Rhino

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Heaven And Hell better known as Black Sabbath capture all of the magic of their spectacular stage show in their first U.S. concert in 15 years in the heart of New York City with their latest DVD release, Live At Radio City Music Hall. Earlier this year, Heaven And Hell reunited to record three new songs for their, The Dio Years compilation. The band kicked off a tour in March of 2007 and chose to film their first U.S. concert in 15 years at the Historic Radio City Music Hall.

The post Ozzy version of Black Sabbath featuring Ronnie James Dio clearly defines why the legendary members of Heaven And Hell which feature Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice are extremely seasoned musicians committed to performing with the same standard of excellence that launched the band in 1979.

For any of the Heaven And Hell fans, who had the opportunity to witness the phenomenon of Heaven And Hell live this year, this DVD captures all of the magic of the Heaven And Hell extravagant stage show, but also most important the magic of all four musicians on stage performing classic hits as, ”Mob Rules", "The Sign Of The Southern Cross", and "Neon Knights".

The picture is crystal clear, and captures the vibrant colors of their stage show. I must also point out; you get a really good view of the band. In some DVD live concerts that I have seen, the video man tries to capture all different angles of the band, with a splint vision. "Live At Radio Music Hall" focuses on the band without deferring with different camera angles, so you have a front row seat.

Also the band performs two new songs, incluidng,"The Devil Cried" featuring an excellent drum solo from Vinny Appice, and "Shadow In The Wind". Live At Radio City Music Hall: features what Heaven And Hell sound like in 2007. It is an updated version of the all the classic early Black Sabbath songs with the band staying true to the original versions of the songs, giving the tunes a more modern appeal.

Live At Radio City Music Hall is more than a concert film; it also included a very special Extra feature, which documents the legacy of the band in four special parts.

One of the great aspects of this DVD, is that it is not just a concert film. The DVD also contains a very special Extra feature that documents the history of the band in four parts. Radio City Music Hall is one of the most beautiful venues in New York City. The Extra bonus feature has a special part entitled,” ado City", in which the stage production manager gives the viewers some special insight about the historic venue. "Meet The Mob" features special fan responses outside of Radio City Music Hall. "Hail The Gods Of Metal" has special interviews from the band. The last feature,” Heaven And Hell- Road Movie captures the legacy of the band with special interviews and warm-up rituals before they hit the stage for the mega performance.

Highlights of the DVD include a special Tony Iommi guitar solo during, ”Die Young", the haunting performance of "The Sign Of The Southern Cross", and the devilish effects of "Heaven And Hell".

I had the opportunity to discuss what it was like to film this special Heaven And Hell DVD at Radio City Music Hall with drummer Vinny Appice. We discussed all of the drama that took place with the Union during the filming of,Live At Radio City Music Hall. Vinny told me," At Radio City there was a lot of confusion because; there was a lot of stuff going on. Because first of all it is New York. You got a lot of friends coming down, and people in the business and you are recording a DVD, so it was really crazy .We had problems doing a sound check because everything ran late. Then, when we did a sound check, we had to stop. We didn't even play one song because the Union Break came up. In New York, the Union Break is like God. So, we had to stop. (Laughter) So it was a little never racking. But, we can only do half a song, and hopefully that was OK for everybody who was doing a little recording and camera work. We would have liked to do more. If we could. So, it was a lot of nerves rattling here and there. But, we thought it came out really, really good. When, we sort of finished product with all of the editing it looks fantastic."

If you are an avid Black Sabbath- Dio fans,Live At Radio City Music Hall is a must have for your collection. Now that we have a Heaven And Hell DVD of their classic hits, I can only hope the band releases a new studio album in 2008. From the looks of the great response the band has been receiving, I don't think this is too much to hope for.

Track listing :

l) E5150/After All (The Dead)
2) The Mob Rules
3) Children of the Sea
4) Lady Evil
5) I
6) The Sign of the Southern Cross)
7) Voodoo
8) The Devil Cried
9) Computer God
(10) Falling off the Edge of the World
11) Shadow of the Wind
12) Die Young
13) Heaven & Hell
14) Lonely is the Word
15) Neon Knights