Wow! The introduction of Ronnie James Dio, gave Sabbath the kick in the arse they were well overdue for. The two previous albums were pretty weak especially comparing the high quality they were pumping out in the early-to-mid 70's. Its not just Dio's powerful voice that gives the band a new direction, cracking riffs and a fresh style of song writing, lifts this classic to what must be one of the Sabb's top albums. Ok this is a bit different from the Ozzy style, but he left and was replaced by the right man, a bad album at this delicate stage of Sabbath's career could have led them to free-fall, but that never happened.

'Neon Knights' is pure class with its pounding rhythm, ranging vocals and great instrumental break, an album opener to dream of. 'Children of the Sea' starts of with a subtle intro, but quickly changes pace to a flowing groove- cleverly crafted. 'Lady Evil' is a strong plodder, with a catchy sing-along chorus and sweet riff work. One of my all-time favourites next, 'Heaven and Hell', which in my opinion is up their with 'Stairway to Heaven', 'Smoke on the Water' and 'Paranoid'. Combining the plodding guitar work with Ronnie's crystal clear yet powerful voice, the smoking riffs and the smartly arranged song structured makes this a real winner. Other mesmerising tracks include the Blistering 'Die Young', 'Wishing Well' with its majestic vocal work and the commanding 'Lonely is the Word'.

Considering this was released in 1980, this is a pretty remarkable and influential album that should be in most Metal lovers collection. The next release smokes like a bonfire made of damp leaves too.