HEAVEN AND HELL Is 'Not Confirmed' For U.K.'s DOWNLOAD Festival

January 20, 2009

Download festival organizer Andy Copping has told Classic Rock magazine that HEAVEN AND HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar),Ronnie James Dio (vocals),Geezer Butler (bass) and Vinny Appice (drums) — is not yet confirmed to play this year's event, despite the group's announcement to the contrary. Copping said, "They are not confirmed and they've never been confirmed for the festival. No, they're absolutely not (confirmed). I'm not saying that they're not playing, I'm just saying that they've not been confirmed."

Classic Rock recently heard three unfinished tracks from HEAVEN AND HELL's forthcoming debut album. In a world-exclusive, the magazine visited the group on the final day of tracking at Rockfield Studios in Wales, U.K.

According to a posting on the Classic Rock web site, "The songs we heard were a moody, thuddingly malevolent number called 'Rock 'N' Roll Jesus', the pacier and more anthemic 'Neverwhere', and a slice of sloth-like majesty that's likely to be titled 'Breaking Into Heaven'."

Other tracks set to appear on the album — which was co-produced by the group and engineer Mike Exeter — include "Bible Black", "Double Pain" and "Atom + Evil". A late April release via Rhino is expected.

"Each of us submitted a CD of our ideas, and we narrowed it down from there," Iommi told Classic Rock. "In some ways it was like picking up where we'd left off with 'Dehumanizer' [SABBATH's 1992 album], which was also done at Rockfield."

In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Ronnie James Dio described the material on the HEAVEN AND HELL album as "a real cross-section of everything we've done, from 'Heaven and Hell' through 'Mob Rules' and 'Dehumanizer'. I think there's a lot of 'Dehumanizer' in it, but a lot of other things, too, a real good blend of what this band has represented."

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