Heaven and Hell - Live In Newcastle

Heaven and Hell - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle:
There is a school of thought that suggests that the definitive Black Sabbath is not the one with the brummie singer but the one containing that other bloke, you know, the one who is obsessed by dragons and wizards. Leaving such debates aside let’s consider the facts:

Tony Iommi invented the metal riff and by being the prime creative driving force in Black Sabbath he can justifiably lay claim to being the key innovator in the whole genre. Geezer Butler has a sound and style all of his own and is without a doubt one of the greatest ever hard rock bass players. With his lyrics, he also developed a template for what metal bands would sing about: the dark arts, war, science fiction and religious dogma, amongst many other subjects. Vinnie Appice is the wild card here but when we consider his lineage in rock drumming (his brother, Carmine pre dates John Bonham as one of the first powerhouses of rock drumming) and the fact that he has played with this era of Sabbath more than Bill Ward and that he is in fact a far superior time keeper (for the record I love Bill Ward), his place in things seems not only assured but absolutely essential.

A quick recap: On one side of the stage we have the inventor of Heavy Metal, the most long lasting and durable of all music genres, the one style of music that has kept the industry going in times both good and bad. On the other side of the stage you have a brilliant bass player who, coupled with a drummer of outstanding pedigree, is going to bring a rhythmic intensity to the stage that is among the best. So all we need now is a singer to complete this picture. Let’s not beat around the bush, there are probably four singers in the history of the whole genre who bestride it like no other. Rob Halford, the man who took metal screams to a new level, the master artist, a man who takes singing to shakespearean levels. Bruce Dickinson, his tone may not be to all tastes but his athletism makes him the consummate metal frontman and his voice has turned an east end NWOBHM band into the second biggest the genre has ever seen. Klaus Meine, a controversial choice perhaps but his melodic edge and his ability to deliver ballads without peer make him one of the greats. His durability and fitness are also first rate as he’s been making albums for 35 years.

However, there is one man who bestrides all this. A man who, at times, has been mocked for his style, for his beliefs and for not being that brummie bloke but as I said let’s not beat around the bush because Ronnie James Dio, at a sprightly 65 years of age, is the greatest metal singer ever. So now let us consider the facts: An awesome rhythm section of such power that songs of the caliber of Sign of the Southern Cross, Shadow of the Wind and Computer God will shake the very foundations to the core. A guitarist, who by virtue of a terrible accident, picked himself up and dusted himself down and not only achieved his goal of turning professional but by virtue of his disability re wrote the rule book and created some of the most devastating music of the 20th century.

Tonight he grinds out the classic staples of middle period metal: Children of the Sea, Voodoo, Neon Knights and the incendiary Heaven and Hell. He stands alone on stage, the creator made god by virtue of the fact that he thought of it before anyone else. And finally on vocals, the magician reborn, the wizard reclaimed from his own cursed metal earth. From the opener Mob Rules to the chugging intensity of I, the raw emotion of Die Young and the impassioned pleas of Falling off the Edge of the World he commands the stage like the returning king, never again to be toppled by fleeting trends that are not fit to wear his crown.

The stage set and light show are of the highest order and the sound is without doubt the best ever heard in this particular arena. The reviewer is in all too fleeting ecstacy, soon to be depressed by the realisation that we shall never see the like again. As the show ends we go home, safe in the knowledge that metal justice has been served. Previously and wrongfully condemned men have been given reprieve and their place in the history of rock has been assured.

And just for the record, I do love the double O. It’s just that there is rock n roll and there is sheer class and that was what we got tonight: 24 carat metal heaven (and hell).