12-30 Tour with R.J. Dio's hologram? 02-23 New Dio Tribute Album
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Though rarely held in the same light as many of the other metal titans of the eighties, Ronnie James Dio's self titled solo band is one of the most influential metals bands, especially to the genre of Power Metal. Known for his massive voice, by far one of the greatest in metal, which inexplicably came from one of the tiniest men to take up music. For quite some time, Dio was also a major arena draw with unforgettable stage presence and antics. Dio himself was taken from relative obscurity when ex Deep Purple guitar god Ritchie Blackmore formed the band Rainbow with him. After three classic al ...read more
Though rarely held in the same light as many of the other metal titans of the eighties, Ronnie James Dio's self titled solo band is one of the most influential metals bands, especially to the genre of Power Metal. Known for his massive voice, by far one of the greatest in metal, which inexplicably came from one of the tiniest men to take up music. For quite some time, Dio was also a major arena draw with unforgettable stage presence and antics. Dio himself was taken from relative obscurity when ex Deep Purple guitar god Ritchie Blackmore formed the band Rainbow with him. After three classic albums, Dio chose to part ways with Ritchie due to both of the mens' massive egos and stylistic disagreements. Rainbow would later degenerate into a pop band before Blackmore would reconcile with his DP band mates. The singer moved from big to bigger, however when he chose to fill the shoes recently vacated by the iconic Ozzy Osbourne as frontman of Black Sabbath. With Sabbath he would release two albums, Heaven and Hell (regarded as one of the bands all time best) and Mob Rules (a strong effort but not as good as the previous record). Once more, however, his massive ego and the drama surrounding the production of the Live Evil album would interfere with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler so he would depart the band soon after. His solo debut, Holy Diver, would be a massive success. Fueled by the power of two MTV hits, the title track and Rainbow in the Dark and backed by essential recordings like Stand Up and Shout and Don't Talk to Strangers it is regarded by many as his best work. His next record, The Last in Line would commercially be a step up from Holy Diver, but for the fans it is widely considered as a step down with Dio streamlining his approach and making it commercially viable. 1985's Sacred Heart would be his last album with guitar shredder Vivian Campbell, and Dio would begin going through band members at an alarming rate. As the 80s and 90s progressed, Dio would consistently release records. Though they never topped Holy Diver, they were usually solid efforts. The new millennium found Dio as active as ever, with 2000's concept album Magica heralding something of a return to form. His live act was as fierce as it was twenty years ago, too, documented by 2005's Evil or Divine: Live in New York City. Ronnie James Dio passed away May 16th, 2010, as a result of stomach cancer. He was 67 years old. His last work as a musician is 2009's TheDevil You Know, by Heaven & Hell. « hide |
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