Black Sabbath Live Evil Reissue: Celebrating 40 Years of Metal History

2023-06-05 08:59:09

The famous Black Sabbath live from the Dio period is adorned with a reissue for its 40th anniversary. Immerse yourself in this piece of metal history.

This reissue is a nice snub to history: made from the original analog tracks, the new mix, which celebrates 40 years of Live Evil, puts more forward the bass of Geezer Butler and, above all, the voice of Ronnie James Dio. In 1983, the latter had however been ejected from Black Sabbath, with drummer Vinny Appice (Bill Ward’s replacement), after being accused, rightly or wrongly, of secretly increasing the volume of his voice during the mixing of said album! This incident marked the end of the first Dio period, which had replaced Ozzy Osbourne in 1979 and had ensured more than the job by participating in two studio LPs, synonymous with a new youth for the group then on the downward slope: the gleaming Heaven and Hellin 1980, and the dark Mob Rulesin 1981, both of which met with critical and commercial success.

Recorded in the United States during the “Mob Rules” tour, in 1981-1982, the double album Live Evil offers the best of both Sabbath worlds: the new repertoire in which Ronnie James Dio obviously shines (“Children of the Sea”, “Heaven and Hell”, “Neon Knights”), but also the great classics – historically marked by the lugubrious tone of Osbourne – to which Dio brings a more rock and more lyrical dimension (“War Pigs”, “Iron Man”, “Black Sabbath”). The same formation, under the name of Heaven and Hell, will publish in 2007 Live from Radio City Music Hall, an excellent double album in public which, at the risk of shocking the purists, has nothing to envy to this Live Evil. Au minimum.

Denis Rolleau

Find this chronicle of Black Sabbath and many more in our issue 153, available on newsstands, as well as in our online store.

The reissue of Live Evil East available

La tracklist :