"??? What's that about? A transvestite becoming president of the United States? What??? "Johnny Blade" has the line: "Well, you know that Johnny's a spider." Come on, you don't think that's laughable. The Mk1 era is littered with lyrics just as bad: Am I Going Insane, Rock N Roll Doctor, Fairies Wear Boots, Swinging The Chain are all pretty dreadful, laughable lyrics. The last few Ozzy-Iommi songs, Psycho Man, Selling My Soul, are nothing special. In fact they sound more like Osbourne solo songs, rather than Sabbath songs.

Osbourne solo is no better. Didn't he have a song about paying the gas bill? Oh, I forgot, Ozzy didn't write that.

It never occurred to you that Monster Boy doesn't even mention MK1 sabbath in his post? You don't have to be a fan of TE and NSD to dislike TDYK you know, there isn't a restriction of a certain amount of albums you have to like to become a member of this site Also, it never occurred to you that people have different opinions on what is laughable lyrics? I see an obvious pattern in Monster Boy's comments that he seems to dislike when lyrics get too dramatic. I myself deeply disagree and instead dislike lyrics that take things too lightly or debate topics that I think are shallow and/or uninteresting. So no, you can't say that it is good to sing about "Illuminating the world to make it burn" just because it is bad to sing about that "you know that Johnny's a spider", it doesn't work that way. And to bring up Ozzy solo projects, what were you thinking pal? ^^

My main point here is that I think Monster Boy does just right when he says his clear opinion on the album without saying how it relates to other albums, no matter if he likes those or not. I have myself experienced that when you compare a band's albums to each other all the time you are easily blinded, and a good way to get perspective on things is to try to take things out of their context and analyse it as if it was the new "Coldplay" album or whatever, just to get a clearer picture. I won't repeat my own opinion on the album, it is posted earlier in this thread. Peace :D

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

No worries, I think it's only positive when people give their honest, unashamed opinion on things.

[KHH]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

I feel pretty much the same way. Iommi almost making parodies of his own earlier riffs and Dio barking at the mic.

(On a side note: together with the lame efforts by Ozzy the last decade or so it does not really raise the hopes for the upcoming Black Sabbath album...)

[jacksabbath]

i think you have to take all albums in context. 3 quarters of the band are over 60, and iommi and geezer have been in the game for 40 years. with that in account, the album is incredible. its not as good as H&H or mob rules, but i never expected it to be. rock and roll angel and turn of the screw i admit bore me, and could have been swapped for a neon knights style song or two. but atom and evil, fear, bible black and neverwhere can stand right up there with classic dio sabbath. different feel to 30 years ago but of course it is, theyre not going to stand still. i like the sludge like production i think it complements the album really well. Great album.

[jestor92]

I thought it was an alright album. Follow the Tears and Bible Black are standout tracks IMO, Fear and Breaking Into Heaven are next tier of solid tracks. The rest of the album is just kind of meh for me.

[H&H]

I was very excited when the CD came out, and 2 + years later, I feel the same way. It is Ronnie's Swan Song, and IMO it is fitting his career ended with Black Sabbath, as this is where he rose to true fame. This album is very dark, sludgy and doomy. What one would expect of a Black Sabbath record. It was my favorite Dio era CD, but over time, it is still great, but H&H and Mob Rules still trump it, but not by much.

Atom & Evil: A track I always liked, but it has grown into my 2nd favorite track on the album. The drum intro is fantastic. Very doomy and sludgy track. I wish they had played this song live on the TDYK tour. 5/5

Fear: Very good song that was AWESOME live. 5/5

Bible Black: It's been called corny and cheesy, but it's all Dio Sabbath. Classic tune, great hooks and riffs in this one. 5/5

Double The Pain: My 2nd least favorite track on the album, but hey it's still Dio Sabbth, so its good. Loved Geezer's description about this on the Hanging with Heaven and Hell DVD, I do not recall it word for word, but when asked what the song was about, he said laundry detergent...LOL

Rock and Roll Angel: I liked this song a lot when I fist got the record, then over time, all I could hear was twinkle twinkle little star in the chorus. This is my least favorite track on the CD. The bass intro makes this song IMO 3/5

The Turn of the Screw: The pace picks up, and this track does a good job. 4/5

Eating the Cannibals: Like the song in general, just the content of the lyrics are a bit strange. Ronnie inducing some politics into his lyrics in true Dio fashion. 4/5

