Heaven and Hell’s last recorded performance before the untimely passing of vocalist Ronnie James Dio, proves the stars aligned when these four hit the stage. Neon Nights: Live in Europe captures an aggressive Heaven and Hell ripping out classics and new tracks at the 2009 Wacken Open Air Festival.  It’s an essential release, not only for the songs from The Devil You Know and first live version of “Time Machine” but for the bands performance.

Heaven and Hell in 2009 was hell-bent on delivering the goods.  Obviously influenced by the sheer sonic weight of The Devil You Know, Neon Nights: Live in Europe captures the band at their heaviest.  Ripping right into “Mob Rules,” the band sounds absolutely killer.  This version of “Children of the Sea” is the most intense with Dio snarling and singing while Iommi and Butler lay down an earthshaking wall of riffs and grooves.

This verion of “I” just oozes with aggression. Dio snarls, howls and belts out the lyrics as he bounds around the stage. The band grinds out a version that feels more like it should have appeared on their 2009 album instead of 1992’s Dehumanizer. “Bible Black” is even heavier here and “Time Machine” tears it loose. In the middle of the song Geezer briefly goes it alone and his bass tone chugs and grinds like an armored bulldozer ascending a rocky mountain face.  The end of “Time Machine” allows for a thunderous drum solo from Appice.

“Fear” continues the sonic onslaught, again sounding heavier than the album version.  Dio gives a mesmerizing performance leading up to the epic “Falling off the Edge of the World.” This version of “Follow the Tears” features guitar and bass tones that cleave fault lines.  The song explodes into hulking monster in the live setting. The crowd chants along as Dio gives one of his best and most aggressive performances. “Die Young” features Iommi in prime form and totally appreciative of the audience’s loud praises. The band’s namesake proves to be the longest and most ferocious version ever recorded. “Heaven and Hell” here is an extensive jaw-dropping jam.  The countless Wacken attendees singing along is astonishing.  The band clearly possessed every soul at this point in the show.  While the record-setting attendance was probably exhausted from the previous performance, Heaven and Hell closes the show with a hefty medley.  Only the first minutes of “Country Girl” is played but the song nicely leaps into a blistering version of “Neon Knights.” The crowd explodes as Heaven and Hell lays down one of their most precious classics.

The crowd interaction from Dio shows just what a classy gentleman he was.  Pointing out flags, even showing the audiences a lighting strike in the distance, the frontman continually thanked the crowd. The band sounds unbelievably tight and producer Wyn Davis (who has been Dio’s engineer since Angry Machines and worked on The Devil You Know) gives the band an absolutely massive sound. It makes Neon Nights: Live in Europe a perfect companion piece to 2007’s Live from Radio City Music Hall.  The previous live release’s intimate setting allowed to band envelope the audience.  Neon Nights: Live in Europe features a Heaven and Hell now much more aggressive, with an acclaimed new disc under their belts and clearly trying to deafen the stragglers at the very back of the festival. It’s all brilliantly filmed and sounds stellar.

The special features on Neon Nights: Live in Europe are fantastic. First, the 30^th Anniversary Interviews find Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice being candid about their history. Dio talks about why he chose to leave rather than open for Ozzy Osbourne back in 1993 on the “Dehumanizer” tour while both Iommi and Butler talk about how the initial years with Dio were much more of a business relationship than a friendship. Appice speaks about his expectations of another studio album while Butler states that Dio eventually grew to be one of his closest friends. And while these interviews cover the bands history, even covering the reasons for Dio and Appice’s exit before the release of Live Evil, they also prove that with the passing of Dio, Heaven and Hell was obviously cut short.

The Ronnie James Dio Tribute features three brief video messages from the surviving members.  Iommi, Butler and Appice all reminisce about working with Dio and the tragic loss the legendary band member and dear friend. Appice speaks of not only being a friend but a fan being honored to have had a long history with the singer.  It makes for a wonderful tribute but nails home that Heaven and Hell were planning on continuing right up until Dio’s death.

If anything, Neon Nights: Live in Europe proved that the third time was the charm. The tour for The Devil You Know finds Heaven and Hell at their heaviest and the DVD captures the band in spectacular form.  Just watching it proves how fragile life is as Ronnie James Dio, larger than life on the Wacken stage, would lose his battle with cancer just under a year from the performance date.  But as Dio states before Iommi starts the beginning to “Falling off the Edge of the World;” “We’ve got you, you’ve got us, we got the music and we’ll always have that.” And that is Heaven and Hell’s eternal gift.  Neon Nights: Live in Europe graciously bookends Dio-era Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell’s career. Absolutely essential!

Release Date: November 9th, 2010
Label: Eagle Vision

TRACK LISTING

1.  E5150
2.  Mob Rules
3.  Children of the Sea
4.  I
5.  Bible Black
6.  Time Machine
7.  Fear
8.  Falling Off the Edge of the World
9.  Follow the Tears
10.  Die Young
11.  Heaven and Hell
12.  Country Girl
13.  Neon Knights
14.  30th Anniversary Interviews
15.  Ronnie James Dio Tribute

Total playing time:  2:30:00
                                    (150 minutes)

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*Comments:

November 19, 2010

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

Heaven and Hell - Neon Nights: Live in Europe (DVD)

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