Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Heaven & Hell

A supergroup created in 2006 by former Black Sabbath musicians Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, and two current members—Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. In essence, the band was a Black Sabbath lineup, since the aforementioned musicians had already played in such a configuration in 1980–1982 and 1991–1992 (with the exception of keyboardist Geoff Nicholls; instead, keyboard parts were performed by Scott Warren). The band was formed after the release of the compilation Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, when Dio, Iommi, and Butler decided to play a tour in its support. This became possible because Ozzy Osbourne had a solo tour scheduled for that time. The drummer's spot was offered to Bill Ward, but he refused. Then Vinny Appice, who had previously stepped in for Ward, became the drummer. In order not to exacerbate relations with Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi (the owner of the Black Sabbath name) decided to tour under the name Heaven & Hell (named after the first Black Sabbath album recorded with Dio, Heaven and Hell).