The Devil You Know - Song By Song

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Peer pressure has forced me to do this one next!

The Devil You Know is the reunion of the Dio/Iommi/Butler/Appice era of Black Sabbath, but for various reasons they went with the Heaven & Hell band name.


The opener on this album is Atom & Evil. It's a solid start, but I used to like this song a lot more than I do now, I feel it's a little weak lyrically and the vocal melody is not one of Ronnie's best, musically it's fine though.

[Zzzptm]

Atom & Evil definitely has a doomy feel to it, but it's not really going anywhere. It was a big disappointment, frankly, when I first heard it.  Dio's got that "Catch the Rainbow" thing going on with his voice and I didn't like it back in Rainbow, either.  I need more than this track if I'm going to come out liking this album...

[Charger]

Atom & Evil is a good tune but a horrible opener. Again we're at that slow songs don't work as an opener territory.

Fear should have been the opener...but that's another story...

Anyways Atom & Evil is a very doomy number...but it still does lack a bit of punch. Ronnie's vocal melody is bit too soft for a song this doomy. Would have needed more of that Dehumanizer anger this song to come out better. Musically this is bit careful as well. I know this is one of the songs Ronnie brought to sessions but it still never grabbed me the way it should have...still I think if it would have been placed later in the album it might have been a different story...now it just suffers from being the opener.

I'd go as far as say this is my least favourite of the album.

[Scott]

Bible Black would have made a great opener for sure, Neverwhere would have too.

I like Atom and Evil but IMO it would have worked better in a different spot.

[Jack the Stripper]

I think out of all the songs either Bible Black or Double the Pain probably should’ve been the opener but honestly I don’t think any song was really suited as an opener, they should’ve just wrote a fast track(which the the album severely lacks) specifically to open.

I quite like Atom and Evil, it’s so dam slow and heavy but it’s letdown by the bland vocal melody and stupid lyrics, although I quite like the play on words with the title.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

The next track is Fear.

I didn't much like it when the album came out so I haven't listened to it until this last week when I knew this album would be up for analysis. This last week I've played the album a few times, and Fear is much better than I remember it being. Tony does a great job with the riff, Ronnie is mixed though, the verse has a non-descript melody, but the pre-chorus and chorus are good. The song is also more uptempo than I remember I thought only Eatring the Cannibals and Neverwhere were fast but this is quite quick also.

[Zzzptm]

Fear has a solid stoner doom groove opening, but it goes from moderately fast to slow back to moderately fast, not what I want to get my album rocking out. It's a lot like The Last in Line in terms of pacing, so it would be better at the end of a side or something like that. I'm just pretty much spending the whole song waiting for it to take off.

[Charger]

Fear is one of my absolute favourites from the album. The main riff is among Tony's finest riffs ever. Had this one my phone ring tone for a long time too...loved it so much.

Ronnie's vocals here are great and he captures some of the Dehumanizer magic in his voice here I'd say. 

A great uptempo song which should have been the opener. I am glad that they chose to play this one live though. A great live track as well.

[Jack the Stripper]

Fear is one of the better tracks on the album. Great opening riff and I love the chugging pre chorus riff as well.  Ronnie’s verse melody brings the song down though after a promising start but thankfully he’s able to lift it during the pre chorus, Ronnie just blurting out “Fearrrrr” at the end of the chorus is a  little lame and unimaginative though. Lyrics are generally cheesy and Tony’s solo is ok but on the average side by his standards.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

The next song is Bible Black... the best song on the album IMO. It's Ronnie's song really, with one of his best ever vocal performances, but the whole band are great on this one. I like the gentle start and then the sudden transition into a heavier, faster rocker.

[Zzzptm]

I like Bible Black, but I wish it just went further in terms of speed and power. I keep feeling like the band is holding something back on this album.

[Charger]

Bible Black is a monster track. One of the holy trinity of masterful tracks on the album. The soft intro leading into the heavy and doomy main section.

Ronnie's vocals are monumental on the track and the lyrics are classic Black Sabbath material.

The only complaint I really have about the song is that it could have been a bit longer...to make it a proper epic. This song had the potential for it and could have benefitted from either another verse or a second solo section.

But honestly the song is great as it is and it is one of those songs that goes straight into the best of the best among Sabbath tunes.

[Jack the Stripper]

Bible Black is a straight up classic! The arrangements are vintage Ronnie with the mellow tender singing over slow acoustic guitar before launching into a thunderous heavy assault. Every player brings their A game for this song elevating it amongst the best of Dio era Sabbath.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Double the Pain follows and it's probably my least favourite track on the album. Musically it's not a bad riff, and chugs along nicely, but it is one of Ronnie's worst vocal performances IMO, I really can't stand the chorus.

[Charger]

Double The Pain is clearly a Geezer song...very bass oriented track...and that is the best part of it too.

What I think this song could have used is a guitar bass play off like on Slipping Away, that would have added a nice touch. As it is now it is maybe bit overly simple.

Ronnie taps into the Dehumanizer style anger a bit on his vocals again which is nice, but I have to agree a bit with KDC about the chorus not being all that good. This is my least favourite on the album as well.