Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Speaks of Fan Fondness for 'Heaven and Hell'

Any band with a long history and pedigree behind them will have different periods and eras that mean different things to different fans, and Black Sabbath, the originators of heavy metal as we know it, are no exception.

On the eve of the release of deluxe editions of the band's three classic Ronnie James Dio-era albums -- 1980's 'Heaven and Hell,' 1981's 'Mob Rules' and 1982's 'Live Evil' -- guitarist Tony Iommi spoke to Spinner about why he thought this trio of albums is so fondly regarded by Black Sabbath's legions of fans.

"Yeah, it's funny," Iommi says. "That period, for people like [Foo Fighters frontman] Dave Grohl, that was their first introduction to some of the Sabbath stuff and then they went back to the earlier stuff. Those albums have been very good for us and I love that period. I really enjoyed doing those albums and the challenge of it all."

Fans of the era will be well-served when the band -- singer Ronnie James Dio, Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice -- play as Heaven and Hell at the Sonisphere festival in Spain on July 10, the High Voltage festival in London on July 24 and the Bloodstock festival in Derbyshire on Aug. 15.