The “Dio Era” of Black Sabbath returns under the guise of Heaven and Hell. The reunion of the geniuses behind albums such as, Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer marks the revisiting of true metal music. This was exemplified by Heaven and Hell’s appearance at Irvine Meadows. The band, led by singer Ronnie James Dio, created a wall of metal that assailed the audience’s senses like the siren-seducing Odysseus. Tony Iommi, one of metal's greatest guitarists, shredded off more than a few blazing solos. Geezer Butler worked his fingers like a madman on bass. And the epically fast drummer, Vinny Appice, destroyed any noise ordinances within a five mile radius. The pinnacle of the concert was the band’s new take on their most famous song “Heaven and Hell.” There is only one thing to say about this return: hell yeah.
“Mob Rules” opened the night with Iommi’s guitar raging and Dio’s pristine vocals bellowing, which set the tone for a night full of flawless musicianship. The set list took off and they fell into the song “I.” Dio thundered on with his dark vocals about becoming a monster. The metal heads were pleased. Soon, the grand crescendo in “Sign of the Southern Cross”" melted the faces of 10,000 people, as Iommi and Butler took the forefront as master musicians. In between songs, Dio, being a gracious man, took the time to look at the audience and express his thankfulness.
By this point, the crowd was ready for one of the heaviest songs ever written, “Computer God.” It began with a heavy drag, which slowly became a blistering fire of metal music, illustrating a grim reality about computers taking over our souls. Dio muses, “This way to technical paradise, find it on the other side, when the walls fall down.” “Computer God” seemed to be the audiences’ favorite, judging by the pleased faces and excited hollers. Who could blame them? The song builds up to the fastest bass and drummer fusion I have ever heard. Right at the climax of the song, Vinny Appice and Geezer Butler wage a bass versus drum war. The sound waves shook my body. Butler soon finished his bass solo with a pulsating crescendo. Butler still raged on the drums with unexplainable speed.
The nail in my metal coffin was “Heaven and Hell.” It started slow, blossoming into a blues-hued instrumental, and then erupted into an onslaught of musical precision. On a brick, cathedral-themed stage with two castle doors, gothic wrought iron fencing, flaming lanterns and stained-glass window video screens, Iommi looked at home in his black leather jacket and gold cross necklace. As “Heaven and Hell” stormed he broke into a seven minute guitar solo. He strolled around the stage like a 17th Century vampire slayer, looking for the undead. Geezer and Butler did an incredible job keeping up with Iommi’s guitar, but they stayed back, letting the master execute his solo as sharp as guillotine. Iommi eventually slowed down and Dio retook the forefront with a blinding, white light coming from the heavens onto him. Dio rejected the light and the stage erupted into a fiery red, as if hells gates were opening on stage. This image is forever engrained in my brain as the greatest moment in concert history.
The band soon came to their encore, “Neon Knights.” Throughout the duration of the song, I could not focus because I was still thinking about the performance on “Heaven and Hell.” Even when I went to leave and tried to navigate through the crowds of drunk, ripped, stoned, or any-other-high-you-can-get people, I was still contemplating what I had just heard, seen, and felt. In awe, I later asked my friend, Dustin, how he felt about the concert. The only imagery he could give me is a Buddhist monk reaching enlightenment, while floating above the earth as waves and metal slam into his body. Metal enlightenment: the perfect way to explain the return of Dio with Black Sabbath.
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