Follow the Tears: Another track I liked a great deal and then I saw it live. Outstanding live song, and the delivery from DIO was out of this world. 5/5

Neverwhere: Good fast tempo track. Many feel that there should have been more like this one on the CD, that there were too many "slow" songs. Maybe one more faster track added in earlier would have been OK, heck even move turn of the screw to track 2 would have been fine with me. I agree with what was said above, this does sound more like a DIO band song, than Black Sabbath. 4/5

Breaking into Heaven: The final song in Ronnie's Black Sabbath legacy. This is the song that grabbed me on my first listen of this CD, and to this day, it is still my favorite track on the CD. It is in the vain of "Sign of the Southern Cross" and "Children of the Sea." Something in the lyrics hooked me from day one. I just personally love everything about this song. Again, this is a song I would have loved to see them play live. Well deserving of being in the set. 10/5 (LOL)

This CD is a fantastic set of music that is deserving of the Black Sabbath name, and if not for all of the legal mumbo jumbo, should have been. This is after all "The Devil You Know." Heaven and Hell was a great name for this band, and again, this is a wonderful way for the Dio era to go out.

[Never Satisfied]

You've obviously never listened to Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die. "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)"??? What's that about? A transvestite becoming president of the United States? What??? "Johnny Blade" has the line: "Well, you know that Johnny's a spider." Come on, you don't think that's laughable. The Mk1 era is littered with lyrics just as bad: Am I Going Insane, Rock N Roll Doctor, Fairies Wear Boots, Swinging The Chain are all pretty dreadful, laughable lyrics. The last few Ozzy-Iommi songs, Psycho Man, Selling My Soul, are nothing special. In fact they sound more like Osbourne solo songs, rather than Sabbath songs.

Osbourne solo is no better. Didn't he have a song about paying the gas bill? Oh, I forgot, Ozzy didn't write that.

Shitting all over TE and NSD as well as Ozzy in general does Nothing to improve the quality of the Devil You Know. I'm sure you had good intentions but your post has failed.

[scorpio 2000]

I was very excited when the CD came out, and 2 + years later, I feel the same way. It is Ronnie's Swan Song, and IMO it is fitting his career ended with Black Sabbath, as this is where he rose to true fame. This album is very dark, sludgy and doomy. What one would expect of a Black Sabbath record. It was my favorite Dio era CD, but over time, it is still great, but H&H and Mob Rules still trump it, but not by much.

Atom & Evil: A track I always liked, but it has grown into my 2nd favorite track on the album. The drum intro is fantastic. Very doomy and sludgy track. I wish they had played this song live on the TDYK tour. 5/5

Fear: Very good song that was AWESOME live. 5/5

Bible Black: It's been called corny and cheesy, but it's all Dio Sabbath. Classic tune, great hooks and riffs in this one. 5/5

Double The Pain: My 2nd least favorite track on the album, but hey it's still Dio Sabbth, so its good. Loved Geezer's description about this on the Hanging with Heaven and Hell DVD, I do not recall it word for word, but when asked what the song was about, he said laundry detergent...LOL

Rock and Roll Angel: I liked this song a lot when I fist got the record, then over time, all I could hear was twinkle twinkle little star in the chorus. This is my least favorite track on the CD. The bass intro makes this song IMO 3/5

The Turn of the Screw: The pace picks up, and this track does a good job. 4/5

Eating the Cannibals: Like the song in general, just the content of the lyrics are a bit strange. Ronnie inducing some politics into his lyrics in true Dio fashion. 4/5

Follow the Tears: Another track I liked a great deal and then I saw it live. Outstanding live song, and the delivery from DIO was out of this world. 5/5

Neverwhere: Good fast tempo track. Many feel that there should have been more like this one on the CD, that there were too many "slow" songs. Maybe one more faster track added in earlier would have been OK, heck even move turn of the screw to track 2 would have been fine with me. I agree with what was said above, this does sound more like a DIO band song, than Black Sabbath. 4/5

Breaking into Heaven: The final song in Ronnie's Black Sabbath legacy. This is the song that grabbed me on my first listen of this CD, and to this day, it is still my favorite track on the CD. It is in the vain of "Sign of the Southern Cross" and "Children of the Sea." Something in the lyrics hooked me from day one. I just personally love everything about this song. Again, this is a song I would have loved to see them play live. Well deserving of being in the set. 10/5 (LOL)

This CD is a fantastic set of music that is deserving of the Black Sabbath name, and if not for all of the legal mumbo jumbo, should have been. This is after all "The Devil You Know." Heaven and Hell was a great name for this band, and again, this is a wonderful way for the Dio era to go out.

could not have said it better myself.

