Verbalism Personified

...And the Devil Cried

Lion City will brace the second coming of Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath. Reunited for Heaven and Hell, their new 2007 world tour see the island state on their stop over through North America, Europe and Australia.

Though this will be the second concert on the island since 1995, the band will feature the four original members, except for Ozzy Osborne, the lead singer who quit in 1979 to pursue a solo career.

Formed in Birmingham, England in 1966, Black Sabbath had gained a considerable audience through their gothic sound and cryptic lyrics. With lead singer Osborne, the band pioneered the sound as a flap-in-the-face to the light-weight pop-laden songs of the 60s. A technical improvisation following an accident led guitarist Tonny Iommi to develop a weightier and heavier sound, which complimented the band's lyrical style. The sum of these developments by Black Sabbath led to the rise of a sub-genre of gothic rock and metal.

At the same time on the other side of the Atlantic, Ronnie James Dio had quickly established himself as a powerful singer with the band Rainbow. Dio, meaning God in Italian, also wrote and performed songs with dark and ominous lyrics. Joining Black Sabbath after the departure of Osborne seemed a match made in heaven. Like a shot in the arm, the revitalized Black Sabbath scaled greater heights with the release of Heaven and Hell in 1980 and The Mob Rules in 1990.

Due to creative and professional differences, adding a healthy clash of egos, Dio left to form his own band, Dio with drummer Vinny Appice. Two years later, they regrouped in 1992 to release the highly acclaimed Dehumanizer. Dio returned to his band to continue his solo career. Since then, Dio had represented the best that Black Sabbath would ever be and fans demanded that the group be reconstituted.

This did not materialize until 2006, when the band came back to record three new songs for their compilation, Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, which was released in 2007. The positive response from fans to the single The Devil Cried, prompted Black Sabbath and Dio to embark on what has turned out to be sell-out concerts throughout North America and Europe.

So pity the lush and green surroundings of Fort Canning Park when heaven and hell collide on October 27th!

posted by Teutoburg @ 11:45 PM