DIO, Iommi,Butler and Ward to tour as "Heaven and hell"?

[Mr Badguy]

According to Blabbermouth.net there are rumours that Ronnie JamesDio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward will play some major festival shows next summer billed as "Heaven and hell", the name of the classic album they recorded as members of Black Sabbath.

They cannot bill themselves as Black Sabbath for "legal reasons", which I assume is that Ozzy Osbourne probably owns the name in a deal cut before the original bands reunion (way to go, Sharon).

This will probably be in promotion of the "Black Sabbath:The Dio Years" which is soon to be released and contains new Dio/Iommi compositions as well as material from the classics "Heaven and hell", "Mob Rules", "Dehumanizer" and the much maligned "Live eviL".

Source: www.blabbermouth.net

[DrMaddVibe]

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

[Coyote]

'Alleluja! Hopefully there're tour dates for Funland on the horizon...

[bastardog]

That would be the best reunion tour of the last 10 years (maybe more)

[Matt White]

Sign me up.......................

[Panamark]

I wonder if the new songs were meant for Ozzy ??
Something to ponder...

[DrMaddVibe]

I'd heard the had a lot of older songs that they never released leftover from the Heaven and Mob sessions.

Lemme google and see...

[DrMaddVibe]

Heaven & Hell Rising in 2007?
File this story under the "very interesting rumour" department...

I've gotten quite a few emails about this subject today, and I wasn't planning on saying anything quite yet, but the fact that I keep getting emails has prompted me into saying something.

There is a story running today that claims that Ronnie James Dio, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, & Tony Iommi are going to be touring in 2007 under the moniker of "Heaven & Hell". First off, let me copy the article verbatim, and then I'll have a few remarks about it:

Madrid, Spain-based webzine Rafabasa is reporting that former BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward will rejoin forces once again under the HEAVEN & HELL banner for a number of festival appearances next summer.
According to Rafabasa, the four members cannot tour under the name BLACK SABBATH or "BLACK SABBATH with Ronnie James Dio" due to legal reasons.

No tour dates have yet been confirmed, but the band's booking agent is allegedly offering the group to the promoters of the most important heavy metal festivals that are set to take place next year.

If the report is to be believed, HEAVEN & HELL will play a set consisting of selections from every single SABBATH CD that Ronnie James Dio appeared on: "Heaven & Hell", "Mob Rules" and "Dehumanizer".

In an August 16, 2006 appearance on the syndicated radio show "Rockline", Dio had the following to say about the possibility of further collaborations with BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi:

"We've already written one [new] song together. The reason for that is that there's a release coming out, it's called 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years' — they've already done one, of course, 'Black Sabbath: The Ozzy Years'; that was the beginning and, really, the best part of it all — but they've decided to do one, again, 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years', and we wanted to make it a little but more special, not just give you things you've not heard from a live perspective. These are two things you'll never hear again — two new songs. We are going to do that. It's been fun already. The one we've done — the one that I've done with Tony has been really wonderful — just great to realize how magnificent a player he was. You forget that after 10 years at a time that you don't work with someone. So we are gonna be doing that. And I hope you'll like it. I think it'll be great."

On the rumors of him possibly rejoining BLACK SABBATH, Dio said, "There's always rumors about everything — about a RAINBOW reunion, about a BLACK SABBATH reunion. Our purpose was to do this because we wanted to have this product be a bit more special than anything else — not just, 'Here's a live track you've never heard before.' I mean, that's cool, but I'm sure people have heard that. We wanted to do something a bit more special, so the whole band would write and play these songs, and… They've wanted to hear them long enough, so here they are. But it's not anything that we've talked about leading to anything other than that. No, it's for that project."


A few remarks by me on all this:

Today was not the first time I had heard these rumours. Running this site I hear all kinds of things, and generally I tend to discount them - but this one had some more weight to it, so I decided to do some poking around on my own. While I can't get anyone to officially say anything about this, it does seem to have the air of an authentic story to me. Heck, I can't get any official word about who is even playing on the new tracks for the Dio Years set, besides Iommi & Dio. One would hope it's the same four guys (Iommi/Butler/Ward/Dio), but I can't get official confirmation of that one, either.

So it's known that the Dio Years box set is happening. When - who knows, although I would imagine sooner rather than later. What the contents of the set are is also officially unknown. I've been hearing some rumours about specific content, but I don't really want to spread any more FUD about that issue, so I'll leave that out for now. Suffice it to say if what I heard is true, fans will really like it.

The other issue I wanted to say something about was the bit about legally not being able to call themselves Black Sabbath. A few points about this.. Ronnie has stated on many interviews and on his website that he would not be rejoining Black Sabbath. Assuming you take that as true, the rumour I heard that it was a choice to call themselves Heaven & Hell and not Black Sabbath should be taken as correct. The other side to that is the ownership of "Black Sabbath". It's always been my knowledge that in the mid 80's Tony Iommi bought all the rights, and to this day retains such ownership. There was a lot of stories that in order to get Ozzy to come back in 1997, some of that ownership would have to be given to the Osbournes. Now I want to say this. I am a fan. A somewhat connected fan, but I still am a fan. I'm an idiot if I think I know everything - I do not. But I do pay attention, and I have never seen anything that tells me that the ownership situation of "Black Sabbath" has changed. My educated guess tells me that this bit about legally not being able to use the name Black Sabbath is incorrect, that it's a choice to do that. If I hear anything factually to counteract that, I will retract my opinion here.