[RedZero]

Dio-era Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) is my favorite band of all time; I like them even more than Sabbath Mk I. I really like TDYK and still listen to it at least every other week. I think it could have been better. I think they should have brought somebody in to produce it, someone with the gonads to tell them if something is crap and to forget it, or if something is good but needs more work. I heard Ronnie tell a story about how Martin Birch pushed them on a lot of songs on their first two albums together, that a lot of times they thought they were done with a particular song and Martin would make them work on it, and work on it. There are a few song on TDYK that perhaps could have used that kind of persistence. Nonetheless, TDYK is an extremely strong album. Bible Black, Follow the Tears and Breaking Into Heaven are some real gems and I never tire of hearing them.

Dio Sabbath is also my favorite band ever. Hey, congrats on your post #555. Not a 666 but close enough.

[Drago]

For some reason I have never been able to really get into this record. I think Bible Black was amazing and best track by far on the record. To me, out of all of the Sabbath Dio fronted releases this one feels the most like a Dio solo release to me. I do like Dio solo but not like the first 3 Sabbath fronted albums he was on. I like it, I am not going to say it is an epic fail but I just think it is average for a Sabbath album. I don't find myself wanting to go back to listen to it often and surprisingly when I am done listening to the record I can't remember half the songs I just listened to.

I actually like Fused much more out of Tony's last two projects.

[MH1986]

I think it's a great album. Very solid from beginning to end with several tracks that are sure to be metal classics in the future. One of the finest metal albums released in the last 15 years. Only tracks I don't care for as much are Eating The Cannibals and Turn of The Screw and neither are bad tracks by any stretch of the imagination. Then again I love long epic metal songs and this album is chick full of them.

The more I listen to it the more I feel it has Iommi's finest soloing in it of his entire career. Every solo is killer. Some great metaphorical lyrics from Dio and some of Geezer's best playing as well. Not to mention the sludge hammer drumming from Appice. This album is the standard upon which metal should be made.

[Wall 666]

I love this album just as much now if not more than when released. I still listen to this album frequently - at least weekly.

Dio's lyrics were very good, Geezer really stamped his presence on the album and Tony did what he did best, pulled out some fantastic riffs and some excellent solo's. Standout tracks for me aside from the obvious Bible Black would be Turn of the Screw, Neverwhere, Follow the Tears and Breaking Into Heaven. I also love Eating The Cannibals.

The sound and production is excellent, much improved over Dehumizer (which is an otherwise excellent album). Vinnie's drums could be more interesting in the studio though - live at Wacken it is like a different drummer - far better. What does stand out to me is that this was a band having fun, truly enjoying playing together. Nothing sounds forced. It is sad that we will never see what the progression could have been with album number 2 under the Heaven & Hell banner. This album and final run made me wish they had dropped the Sabbath name from the start. I can undertsand why they didn't and why Tony kept the name alive but still, thats neither here nor there.

What made the album really shine for me was hearing the tracks live on the Wacken DVD/album. They evolved and grew wonderfully as any song should and critically for me did not sound out of place alongside the older material. I just wish more songs from the album were played and recorded live (not just a Wacken specifically). If they had done what Iron Maiden did with AMOLAD I would have been thrilled. To me the album is a good balance between Mob Rules and Dehumanizer.

I would have to say that it is my favourite Dio-era release just ahead of Dehumizer, Mob Rules and Heaven & Hell. All four albums score equally overall.

[Totentanz]

I really wanted to like TDYK, I mean REALLY, but ultimately I found it to be dull. I never really got into it, occasional efforts to do so ended up with me soon reaching for something else. And to be honest it made me a bit sad! I had been excited about what the album may bring.

Mob Rules is possibly my favourite album by anyone, closely followed by H&H, I've loved them since they came out, so I consider myself a big fan of Dio-Sabbath. For me TDYK was disappointing, looking back shows me how little impact this album had on me, and the main reason is the quality of the songs. For the record it rates far below other so-called weak albums, NSD, TE (both fabulous albums!), Seventh Star, Eternal Idol etc. I like it more than Forbidden and that's about it.

