2008 News Stories

6th November 2008

Tony Iommi rocks onto the Walk of Star’s this November 23rd

Fresh on the heels of Julie Walter’s accepting the offer of a star (date to be confirmed), the Broad Street Business Improvement District is delighted to announce that Heaven and Hell guitarist, founding member of Black Sabbath, Grammy Award winner and king of heavy metal Tony Iommi will be honoured on the Broad Street Walk of Star’s on Sunday 23rd November 2008.

Following an afternoon of live music from local bands on the stage in Centenary Square ‘Kerrang Radio’ presenter Johnny Doom will host the evening, with the presentation of the star taking place at 6.30pm.

Born in Aston, Birmingham, guitarist and songwriter Tony is best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and more of less single-handedly inventing the heavy rock music genre. Iommi is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential guitarists in rock music and is widely considered to be the man who invented the heavy metal riff.

Iommi has released over 30 albums with Black Sabbath, 2 solo albums, has sold over 80 million copies and is the recipient of 20 platinum and 14 gold albums. Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in November 2005, and in March 2006 into New York’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Currently working on a new studio album with Heaven and Hell in America Tony is thrilled to return home to accept his Walk of Star honour; “It’s great – it’s really an honour – I’m really proud of it … I was shocked! It’s so nice to have things like that! I’ve got one out in LA but I’m not from LA – It’s so nice being recognised in your home town”.

Mike Olley, Broad Street Manager, said “We are delighted to be welcoming Tony onto the Broad Street Walk of Star’s. The contribution he has made to rock music deserves to be honoured and we are excited he has agreed to give us the opportunity to do so”.

29th October 2008

100 Greatest Rock Songs

Heaven and Hell will feature on the TV programme “100 Greatest Rock Songs” that will debut on VH1, December 8th and VH1 Classic, December 15th.

28th August 2008

Heaven & Hell Exclusive Interview To premiere On American Headbangers Ball This Weekend

An exclusive interview with Heaven & Hell will be featured this weekend on Headbangers Ball, which airs on American MTV2 from 12AM ˆ 1AM on Saturday night (technically early Sunday morning on August 31). Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice will be speaking about their Metal Masters tour with Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament, the new Dio-era Black Sabbath boxed set, The Rules Of Hell, as well as future plans for Heaven & Hell.
Snippets from the interview are available exclusively at headbangersblog.com starting today with more rolling out through the rest of the week. Be sure to tune in this Saturday night!

18th July 2008

"Rules Of Hell" Box set trailer

Check out the new trailer for the “Rules of Hell” box set on youtube, click here.

9th July 2008

Black Sabbath In Store Signing

Black Sabbath - Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice - will sign copies of their new box set "Black Sabbath: The Rules of Hell"* at Vintage Vinyl on Saturday, August 2nd from 3pm-4pm. Vintage Vinyl's address is 51 Lafayette Road - Fords, NJ 08863 - ph# 732-225-7717. Please contact the store for details.

*due to time constraints, the band will only sign copies of The Rules of Hell box set or Heaven and Hell: Live from Radio City Music Hall (DVD/CD).

23rd June 2008

Black Sabbath Enforces The Rules of Hell: CD Box Set

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 & Hell. Revitalized by the reunion, the lineup is back in the studio now recording the first ever full-length studio album from Heaven & Hell, set to be released by Rhino in early 2009. To whet the fans’ appetites for the new album, Heaven & 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 25, 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
Track Listing

HEAVEN AND HELL
1. “Neon Knights”
2. “Children Of The Sea”
3. “Lady Evil”
4. “Heaven And Hell”
5. “Wishing Well”
6. “Die Young”
7. “Walk Away”
8. “Lonely Is The Word”

MOB RULES
1. “Turn Up The Night”
2. “Voodoo”
3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross”
4. “E5150”
5. “The Mob Rules”
6. “Country Girl”
7. “Slipping Away”
8. “Falling Off The Edge Of The World”
9. “Over And Over”

LIVE EVIL
Disc 1
1. “E5150”
2. “Neon Knights”
3. “N.I.B.”
4. “Children Of The Sea”
5. “Voodoo”
6. “Black Sabbath”
7. “War Pigs”
8. “Iron Man”

Disc 2
1. “The Mob Rules”
2. “Heaven And Hell”
3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell”
4. “Paranoid”
5. “Children Of The Grave”
6. “Fluff”