Having said all this stuff, this is a very exciting possibility. To sum up:

Known facts:

There will be a "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years" box set.
Said box set will contain at least two newly recorded tracks.
Tony & Ronnie collaborated on the newly recorded tracks.
Rumours/Speculation:

These are all unconfirmed - so don't take it as fact, eh?

Geezer Butler & Bill Ward will comprise the rhythm section on the new tracks.
Iommi/Butler/Ward/Dio will tour in 2007 as "Heaven & Hell".
They are not billing themselves as "Black Sabbath" due to legal reasons.
The Dio Years set may include the video mentioned by Dio on the Live Evil recordings.
Hopefully I can get some official confirmation about this stuff now that the "word is out" so to speak. I do work for Bill Ward & Geezer Butler, and am fairly friendly with Tony Iommi's people, so hopefully I can find out something I can officially talk about. The only "official" things are the three things listed above as "facts". The rest is speculation. I hope it's all true. And if they do tour, they'd better come to Dallas, dammit!

Hmm... Dio replaced Ozzy back in 1979, and now it's (in a fashion) being done again in 2007. Does this mean that a TV show with Ronnie going "WENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDY, the dog crapped on the carpet again!" is far behind?

http://www.black-sabbath.com/news/index.html

[Terry]

Would much rather see Sabbath get together with RJD than Ozzy, that's fer fuckin' sure!

[Panamark]

Very Cool ! Its sounding like new material for sure.
This could be great !

[Hardrock69]

The new material thing is old news, but so what?

ME WANTS IT NOW!!!


NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!!


GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!!

[trueblue]

I'd be eagerly awaiting this new release, no question...Although I have always had very ambivalent, hot n cold feelings about the short-lived Dio-era Sabbath albums, I'd never pass over the chance to hear and watch RJD rollicking with the others on this latest venture, especially because hopefully we'd get loads of unreleased and all-new songs to hear...I felt the last Dio-Sabbath reunion effort 'Live Evil', while not exactly terrible, was overall quite mediocre and underwhelming to me, especially when Dio shipwrecked the Ozzy-era classics---- something Dio has done everytime he's attempted to sing them in his own egotistical manner..With a banner like 'Heaven & Hell', I fear that yet again, the ultimate song set-lists will unfairly under-represent the ONLY Dio-era Sabbath record that I genuinely love--The Mob Rules. How I'd hate that...

I'm totally on the same wavelength with MaddVibe on the supposed "legal" issue of the banner name of this new tour/record....I've always knows as FACT, that Tony "bought" and has hence "owned" full rights to the name 'Black Sabbath' from the time the one-off 'Born Again' album with Ian Gillan was released. Besides, a majority of Sabbath fans still consider Tony Iommi to be the leader and owner of the band(and the name) and would accept any line-up combination as long as Tony was there. Indeed, I wouldn't consider any show, tour or record an authentic Black Sabbath one, unless Tony is properly present among the group. Much like I can NEVER accept anything with a VH banner without both EVH and DLR present..That aside, I'm convinced that Tony can tour with three of his nephews or his cats and still call his bill 'Black Sabbath' under the law...I'm convinced, until something specific and indisputable helps me change my mind, that the billing of this current project as 'Heaven & Hell' rather than 'Black Sabbath' is purely a deliberate act of choice by the band.. And I suspect Dio is the main guy behind this decision. Maybe he reckons with a proper 'Black Sabbath' billling it'll be impossible to avoid rumours of a full Sabbath-Dio reunion from running riot and distracting from the actual thing they are hoping to do here. And with an ego that far outstrips his height, Dio probably also figured that 'Heaven & Hell' without a doubt, puts much more of the spotlight on him for the fans and frankly hints at the project being much more about DIO than about BLACK SABBATH...Just my hunch, that's all..

Hey guys, how many of you have heard and watched RJD's latest 'HOLY DIVER..LIVE' cd and dvd yet??.. I just got hold of both last Friday, and everything's great for me except alas, Dio's faltering voice and a terrible night for the show...

[FORD]

Do you think Bill Ward will actually go through with it this time. It's common knowledge that he didn't really care much for the second incarnation of the band, which is why he split in the middle of the Heaven and Hell tour.

I'm guessing Vinny Appice will get a phone call any day now......

[trueblue]

Hey Ford, your question is exactly what was swirling thru my mind right after I posted my last comment...We all know that in the past, Bill's chronic ill-health was a genuine cause for him to drop out of those extensive Sabbath tours, and indeed exit the band line-up altogether...That gave RJD a great opening to yank his buddy Vinny on board to cut loose on the studio sessions...And since you mention Bill's instinctive and complete lack of enthusiasm for the Dio-era, I'd argue Geezer was no less cold and cheerless about doing his duties with the new upstart guys around. It was Tony, as usual, who had to take leadership, tread the fine lines, and make stuff work out for the band and keep it alive..

That said, I'd actually not be very excited to see Vinny on drums for 'Heaven & Hell'....Bill is far more versatile, tasteful and impressive with the sticks with Sabbath material spanning all eras. Sure, Vinny is rather good, but sort of too restricted, derivative and one-dimensional in his style for my tastes...In short, he bores me and snaps my nerves pretty quickly....If in the end, it is Vinny for the tours, wtf..Tony might as well step aside and hand over guitar to Vivian Campbell and bass duties to Bob Daisley or whoever...At least that would leave no self-respecting fan out there in any doubt that this tour is indeed NOT Black Sabbath by any stretch..

[binnie]

That'll be great!

I think they have overdone the reunion of the ozzy era Sabbs!

It was very cool at first, but without a new record whats the point of touring every year?

Also, this might get some of the younger fans into the Dio-era stuff, which is overlooked by many these days - looking forward to the new tunes too!