Not trying to be negative, just genuinely reflecting on the album. I'm honestly puzzled by rave reviews, it just doesn't seem to have anything to give it that wow-factor.

[hipster doofus]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

I really wanted to like TDYK, I mean REALLY, but ultimately I found it to be dull. I never really got into it, occasional efforts to do so ended up with me soon reaching for something else. And to be honest it made me a bit sad! I had been excited about what the album may bring.

Combine what these two have said and it reflects my feelings word for word. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so excited for an album release. I was disappointed the entire ride home with it in my cd player and have been ever since.

[Lord Necros]

I'll keep it short and the the point. First three songs excellent. Next four songs not so great (bordering on filler). Last three songs excellent...

[WheelsOfConfusion]

I really wanted to like TDYK, I mean REALLY, but ultimately I found it to be dull. I never really got into it, occasional efforts to do so ended up with me soon reaching for something else. And to be honest it made me a bit sad! I had been excited about what the album may bring.

Mob Rules is possibly my favourite album by anyone, closely followed by H&H, I've loved them since they came out, so I consider myself a big fan of Dio-Sabbath. For me TDYK was disappointing, looking back shows me how little impact this album had on me, and the main reason is the quality of the songs. For the record it rates far below other so-called weak albums, NSD, TE (both fabulous albums!), Seventh Star, Eternal Idol etc. I like it more than Forbidden and that's about it.

Not trying to be negative, just genuinely reflecting on the album. I'm honestly puzzled by rave reviews, it just doesn't seem to have anything to give it that wow-factor.

I was looking for another poster to quote that I agree on 100% and this is the one for me. TDYK is drab, not just by earlier Sabbath standards, but just as a stand alone rock album. I also rate it well below TE and NSD (which I happen to love) but better than Forbidden.

Look at it this way. Just consider how divisive TDYK is amongst us. Now consider how much less divisive is H&H and TMR. Consider also how many great tracks are generally accepted on TDYK-Bible Black. Whilst H&H and TMR are considered generally to have a number of great tracks on each one. Look also at sales. I can go into large HiFi stores where the Ozzy albums are all in stock plus H&H and TMR but not TDYK.

And please don't get me started with that dreadful cover art. Just so cliched. I'm tired or devils and crosses and skulls and the like. What about Sabbath pursuing dark and haunted themes that are more relevant to todays's listeners? What about enviromental apocalypse and global destruction, famine, pestilence, war and the such? Things that Sabbath actually touched on in the Ozzy era and are even more relevant today?

I hope Sabbath go back to their roots with the Mk1 lineup. From songs and themes to awesome riffs and solos, time changes in songs, perhaps an instrumental, and covers not just about Satan and his angels. There's plenty of darkness in the world today for Sabbath to explore without having to regurtitate the darkness of Medieval Europe.

[MH1986]

Around where I live the stores have TDYK but rarely much else in the way of sabbath except for some greatest hits albums and the occasional copy of paranoid or seventh star (go figure) lol.

[PunkSabbath]

I like the album, and i'm really happy I saw this line up live, although it was before they released the album. I was too skint for that tour. I saved enough for the next, but as we know sadly that tour never happened
I defo prefer Mob Rules and Dehumanizer. There's too many a song that don't say nothing to me like The Turn of The Screw, Double the Pain, R'N'R Angel (worst song of the LP) and Eating The Cannibals. Even Bible Black , i like but it's got a riff that seems to be recycled from Cross Purposes Virtual Death (not a good song on my opinion).
Said that, Breaking Into Heaven (love the lyrics), Atom and Evil, Fear (main riff is best riff of the LP) are great great songs, a to a lesser extend Follow the Tears and Neverwhere too.
Sounds wise a bit too clean for my tastes, but powerful it is.
Amen

[Paulie 88]

I like it just as much now as I did then - The only disappointment for me is that there *are* a couple tracks which would be far-better suited to Dio (the band) than Sabbath. Then again, I still say Magica is the best Sabbath album Sabbath never made.

All the best,
PAULIE

[PunkSabbath]

[QUOTE=WheelsOfConfusion;275582] What about enviromental apocalypse and global destruction, famine, pestilence, war and the such? Things that Sabbath actually touched on in the Ozzy era and are even more relevant today?