DEHUMANIZER
1. “Computer God”
2. “After All (The Dead)”
3. “TV Crimes”
4. “Letters From Earth”
5. “Master Of Insanity”
6. “Time Machine”
7. “Sins Of The Father”
8. “Too Late”
9. “I”
10. “Buried Alive”
11. “Time Machine” (Wayne’s World Version)

Heaven & Hell North American Tour Dates
(Except where noted, all shows also feature Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament)

AUGUST
6 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center
7 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
9 Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
10 Wantagh, NJ Jones Beach Theater
12 Hamburg, NY Grandstand Stage/America's Fair **
13 Toronto, ONT Molson Amphitheatre
15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena##
16 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
18 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Center
19 Chicago, IL First Midwest Band Amphitheatre
22 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
23 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
24 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
27 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
28 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
30 San Bernadino, CA Hyundai Pavilion At Glen Helen
31 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

**Featuring Motörhead and Testament ONLY
## Featuring Judas Priest and Testament ONLY

11th June 2008

Sam Ash Gear Guide Magazine June/July 2008 – Tony Iommi Interview
Black Sabbath / Heaven & Hell Gear Giveaway!!

Read the Tony Iommi Interview at http://www.samashmusic.com/iommi/

For your chance to win the Gear Giveaway visit http://www.samashmusic.com/contest/contest.asp?ContestID=23

Click on images to enlarge

10th June 2008

Tony Iommi "Live"

Click on photo to enlarge.

Photo by Gene Kirkland

22nd May 2008

Total Guitar Hero: Tony Iommi

Article Taken From This Months Total Guitar Magazine.

Click to enlarge images

20th May 2008

Black Sabbath Enforces The Rules of Hell: CD Box Set

LOS ANGELES – 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 <http://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 & Hell. Revitalized by the reunion, the lineup is back in the studio now recording the first ever full-length studio album from Heaven & Hell, set to be released by Rhino in early 2009. To whet the fans’ appetites for the new album, Heaven & 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 25, 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
Track Listing

HEAVEN AND HELL
1. “Neon Knights”
2. “Children Of The Sea”
3. “Lady Evil”
4. “Heaven And Hell”
5. “Wishing Well”
6. “Die Young”
7. “Walk Away”
8. “Lonely Is The Word”

MOB RULES
1. “Turn Up The Night”
2. “Voodoo”
3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross”
4. “E5150”
5. “The Mob Rules”
6. “Country Girl”
7. “Slipping Away”
8. “Falling Off The Edge Of The World”
9. “Over And Over”

LIVE EVIL
Disc 1
1. “E5150”
2. “Neon Knights”
3. “N.I.B.”
4. “Children Of The Sea”
5. “Voodoo”
6. “Black Sabbath”
7. “War Pigs”
8. “Iron Man”

Disc 2
1. “The Mob Rules”
2. “Heaven And Hell”
3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell”
4. “Paranoid”
5. “Children Of The Grave”
6. “Fluff”

DEHUMANIZER
1. “Computer God”
2. “After All (The Dead)”
3. “TV Crimes”
4. “Letters From Earth”
5. “Master Of Insanity”
6. “Time Machine”
7. “Sins Of The Father”
8. “Too Late”
9. “I”
10. “Buried Alive”
11. “Time Machine” (Wayne’s World Version)

Heaven & Hell North American Tour Dates
(Except where noted, all shows also feature Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Testament)

AUGUST
6 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center
7 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
9 Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
10 Wantagh, NJ Jones Beach Theater
12 Hamburg, NY Grandstand Stage/America's Fair **
13 Toronto, ONT Molson Amphitheatre
15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena##
16 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
18 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Center
19 Chicago, IL First Midwest Band Amphitheatre
22 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
23 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
24 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
27 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
28 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
30 San Bernadino, CA Hyundai Pavilion At Glen Helen
31 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

**Featuring Motörhead and Testament ONLY
## Featuring Judas Priest and Testament ONLY

22nd March 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

METAL LEGENDS JUDAS PRIEST, HEAVEN & HELL, MOTORHEAD, AND TESTAMENT UNITE FOR ‘METAL MASTERS TOUR’ WORLD PREMIERE OF JUDAS PRIEST ‘NOSTRADAMUS’ COVER ART AND FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD OF TITLE TRACK AT LIVENATION.COM

After weeks of speculation, Live Nation has put together a killer package that is bound to go down as the heavy metal event of 2008 - Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead, and Testament will be touring together for the first time.

Dubbed ‘The Metal Masters Tour,’ the sixteen date U.S. trek kicks off August 6th at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey.

