Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi have reunited with singer Ronnie James Dio, who helped get Sabbath out of a small rut after a couple of dismal outings with original singer Ozzy Osbourne. Now playing under the moniker of Heaven And Hell, the first leg of the reunion tour isn't in Europe or the U.S.
it's in Canada for the first 12 shows.
Along for the occasion are two bands that could have headlined, but chose to support their idols instead: Megadeth and Down. With a night featuring living metal legends such as Phil Anselmo, Dave Mustaine and, of course, the members of H H, this truly was a bill worthy of hype.
Although few people showed up to the ACC in time to see Down, you could tell that the ones who did were proud members of The Brotherhood Of Eternal Sleep, the name given to the Down faithful. The small crowd was very welcoming, and gave the set an Opera House-like feel. Everyone exploded during opener "Lysergic Funeral Procession" and the enthusiasm never let up.
Anselmo dedicated the second song "Lifer" to his former Pantera bandmate, the late Dimebag Darrell Abbott. Judging by the crowd's reaction, even those who didn't know Down certainly knew Dime and appreciated the dedication.
Down are special because, unlike countless others who've drawn inspiration from Led Zeppelin and Sabbath, they do so without going over the top.
Combined with the sludge/doom metal that's prominent in the underground of their native New Orleans, Down are one of those bands who are going to blow up really soon, whether the loyal brotherhood likes it or not. As the group ripped through their closing staple, "Bury Me In Smoke," it was obvious to those in attendance that Down had already stolen the show.
Last September, Megadeth's headlining gig at the Molson Amphitheatre was cut short due to technical problems that caused Mustaine to storm off stage.
Shenanigan-free this time, Mustaine and co. executed a perfect, no-bullshit set with little banter and nanosecond-long breaks between songs. Among those played were new tracks "Sleepwalker" and "Gears Of War" and old faves "Symphony Of Destruction," "Peace Sells" and that familiar song about "little green men.
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Of their contemporaries in Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax, Megadeth have probably had the toughest road to travel of the group commonly referred to as "The Big Four." Following the success of their last record, The System Has Failed, and with the anticipation high for the upcoming United Abominations, it must be satisfying for Mustaine to know that, at least until Metallica release their Rick Rubin-produced album, Megadeth have surpassed their thrash-metal brethren.
Moments before H H appeared, I thought there was no way they'd surpass the intensity of the opening acts.
But then Iommi crept on stage and, with a single pick of his guitar, the loud reverberation reminded me that all the intensity in the world doesn't compare to the mere presence of a true heavy metal god.
Unfortunately for Dio, the pint-sized frontman is probably known more for his elf-like appearance than his powerful voice. Plus, now he's showing his age, not to mention a badly receding hairline.
Although he displayed incredible vocal range on "Lady Evil," "Children Of The Sea" and the eponymous "Heaven And Hell," his stature couldn't be ignored and neither could his blouse, or whatever the hell he was wearing.
It was cool to see original Sabbath bassist Butler, but the presence of Vinny Appice, Sabbath's drummer during the Dio-era The Mob Rules album, begged the question, "What's Bill Ward up to?"
Really, only one man makes Heaven And Hell a relevant force in 2007.
Dressed in black from head to toe, with his signature tinted specs and a giant gold crucifix on his neck, Iommi was indeed the star of this show. The man invented the heavy metal riff and, despite all the guitar heroes who followed his path, you know he's still the man when all he needs is to strike a single down-tuned chord to affirm his greatness.
It was certainly a night of legends and, although this tour will continue in the U.
S., it won't be nearly as special with Machine Head playing in place of Down. So not only did Canada get one of the most anticipated world tours first, we got it best.
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