Geoff Tate Shares The Only Thing He Doesn’t Like About Black Sabbath’s ‘Heaven And Hell’

In a recent interview with Louder Sound, Geoff Tate, former vocalist for Queensryche, commented on Black Sabbath’s ‘Heaven and Hell’ album.

Black Sabbath has been one of the leading bands in the metal scene since the late ’60s. The band rose to prominence with Ozzy Osbourne, who was also one of the band’s founding members, but in 1979 the band decided to part ways with the vocalist due to his drug addiction. 

Then, Black Sabbath started working with the legendary Ronnie James Dio. Dio’s wider vocal range and his success in comfortably experimenting with his voice allowed the band to preserve its position as a highly influential figure in the metal scene.

‘Heaven and Hell’ was released in 1980. It is the first album featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals after Ozzy Osbourne’s departure from the band. Queensrÿche’s former vocalist Geoff Tate, who made an impressive entrance into the metal scene in the early ’90s, shared his thoughts on this first Sabbath album featuring Dio in a recent conversation and revealed what he didn’t like about the album.

During the conversation, Tate said Black Sabbath was on a decline after Ozzy’s departure in 1979, but ‘Heaven and Hell’ got them out. He added that he thought they did a fantastic job with Ronnie James Dio in ‘Heaven and Hell.’ However, there was one thing that Tate didn’t like about the album which was that it was very short and consisted of only eight songs. Tate said it wasn’t enough for him, but he knows that that’s how records had to be in those times.

Tate’s statements during the interview: 

“One thing that’s sometimes forgotten is that Black Sabbath was on a downward curve until ‘Heaven And Hell.’ After sacking Ozzy Osbourne, they were written off by just about everybody. It was almost expected that they would fade out.

But together with Ronnie, they made an extraordinary album, and of course, the opposite thing happened. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it could have been longer. Eight songs aren’t enough. But that’s how records were made in those days.”

After leaving Queensrÿche in 2012, Geoff Tate pursued his life as a musician with different projects. He is currently performing with Operation: Mindcrime and touring in Europe. They will be in Mannheim, Germany, on September 28 and will continue to hit the road from there to the Netherlands.