Black Sabbath: The Dio Years to be documented in lavish new book

Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio — Black Sabbath onstage in 1980: Butler, Ward, Dio and Iommi (Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns - Getty)

Rufus Publications have announced that they’ll release a new book later this year focusing on Ronnie James Dio’s time with Black Sabbath.

Dio joined Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward in 1980 following the departure of Ozzy Osbourne, with the new-look band going on to release the Heaven And Hell later that year.

The coffee table book will document Dio’s time with the band through to the Heaven And Hell project and will include new interviews with Iommi and Butler that were conducted by journalist Howard Johnson. Also featured will be previously unpublished photographs along with memorabilia which will be spread across more than 440 pages.

Sabbath: The Dio Years has been produced with the full blessing of the band and Dio’s widow Wendy Dio. It'll be released in September through Rufus Publications.

Looking back at that era, Butler says: “I first met Ronnie at our rehearsal house in Beverley Hills. he arrived in this massive brown Cadillac that looked too big for him to drive!

“He seemed pleasant enough, but when he started singing, I was blown away – so much power in such a diminutive stature. He quickly got to work on some of the ideas we had and turned them into songs for what would become the Heaven And Hell album.”

Sabbath: The Dio Years is now available to pre-order through the Rufus Publications as a standard edition, a Deluxe Signed edition featuring Iommi, Butler, Ward, Vinnie Appice and Wendy Dio's autographs, and the Epic Leather And Metal edition.

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Sabbath: The Dio Years — (Image credit: Rufus Publications)

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