Judas Priest will be supporting their epic concept album, ‘Nostradamus,’ which will arrive on June 17th via Epic Records, and tells the tale of the renowned 16th century prophet. A few tracks from ‘Nostradamus’ will make their in-concert debut on ‘The Metal Masters Tour,’ but the majority of Priest’s set list will include some of metal’s all-time classics, as well as fan favorites that span the quintet’s entire career. Without a doubt, this will be one of Priest’s most powerful sets ever.
As a ‘sneak peak treat’ to fans starved for a musical taster, the first cut off the new album will make its world premiere debut as exclusive free MP3 download starting today exclusively at www.livenation.com/judaspriest.

Heaven & Hell will be supporting the release of ‘The Rules Of Hell’ a five-CD boxed set available on July 22nd from Rhino Records which features re-mastered versions of all four Dio-era Black Sabbath albums (‘Heaven and Hell,’ ‘Mob Rules,’ ‘Live Evil,’ and ‘Dehumanizer’) in a deluxe package with new liner notes.

Perennial road rats Motorhead will be touring strictly for the love of it, offering a fan favorites set spanning more than three decades worth of molar-rattling metal. Motorhead’s last album was 2006’s ‘Kiss of Death’ (released via Sanctuary Records), their 19th studio set of their long and highly influential career. A new album is currently in the works as well, which is currently being recorded at their old pal Dave Grohl’s studio with a August release date targeted. Lemmy blairs out, "Here it comes everybody, the test of your Metalness in 2008 and the years to come! Come one come all and be abused!"

Rounding out the line-up will be legendary thrash metal titans Testament, whose new album, ‘The Formation of Damnation,’ (April 29th,) displays Testament as the quintessential modern heavy metal band, whose experience and accumulated skill allows them to attack with reserves of anger, energy and finesse that make them more powerful than ever. Lead singer Chuck Billy says, “Uniting these bands is the heavy metal event of generations. We are so proud to be a part of it.”

Although all four bands may represent different subgenres of heavy metal, all four have one thing in common – they have stuck to their stylistic guns through thick and thin, and have remained true to the metal form.
And soon, band and fan will be united as one on ‘The Metal Masters Tour.’

“As ever, we look forward to screaming out loud with our metal maniac fans when we hit the road,” enthuses Priest singer, Rob Halford. “Thank you once again for your devotion and support. The Priest is back!”

This tour will be limited to fifteen very special engagements, and Citi cardmembers will have pre-sale access to tickets through Citi's Private Pass® Program, available to all Citi cardmembers at www.privatepass.citi.com.

Metal maniacs seeking the ultimate concert experience can access unique VIP ticket and fan experience packages that offer premium seats, meet & greets, pre-concert parties and more brought to you by the band's official websites,
www.judaspriest.com and www.heavenandhelllive.com.
VIP packages for the first events will be on sale by 10 a.m eastern time on Friday, April 25th. Also, not all VIP packages are the same, so be sure to pick the right one that suits you best.

Tickets go on sale to the public beginning this weekend at www.livenation.com.

See the official web sites for continually updated tour information and on-sale dates.

The dates are as follows:

Wed 06-Aug-08 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 26, 10 am
Thu 07-Aug-08 Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Sat 09-Aug-08 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 26, 10 am
Sun 10-Aug-08 Nikon at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 26, 10 am
Wed 13-Aug-08 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 25, 10 am
Sat 16-Aug-08 Post Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 25, 10 am
Mon 18-Aug-08 DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Tue 19-Aug-08 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 25, 5 pm
Fri 22-Aug-08 Superpages.com Amphitheatre, Dallas, TX – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Sat 23-Aug-08 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston, TX – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Sun 24-Aug-08 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Wed 27-Aug-08 Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, NM – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Thu 28-Aug-08 Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Sat 30-Aug-08 Glen Helen Pavilion, San Bernardino, CA – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON
Sun 31-Aug-08 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 27, 10 am

11th March 2008

Black Sabbath - The Dio Years is now available as an MVI release.

The 2-disc set includes the original Dio Years CD release, along with an enhanced Music Video Interactive (MVI) disc that features high resolution PCM stereo mixes, digital files, videos for "Neon Knights," "Die Young" and "TV Crimes," a photo gallery, create your own ringtones, buddy icons, wallpapers & much more. Go to www.rhino.com/blacksabbath for more info.

3rd March 2008

New photos of Tony with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Steven Tyler at last years Classic Rock Awards.

You can now view 2 new photos of Tony with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Steven Tyler at last years Classic Rock Awards. To view the images go to archive / images / photos.

Keep checking the site for new images, information and touring news - coming soon!