Fans of Ronnie James Dio’s era of Black Sabbath got an unexpected third act when the band reunited for one final chapter that included a new studio album and multiple tours.
Borrowing their name from Dio’s 1980 debut album with the group, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi were forced to start a new era when they regrouped with the legendary singer. The Black Sabbath name was now co-owned by Ozzy Osbourne’s camp.
“It really is Black Sabbath, but it isn’t,” Iommi pointed out in a 2009 interview. When it became clear that using the Sabbath name would cause issues, it was the guitarist who suggested the solution. Conveniently, they had an album that had done well, that would provide them with the perfect moniker. It was a reference that people would know.
“It just feels like a fresh thing. All the comments from before: ‘Oh, they’re going on the name…’. Well we’re not now,” he explained. “Nobody can say we’re cashing in on the name. By saying Heaven and Hell [is the band name], we’re saying you’re getting all the stuff from Heaven and Hell onwards. We wanted to play all the Dio catalog.”
No matter what it said on the concert tickets…and eventually, the albums, fans continued to call it Black Sabbath. And putting all of that to the side, the music that the reunited unit made together was really good. It was a period of time that was all too brief, tragically cut short by Dio’s unexpected diagnosis and eventual passing from stomach cancer.
READ MORE: The Day Ronnie James Dio Died
Heaven and Hell box set
Breaking Out of Heaven: 2007-2009 collects the music that was recorded during the group’s final victory lap. The new box set includes the three tracks that brought them back in the studio for the first time, recorded for 2007’s Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, plus 2009’s proper reunion album, The Devil You Know.
Two essential live sets are also part of the package, one recorded in 2007 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and a subsequent 2009 performance at the legendary Wacken Festival in Germany.
Ultimate Classic Rock Nights has your chance to win copies of the box set, which is available on 7 LPs and also a separate 4 CD/Blu-Ray edition.
For your chance to be one of our winners, simply enter your name, email and phone number into the entry form at the top of this page. You will be added to UCR’s daily newsletter mailing list. The contest ends April 10, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
Black Sabbath Live Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Together, they paint a portrait of a band that lived hard, worked hard and played hard.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli