| A representative for BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has confirmed that the highly anticipated and much-rumored reunion of Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward appears to be shaping up and taking a new form. After various promoters have approached the former SABBATH bandmates' respective representatives, the guys have started taking all of this very seriously, as they have aparently wanted to reunite for some time now. It looks as if the new shape may be that of HEAVEN AND HELL — that is the moniker that the band is likely to use on their new venture. If all goes well, HEAVEN AND HELL should be hitting the road in early 2007.
In an August 16, 2006 appearance on the syndicated radio show "Rockline", Dio had the following to say about the possibility of further collaborations with BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi:
"We've already written one [new] song together. The reason for that is that there's a release coming out, it's called 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years' — they've already done one, of course, 'Black Sabbath: The Ozzy Years'; that was the beginning and, really, the best part of it all — but they've decided to do one, again, 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years', and we wanted to make it a little but more special, not just give you things you've not heard from a live perspective. These are two things you'll never hear again — two new songs. We are going to do that. It's been fun already. The one we've done — the one that I've done with Tony has been really wonderful — just great to realize how magnificent a player he was. You forget that after 10 years at a time that you don't work with someone. So we are gonna be doing that. And I hope you'll like it. I think it'll be great."
On the rumors of him possibly rejoining BLACK SABBATH, Dio said, "There's always rumors about everything — about a RAINBOW reunion, about a BLACK SABBATH reunion. Our purpose was to do this because we wanted to have this product be a bit more special than anything else — not just, 'Here's a live track you've never heard before.' I mean, that's cool, but I'm sure people have heard that. We wanted to do something a bit more special, so the whole band would write and play these songs, and… They've wanted to hear them long enough, so here they are. But it's not anything that we've talked about leading to anything other than that. No, it's for that project."
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