Heaven And Hell - Neon Nights: 30 Years Of Heaven & Hell review
| Band: | Heaven And Hell |
| Album: | Neon Nights: 30 Years Of Heaven & Hell |
| Style: | Doom metal, Heavy metal |
| Release date: | November 16, 2010 |
| A review by: | Doc G. |
01. The Mob Rules
02. Children Of The Sea
03. I
04. Bible Black
05. Time Machine
06. Fear
07. Falling Off The Edge Of The World
08. Follow The Tears
09. Die Young
10. Heaven And Hell
11. Neon Knights
It was inevitable - after the passing of Ronnie James Dio, an onslaught of Dio-related releases were to ensue. Luckily, not all of them were silly re-releases and compilation rehashes. What we have here is a brand new live album. Granted, they just released a different live album not 3 years ago, but this is one for those of us who didn't get to hear the new songs from The Devil You Know performed live.
So is picking up another live album worth it? It all depends on your level of fandom. Only 4 of the 11 songs on this didn't appear on the previous Live At Radio City Music Hall. Those songs however, sound like they were performed incredibly. One of the fantastic aspects about buying a Dio live album (aside from getting to listen to Dio himself), is that he makes sure those buying the album - or seeing the show live - are not going to just hear the studio album performed half-assed with some crowd noises in the background; he changes certain parts, extending a few screams, and changes the pitch of certain notes, while making it all sound natural.
When it comes to Iommi and Butler is where it starts to lack, relatively speaking. The performance is there, and they sound on the ball 100% of the time, but the sound quality is inconsistent through a lot of it. It will go from really spaced out sounding (as if you're hearing the guitars & bass a couple hundred feet apart from each other), then shift to the exact opposite, where it sounds like a bit of a mashed clusterfuck. Luckily enough, in comparison to many other live albums out there, it still sounds fine, and the guitar intro to "Die Young" is just spine-tingling, as if it were written to be played live.
Overall a very satisfying listen for anyone depressed about the fact they'll never get to hear "Bible Black" or "Follow The Tears" live. However, if you are merely a casual Heaven And Hell listener and just wish to hear a few Dio/Iommi/Butler songs live, Live At Radio City Music Hall stands head and shoulders above Neon Nights.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | - |
| Originality: | - |
| Production: | 6 |
Comments
| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10094  |
I saw H&H last year using these exact same tracks(with a tease of Country Girl right before Neon Knights)... simply epic. EDIT: HOLY SHIT IT'S THE ACTUAL WACKEN RECORDING MUST GET THISSSSS
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10094 |
So i watched the DVD and i must say this is spectacular. i never actually saw the problems you mentioned with the sound quality(i was even at the concert itself and it remained in my memory as the one with the best sound quality i've ever heard). the performances are all incredible, my ONLY problem is that Iommi used way too many guitar samples to make up for a lack of rhythm guitar. other than that, everything is simply perfect, especially Dio's vocals. his vocal performance simply peaks out on H&H, the emotion in his voice is just overwhelming.
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| Hermann Langke Brahmastra Corps Posts: 471  |
I have to say that I was always keen on having a Heaven & Hell record. Will get the same, asap! But I am not satisfied by the review. It ends on a positive note but the rating really doesn't do any justice to the review. And also one of the fan has even attended the said concert and felt no issues with the sound. Maybe the reviewer has hyper-sensitive ears! 
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