# Heaven & Hell (band)
**Heaven & Hell** was an English-American heavy metal band formed in 2006 by the late-era [Black Sabbath](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-sabbath) members [Ronnie James Dio](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-james-dio), Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and [Vinny Appice](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinny-appice) to perform Dio-era Black Sabbath material and new songs under a separate name, so as not to infringe on the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted version of the band.[1](https://en.debaser.it/heaven-and-hell) • [2](https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Heaven_%26_Hell/99536) The name was taken from Sabbath's first recording with Dio, the 1980 album *Heaven and Hell*.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) The band released one studio album, *The Devil You Know* (2009), and ceased activity after Dio's death in 2010.[1](https://en.debaser.it/heaven-and-hell)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Active years | 2006–2010; formed in Los Angeles, CA[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) |
| Lineup | Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), Vinny Appice (drums); Scott Warren on keyboards live[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) • [4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) |
| Origin of the name | Taken from Black Sabbath's 1980 album *Heaven and Hell*, Dio's first recording with the band[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) |
| Studio album | *The Devil You Know*, released April 28, 2009, recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-devil-you-know-mw0000812591) |
| Live releases | *Live from Radio City Music Hall* (2007) and *Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell – Live at Wacken* (2010)[6](https://www.iommi.com/breaking-out-of-heaven-2007-2009/) |
| End of the band | Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010; planned projects and gigs were abandoned[7](https://www.iommi.com/biography/chapter-2/) |
## Formation and name
The reunion began in 2006, when Dio revealed on the US radio show Rockline that he was working with Iommi again on a couple of new songs for the forthcoming *Black Sabbath: The Dio Years* compilation; at that stage the project was considered a studio run, nothing more.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) AllMusic dates the formation to 2006, after the four musicians reunited following a 15-year hiatus to record three new tracks for that compilation.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) As tour offers arrived, the band announced it would not call itself Black Sabbath but would use the title of its first Dio-era album instead; the stated reason was to make a clear distinction from the Osbourne-fronted Black Sabbath, so that nobody coming to a show would expect that lineup or Ozzy-era songs.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) The Metal Archives describes the project the same way: a vehicle for playing classic Sabbath tracks and new selections without infringing on the Osbourne version of the band.[2](https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Heaven_%26_Hell/99536)
**Drummer change.** The lineup was originally intended to include original drummer Bill Ward, who had already worked a little with the band. In late November 2006 Ward confirmed he would not take part; he had not felt comfortable in the project and suggested Vinny Appice, the former Black Sabbath and Dio drummer, as his replacement.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) Appice, Dio, Iommi, and Butler were the same four musicians who had recorded Sabbath's 1981 album *[Mob Rules](https://www.edgepedia.org/mob-rules-album)*.[8](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/drummers/we-didnt-sit-there-and-go-lets-make-an-album-thats-going-to-last-45-years-or-become-a-cornerstone-of-some-rock-music-we-were-just-having-a-great-time-vinny-appice-remembers-his-time-with-ronnie-james-dio) Dio's regular keyboardist Scott Warren completed the touring band in January 2007; the three new songs recorded for *The Dio Years* carried no keyboards.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html)
## The 2007 world tour
The band toured under the new moniker in 2007, with shows drawing on the three Dio-era Sabbath albums, *Heaven and Hell* (1980), *Mob Rules* (1981), and *Dehumanizer* (1992), along with the three new songs.[9](https://news.pollstar.com/2007/03/06/heaven-and-hell/) The tour covered North and [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america), Europe, Asia, and Australia, running from March 11 to November 18 and falling two shows shy of a hundred, with no show canceled or cut short.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) [The Canadian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-canadian) leg opened on March 11 in Vancouver and included a March 30 show at [Radio City Music Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-city-music-hall) in New York City.[9](https://news.pollstar.com/2007/03/06/heaven-and-hell/)
**Radio City recording.** The group's first US concert in 15 years, at Radio City Music Hall, sold out, and Rhino recorded and filmed the entire performance for the CD and DVD release *Heaven And Hell Live From Radio City Music Hall*, set for August 28, 2007.[10](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2007/06/19/1196607/0/en/The-Return-of-Heaven-And-Hell-Ronnie-James-Dio-Tony-Iommi-Geezer-Butler-and-Vinny-Appice-Continue-Their-Heralded-Reunion-With-Fall-Tour-of-the-States.html) A second US leg followed from September 5, 2007, with [Alice Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-cooper) and [Queensrÿche](https://www.edgepedia.org/queensryche) as opening acts.[10](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2007/06/19/1196607/0/en/The-Return-of-Heaven-And-Hell-Ronnie-James-Dio-Tony-Iommi-Geezer-Butler-and-Vinny-Appice-Continue-Their-Heralded-Reunion-With-Fall-Tour-of-the-States.html) Until October 2007 the project was still considered a one-off tour, but the band then announced it was considering a full album and began looking for a record company to release it.