Black Sabbath gave birth to heavy metal on February 13, 1970, the day the British band’s self-titled debut was unleashed onto the world.

There, I said it. And to fully appreciate the power of the crew’s (or partial crew’s) new release, The Devil You Know (Rhino), it’s important to revisit some Sabbath history.

Featuring the godlike original lineup of guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and vocalist/self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath established the standard of heavy music with that epic first album, and refined it over their 40 plus year career—a career that hasn’t been without its upheaval.

The first, and most potentially catastrophic event, was the unfortunate and turbulent departure of Ozzy in 1979 due to unprofessional attitudes (read: his legendary drug and alcohol–fueled antics). While Ozzy quickly (and to many, surprisingly) gained newfound success with his solo band (featuring ex-Quiet Riot guitar wizard Randy Rhoads), Tony, Bill and Geezer were still left without a singer.

Ozzy’s replacement came in the form of up-and-coming heavy metal god Ronald James Padavona (who later adopted his now well-known moniker, Dio), formerly of Elf and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, and the band released Heaven and Hell in April of 1980.

With Dio onboard, Black Sabbath not only came back with a vengeance, but they reshaped the way heavy metal was played, once again, and revolutionized what is now known as doom metal. Heaven and Hell spewed many timeless hits and fan favorites, such as the title track, “Neon Knights,” “Die Young,” “Children of the Sea” and “Lady Evil.”

Butler, Appice, Dio, Iommi

Mob Rules followed just one year later, though Bill Ward was replaced with legendary skinsman Vinny Appice. Even with this “minor setback,” Iommi’s heavier-than-fuck riffs and Butler’s hard-hitting bass delivered the goods (as evident in the album’s classic title track and “The Sign of the Southern Cross”).

Following the release of the band’s next live album, Live Evil, in 1982 Dio called it quits and went on to secure his legacy with his solo band. Tony and Co., on the other hand, kept carrying Sabbath’s fire admirably, albeit coming up a bit short of their previous efforts.

It was also during this time period that Tony became the only original Sabbath member in cast of revolving rock heavyweights, most notably vocalists Glenn Hughes and Ian Gillan (both formerly of Deep Purple), drummers Eric Singer (formerly of Alice Cooper’s band and current Kiss/Avantasia drummer) and Cozy Powell, (who has played with Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Michael Schenker and Rainbow) and Bob Daisley (Rainbow, Yngwie and, interestingly enough, both Ozzy and Dio’s bands).

In 1992, the Mob Rules lineup reunited to release Dehumanizer, a return to form of sorts. The rest of the Nineties were spent with the classic lineup of Iommi, Butler, Ward and Ozzy headlining shows and spearheading the annual Ozzfest tour, which produced 1998’s Reunion live album/DVD.

Then in early 2007, the Mob Rules lineup announced they would play some shows under the name Heaven and Hell (thanks to the legal sanction preventing the use of the name Black Sabbath sans Ozzy courtesy of Sharon Osbourne). Bill Ward was originally asked to join but he declined the offer, citing a lack of interest in playing in a band without Ozzy. The reunion was so successful that what started out as a few select shows soon grew into a series of full-blown world tours.

Which brings us to the present—29 years since the release of Heaven and Hell, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio have released a brand new, surely soon-to-be classic album, The Devil You Know. And without further ado, here’s a look at the greatest, heaviest and most sinister Black Sabbath record since 1975’s Sabotage.

The Devil You Know opens strongly with “Atom and Evil,” and it’s immediately evident that Tony and his doom crew are not phoning this one in. Mirroring the album’s sinister artwork (courtesy of the extremely talented Norwegian artist Per Haagensen), “Atom and Evil” revels in all that is doom. The main riff is mean as hell and recalls that classic riff from “Black Sabbath”: three notes, pure evil. The production couldn’t be more perfect. The drums have that dark, earthy tone and you can literally feel Butler’s bass lines. And let’s not forget about the classic Iommi guitar tone, which is perfectly intact and as relevant as it ever was. After this first track faded out, I knew I was in for the ride of my life.

Next up is “Fear,” and what a follow-up it is. Heavy palm-muting abounds and Dio’s vocals are incredible (so much so that to really discuss them would require a whole other review). Sure, we all know those jokes about him: his height, his age, Elf, but make no mistake—his talent is simply flawless. Bands like Candlemass, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Warning and Cathedral (all excellent bands in their own right) can come up with quality riffs, but none of their singers can evoke the same feelings in the listener like Dio can. It’s something to be heard, not explained.

“Bible Black” is the band’s first single and, in my humble opinion, doesn’t represent the album purely. It’s a superb song, but definitely doesn’t set the exact tone of the album. “Double the Pain” starts off with a double-tracked bass riff, one with slight overdrive and one with a phase effect. This is one of the album’s faster songs, and contains lush guitar overdubs and super thick drums. “Rock and Roll Angel” and “Turn of the Screw” unfold in the same fashion (more or less), while “Eating the Cannibals” is a full-on hard-rocker (similar to “The Mob Rules” or “Wishing Well”). The guys back off the tempo for “Follow the Tears,” but kick into high gear once more with the guitar-driven “Neverwhere.” When the album’s end arrives, in appropriately epic fashion, with “Breaking Into Heaven” it sounds as if Iommi’s droning riff, nicely doubled with the vocals, is in fact creeping up from hell.

There’s a reason why the members of Heaven and Hell are all considered rock royalty. Does Tony Iommi really write the most evil riffs in metal? Is Geezer Butler actually the world’s heaviest bassist? Can Dio still sing? Does Vinny Appice earn his spot in the Sabbath legacy? The answers to these questions—a resounding yes—are all proved on The Devil You Know. Easily one of the best metal records in the past decade, The Devil You Know grabs you by the throat and drags you straight to the deepest pit of hell, where all three of these four immortals are perched proudly in their thrones.—Henry Yuan