The Devil You Know (Heaven & Hell album)

In 2007 the Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath line-up recorded three new tracks, "The Devil Cried", "Shadow of the Wind", and "Ear in the Wall" for an upcoming greatest hits package entitled Black Sabbath: The Dio Years. Guitarist Tony Iommi said that the tracks were created because he felt there was nothing worth releasing in the vaults from the Dio-era studio recordings and so these new songs were written and recorded. The song "The Devil Cried" was released as a promotional single for the release. Initially Dio commented that after the recording of those songs, he expected to leave the band and return to Dio and that another "Sabbath album" was "the last thing on my mind". The band started work on the album before and after the Metal Masters Tour in Dio and Iommi's houses respectively. ==Title and art==

The album artwork is adapted from a painting by Per Øyvind Haagensen entitled Satan. The artwork features the numbers 25 and 41. Geezer Butler stated in an interview that the numbers refer to the Bible verse Matthew 25:41, which deals with the Last Judgment where "those who sit at the left side of God are cast down into Hell". He also has explained that the name of the album is a reference to the name of the band, as fans know them as Black Sabbath. Dio also stated that he and Geezer Butler had the idea of calling the album "Villa Yankees" after their favourite sports teams (Butler; Aston Villa and Dio; New York Yankees). When finalising the cover art, the band narrowed it down to their two favourites but had a difficult time making a final decision. The second of those two favourites prominently features the traditional Black Sabbath devil logo. That alternative cover is available exclusively at Wal-Mart within the United States. ==Critical reception==

The Devil You Know has received generally positive reviews. The album currently holds a score of 63/100 at the aggregate review site, Metacritic, indicating mixed or positive reviews. and honored it with a 2010 Golden Gods Award for Best Album. He described Dio's vocals being delivered with "thespian enunciation" and "passion". ==Touring==

Heaven & Hell embarked on a second international tour (after their 2007 tour) in support of The Devil You Know. The band's first scheduled date was in Bogotá on 5 May 2009. They were supported by progressive rock acts Coheed and Cambria and The Mars Volta on North America for a select number of shows in August 2009. ==Track listing==

;Heaven & Hell • Ronnie James Dio – vocals, production • Tony Iommi – guitar, production • Geezer Butler – bass guitar, production • Vinny Appice – drums ;Additional Personnel • Mike Exeter – keyboards, additional production, engineering ;Production • Recorded by Mike Exeter • Mixing and additional recording by Wyn Davis, assisted by Mike Sutherland and Adam Arnold • Mastered by Stephen Marcussen • Art direction and design by Masaki Koike • Cover illustration by Per Øyvind Haagensen • Photograph by Chapman Baehler • Etchings by Johann Koch ==Charts==