BLACK SABBATH Rules Of Hell Box Set Artwork Revealed

May 22, 2008, 16 years ago

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Black-Sabbath.com has posted the artwork for BLACK SABBATH's upcoming five-disc boxed set, The Rules Of Hell - click photo to view.

A press release on the set reads as follows:

Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath were reborn in 1980 when founding members Tony Iommi and Terry “Geezer” Butler added vocalist Ronnie James Dio to the lineup. The band’s short but memorable time together added an unforgettable chapter in Sabbath’s storied history. Rhino relives the demonic fury conjured by the Dio era with The Rules Of Hell, a boxed set featuring all three of the band’s studio releases (Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer) and their double live collection (Live Evil) - each recently remastered for the first time. The set comes packaged in a deluxe slipcase with extensive liner notes featuring all new interviews with the band. This five-disc boxed set will be available from Rhino on July 22 at all physical outlets, as well as www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $54.98. The set will also be available the same day at all digital outlets for a suggested list price of $24.99.

Two years ago, Dio, Iommi and Butler and drummer Vinny Appice reunited to record a trio of new songs for Rhino’s Black Sabbath: The Dio Years before launching a highly anticipated and greatly acclaimed world tour under their new moniker Heaven And Hell. Revitalized by the reunion, the lineup is back in the studio now recording the first ever full-length studio album from Heaven And Hell, set to be released by Rhino in early 2009. To whet the fans’ appetites for the new album, Heaven And Hell will return to the road for a short stint on the Metal Masters Tour, a month-long North American trek with Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament. This blistering metal juggernaut will launch August 6 in Philadelphia.

The Dio-era’s first effort, Heaven And Hell, hit the racks on April 25th, 1980. Greeted by ecstatic reviews, the album peaked at #9 in Britain. In the U.S., its Top 30 success gave the group its first platinum disc in six years. Opening with the chugging anthem 'Neon Knights', the album also includes the epic title track, 'Wishing Well', 'Die Young' and 'Lonely Is The Word'.

The group’s follow-up, Mob Rules, was the first without original drummer Bill Ward, who was replaced with Appice. The album bristles with Iommi’s signature dark riffs, Butler’s elaborate bass lines, Appice’s hammering behind the drums and Dio’s inimitable growling. The album includes the high-octane tracks 'Falling Off The Edge Of The World', 'Turn Up The Night', and the title track - plus the mid-tempo rocker 'Voodoo' and the slow-churning epic 'The Sign Of The Southern Cross', a favorite among band members and fans alike.

Released in December 1982, Live Evil stands as a modern metal masterpiece and a testament to the power of the Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice lineup. Recorded in Seattle, Dallas, and San Antonio, the sound is upfront and aggressive, a virtual front-row seat for epic versions of their classics including 'Neon Knights', 'Children Of The Sea', 'The Sign Of The Southern Cross' and 'Heaven And Hell'.

Dehumanizer (1992) is seen by many metal aficionados as one of - if not the most - underrated work to ever carry the Sabbath name. After the lineup fell apart in 1982, the group reconvened a decade later to release this lost classic. The album forged something new, pushing its legend to a new generation of metal heads with incredible tracks like 'I', 'Computer God' and 'TV Crimes'.

The Rules Of Hell tracklisting:

Heaven And Hell - 'Neon Knights', 'Children Of The Sea', 'Lady Evil', 'Heaven And Hell', 'Wishing Well', 'Die Young', 'Walk Away', 'Lonely Is The Word'.

Mob Rules - 'Turn Up The Night', 'Voodoo', 'The Sign Of The Southern Cross', 'E5150', 'The Mob Rules', 'Country Girl', 'Slipping Away', 'Falling Off The Edge Of The World', 'Over And Over'.

Live Evil - Disc 1 - 'E5150', 'Neon Knights', 'N.I.B.', 'Children Of The Sea', 'Voodoo', 'Black Sabbath', 'War Pigs', 'Iron Man'.

Disc 2 - 'The Mob Rules', 'Heaven And Hell', 'The Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell', 'Paranoid', 'Children Of The Grave', 'Fluff'.

Dehumanizer - 'Computer God', 'After All (The Dead)', 'TV Crimes', 'Letters From Earth', 'Master Of Insanity', 'Time Machine', 'Sins Of The Father', 'Too Late', 'I', 'Buried Alive', 'Time Machine'(Wayne’s World Version).


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