There's been a lot going on in the world of the late, great Ronnie James Dio lately. His autobiography Rainbow In The Dark is finally getting a long-waited posthumous release on July 27, and the estate of former Black Sabbath live member/collaborator Geoff Nicholls' estate recently shared a rare rehearsal recording of the Dio-era Sabbath track "Heaven and Hell." Nicholls' estate has now shared another Dio-era Sabbath recording, and this one's even rarer. It's from the same 1979 rehearsal tape as the "Heaven and Hell" recording, but this one's of a previously unreleased song that was apparently titled "Slapback."
Gary Rees, Nicholls' stepson and executor of his estate, wrote, "This latest upload from the Geoff Nicholls estate I believe is called 'Slapback' from the scrawling on the cassette and the chorus. This is from the same cassette as the 'Heaven & Hell' upload on this channel. It doesn't sound like a typical Sabbath song if it is them but it does sound like Ronnie James Dio." That description pretty much hits the nail on the head; it's classic Dio and it sounds great. Listen below.