I think J R Dio lyrics on TDYK can interpreted in a rather political way.
Like Atom And Evel is about the technological world we live in today, that's killing us. And that people have to unite to fight against it ("Maybe if we cry together, maybe if we cry as one.....")
Or Breaking Into Heaven where the dispossessed arise to take back what is rightfully theirs from the rich. visions of violent insurrection are evoked against what was once considered sacred. Look at the recent London riots for a real life reference. And there's riots all the time around the world as people are fed up.
A similar meaning can be given to Eating The Cannibals
I don't know, maybe its only me. But Dio always said you can read his lyrics and different things in them anyway...

[dioisgod]

to me i love it now as much as i loved it when it came out, it is one of the better albums of the 2000s it could have fit perfectly between master of reality and vol 4

[Ala]

I've always liked this album. Very much, in fact. It would have been a good and honorable farewell if they didn't release another album.

[Formerly Riffs]

I'm torn on this album.

I have to start by saying I find TDYK one of the most powerful sounding album by these guys (together or apart) in quite a while. I also have to credit them for coming up with very heavy stuff. And when compared to the insipid crap that passes as metal these days, it's cool to see a bunch of sexagenarians could rise above most metal bands. But that might be like saying "my girlfriend is much prettier than Rosie O'Donnell". Whoopty fucking doo.

I absolutely don't mind the slower pace of the album. My problem is that virtually nothing happens during the songs. They are incredibly formulaic. Slightly cool intros and a bunch of uninspired verses and choruses. There's no experimentation, nothing interesting or adventurous in the music structures. Also, it can't be stated often enough how much Vinnie Appice sucks. The guy has been creatively dead since 1982. He just plods along. Sabbath have sorely missed the creative drumming of Bill Ward. They need a guy like Dave Turncrantz, not a human metronome. With such an awful drummer, Geezer has nothing to work with, so you end up with a neutered rhythm section. I think Iommi underestimates the impact this can have on crafting great tunes, no matter how much of a riff wiz he is.

So anyways, I think they did their best to keep the real spirit of Dio-Sabbath but it's still the weakest from that lineup. It sounds like they tried and I give them props for that. But the magic of tracks like Sign of the Southern Cross, Die Young, Computer God etc... is just not there.

[StVitus]

the devil you know is one of the heaviest dio sabbath albums, sounds like the new tracks on the dio years and the devil you know could go together

[TheElfoid]

I felt the new songs on The Dio Years showed a tighter level of songcraft, while the main thing The Devil You Know had going for it was a seriously nice, brutal production. But I do think it was a little singular in its desire to batter you over the head with riffs. One of the most "metal" Sabbath albums ever, but lacking the eclecticism of their past efforts - by which I mean all past Sabbath catalogue, not just the Dio era. It felt like a collection of heavy songs that worked well together, but it was a less rounded listening experience.

[sidsel_roine]

A dull album that I have never made it through start to finish because I always fall asleep or get bored and go do something else. The first time I heard Bible Black was a LOL moment, over dramatic, formulaic, blah. That song grew on me a bit, I don't mind it now. But the rest seems like the same thing over and over.

Sorry to spoil the party here, but this is my honest opinion on the album. Unimaginative, uninspired, dull, one unoriginal, flatulant mood from start to finish, laughable lyrics. The playing is good, the sound is good, Dio's voice not what it once was but still decent, but the best performance in the world will not save tedious songs.

I would use the word "safe" instead of uninspired. It was exactly what the line-up promised to deliver: A big wall of sound with those monolithic Iommi riffs, backed by Vinny's big plodding drums. Geezer's playing was good, and Dio could sing a phone book and I'd be all in.

I always like to see a few curveballs thrown on any given album, take a risk on a couple of tracks, you know. But this was just a scorching fastball, you knew it was coming. Still an enjoyable album for all that, but I think it's a distant fourth in the Dio-Era Sabbath/H&H discog.

[-V-]

I like TDYK more now then I did when it came out. My first impression of it was "wow this is slow"... The DIo era in my mind always had an uptempo almost NWOBHM vibe to it and the Ozzy stuff was more doomy and gloomy (at least albums 1-4). So it was an unusual listen for me at first. These days I appreciate it much more, maybe because it's the last full length studio set from Ronnie. At any rate Fear, FOllow the Tears and Bible Black are all awesome tracks. A few more faster cuts in place of some of the slower numbers would have been better though.