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) The reunion earned the band a Classic Rock Roll of Honour award for Comeback of the Year in 2007.[11](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-return-to-heaven-and-hell)
## The Devil You Know
The band's first full-length studio recording, *The Devil You Know*, arrived in 2009.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) AllMusic lists the release date as April 28, 2009, with recording at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-devil-you-know-mw0000812591) Tony Iommi's own biography dates the album to April 27, 2009, and describes it as a Top 10 studio album.[7](https://www.iommi.com/biography/chapter-2/) • [6](https://www.iommi.com/breaking-out-of-heaven-2007-2009/) The ten-track album includes "Atom and Evil", "Bible Black", "Eating The Cannibals", "Follow The Tears", and "Breaking Into Heaven", and the 2009 box-set edition appends the three *Dio Years* bonus tracks "The Devil Cried", "Shadow Of The Wind", and "Ear In The Wall".[6](https://www.iommi.com/breaking-out-of-heaven-2007-2009/)
Critical reception was mixed. NME's review found the band slouching through its Satanic netherworld, though it singled out "Bible Black" and called "Eating The Cannibals" the thrilling track.[12](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-heaven-and-hell-10403-336638) Rolling Stone scored it 60, praising the power-dungeon plod but finding Iommi and Butler's churning riffs buried under arrangements and Dio's theatrical [mythopoeia](https://www.edgepedia.org/mythopoeia); Q Magazine also scored it 60.[13](https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-devil-you-know/heaven-hell) A later retrospective describes the record as a Dio-era Sabbath album under any other name.[14](https://www.loudersound.com/features/heaven-and-hell-devil-you-know-album-interview-2009)
Later that year the band toured Europe and North America until the end of August, when Iommi needed an operation on his hand.[4](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html) A live album, *Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell – Live at Wacken*, was recorded on tour in Germany.[6](https://www.iommi.com/breaking-out-of-heaven-2007-2009/)
## End and legacy
More work was planned. Iommi recalled discussing another album with Dio over a restaurant meal in Japan, and drummer Vinny Appice said the band intended to continue with a summer 2010 tour and possibly another album.[7](https://www.iommi.com/biography/chapter-2/) • [8](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/drummers/we-didnt-sit-there-and-go-lets-make-an-album-thats-going-to-last-45-years-or-become-a-cornerstone-of-some-rock-music-we-were-just-having-a-great-time-vinny-appice-remembers-his-time-with-ronnie-james-dio) Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010, and the band, which AllMusic lists as disbanded in 2010, ended with him.[7](https://www.iommi.com/biography/chapter-2/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480) Iommi said the reunion had been a great thrill because the band stood on its own, playing exclusively the material written with Dio rather than returning to Ozzy-era songs.[7](https://www.iommi.com/biography/chapter-2/)
The band's recorded output was later gathered in *Breaking Out Of Heaven 2007–2009*, a Rhino collection announced for release on March 27 as 7LP and 4CD/Blu-ray boxed sets, containing *The Devil You Know*, *Live from Radio City Music Hall*, and *Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell – Live at Wacken*, with liner notes by Hugh Gilmour. The set marks the first time the complete Radio City performance appears on vinyl, with eight tracks making their vinyl debut.[6](https://www.iommi.com/breaking-out-of-heaven-2007-2009/)
## References
1. [Heaven & Hell, DeBaser profile](https://en.debaser.it/heaven-and-hell)
2. [Heaven & Hell, Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives](https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Heaven_%26_Hell/99536)
3. [Heaven & Hell Biography by James Christopher Monger, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/heaven-hell-mn0000601480)
4. [Tapio's Ronnie James Dio Pages: Heaven And Hell Biography](https://www.dio.net/biography/HeavenAndHell.html)
5. [The Devil You Know Review by Phil Freeman, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-devil-you-know-mw0000812591)
6. [Breaking Out Of Heaven (2007–2009), Tony Iommi official site](https://www.iommi.com/breaking-out-of-heaven-2007-2009/)
7. [Tony Iommi Biography, Chapter 2](https://www.iommi.com/biography/chapter-2/)
8. [Vinny Appice remembers his time with Ronnie James Dio, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/drummers/we-didnt-sit-there-and-go-lets-make-an-album-thats-going-to-last-45-years-or-become-a-cornerstone-of-some-rock-music-we-were-just-having-a-great-time-vinny-appice-remembers-his-time-with-ronnie-james-dio)
9. [Heaven And Hell, Pollstar News (March 6, 2007)](https://news.pollstar.com/2007/03/06/heaven-and-hell/)
10. [The Return of Heaven And Hell, Rhino Entertainment press release via GlobeNewswire (June 19, 2007)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2007/06/19/1196607/0/en/The-Return-of-Heaven-And-Hell-Ronnie-James-Dio-Tony-Iommi-Geezer-Butler-and-Vinny-Appice-Continue-Their-Heralded-Reunion-With-Fall-Tour-of-the-States.html)
11. [The Return To Heaven And Hell, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-return-to-heaven-and-hell)
12. [Album review: Heaven And Hell, The Devil You Know, NME (April 28, 2009)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-heaven-and-hell-10403-336638)
13. [The Devil You Know by Heaven & Hell, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-devil-you-know/heaven-hell)
14. [How Heaven & Hell resurrected Black Sabbath's other classic line-up with The Devil You Know, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/heaven-and-hell-devil-you-know-album-interview-2009)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Rock and metal supergroups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license