I can hardly believe that its been thirty years since we first saw the album “Holy Diver” being released by the late great Ronnie James Dio and his at the time brand new band Dio. Of course I seem to find myself always saying this when an album that I recall buying when it was originally released reaches a milestone like this and in some sense it makes me shake my head. Before continuing let’s all give a round of applause for this mighty Metal milestone and the overall impact that it had on the Metal genre ever since.
Continue reading Dio’s “Holy Diver” Is Thirty Years Old Today!!!
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Two Years Gone: Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)
Time flies doesn’t it? Perhaps I said that last year when the first anniversary came to pass. I think that I might have and while I was initially on the fence about posting a two year reflection about the passing of Ronnie James Dio, when the day started out I decided that I should. Let’s face it. Ronnie James Dio became one of the most important figures in Heavy Metal music ever. Without question or controversy, he was the man, and one of the most visible champions of the genre that we have ever had in our corner. His death crushed many and he is missed every single day by his worldwide legions of fans. Since he passed away a whole lot of stuff has popped up in terms of releases or bands touring in his memory. We’ve found unreleased classic shows and limited edition vinyl releases along with special edition versions of some of his work with Rainbow, Elf and of course Dio. A Tribute To Dio band called “Dio Disciples” tours with Ripper Owens at the helm and now a new band that features members of Dio’s first solo touring band are working on unleashing their own thing and I am sure that we have not seen nothing yet.
Since Ronnie’s death another interesting development was the proposed reunion of the original members of Black Sabbath but now that seems to be a questionable project since it no longer involves the founding Bill Ward. I know that Geezer and Tony didn’t want to continue on with Heaven And Hell without Ronnie at the helm, but I so wish they would have just opted to find someone who would do proper respect to the man and his memory and let these tunes be heard night after night in live concert instead of only being pulled out of the DVD cabinet every now and again. Still I am glad I own the catalog items that I have and I was so glad to have taken photos of him in concert a few times when the means allowed me to do so. Those are my memories. What are your own?
Clicking the photo above will take you to the original memorial blog posting that ran on PiercingMetal Musings the day that Ronnie passed away. I chose to present it to you in this manner as opposed to just making it a “sticky” on the top of the other posts. Please note that the comments have been closed on this particular posting but you can leave any thoughts you might have about Dio on the original memorial piece if you so desire. We welcome your own thoughts about his memory and his continuing influence upon the Heavy Metal scene. So many of us miss him still and wonder how the last two years in Metal might have been had he not been ill or at least been able to recover. Oh well. There is nothing we can do to change the outcome that we got, but let’s blast the Metal music a little bit louder today and never ever forget what Dio gave to us for so many decades of his life.
Note: Please know that the means to comment on this post have been turned off and we ask that any reflection thoughts or toasts about Ronnie James Dio that you wish to share be left on our first Memorial posting that can be found HERE. Thank you.
“Holy Diver Live” [Blu-ray] by Dio
Artist: Dio
Title: “Holy Diver Live” (Blu-ray)
Label: Eagle Vision
Release Date: 10/12/2010
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 4.25/5
What a year 2010 has been for the Metal Republic. From the beginning it was a tight one in terms of the ever fluctuating economy that seemed to strangle the very manner in which we do things but still the fans pressed on and supported the music that they loved so much. It was a year that first smacked us in the jaw when it took bassist Peter Steele from Type O Negative from us and then before we could catch our collective breath and move on, the cruel hand of fate would take Ronnie James Dio from this plane of existence and leave us all astonished, hurt and angry. The loss of such a powerful force for Metal’s good was bound to find the releases that celebrated better times being delivered to the fans and that is never a bad thing if it helps ease the pain of loss just a little bit. The first such issue that I found being released would be the Blu-ray edition of Dio’s “Holy Diver Live” DVD that originally hit the streets in 2006. Having reviewed that piece before I decided to re-present my words from that article and add a couple of other notes to make it a little more current. I’ll close out by citing any visible differences between that issue and the higher definition Blu-ray version. Read on.
Continue reading “Holy Diver Live” [Blu-ray] by Dio
Ronnie James Dio; The Godfather Of Heavy Metal; Has Died (5/16/2010)
I can hardly believe the words myself, but yes, the news is indeed true and the Metal world has lost one of its most inspiring titans as Ronnie James Dio, The Godfather Of Heavy has died at age 67. Back in November of 2009 it was reported that Ronnie had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and he quickly began to get treated for it and according to most reports was on the mend if not a little worse for wear from the treatments. Sadly, the battle that this brave warrior king would fight would not be all that long and he would succumb to the illness and pass from this plane on Sunday morning 5/16/2010.

The singer was nothing less than an icon and a man who lived, breathed and pretty much existed Heavy Metal music on a daily basis and while he was born Ronald James Padavona back in 1942, it was the name Dio that resonated like a thunderclap across the music geography of the world.
Continue reading Ronnie James Dio; The Godfather Of Heavy Metal; Has Died (5/16/2010)
“Holy Diver Live” (DVD) by Dio
Artist: Dio
Title: “Holy Diver Live”
Label: Eagle Vision
Release Date: 5/30/2006
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 7/10
Is there any question about “Holy Diver” being one of the most important Heavy Metal albums of all time? The overall impact of his solo debut led Ronnie James Dio and his band on a path to Metal dominance and while he would release great music afterwards none were as appealing on the whole as this recording. Songs like “Stand Up And Shout”, “Rainbow In The Dark” and title track “Holy Diver” became synonymous with the strength of Heavy Metal music and its power over the legions of the night. In 2005 during the tail end of his “Master Of The Moon” tour Dio treated the fans to a full performance of this classic album. Thanks to Eagle Vision the supporters of the legendary entertainer will get to relive this concert once again in the comforts of home where they control the volume and the mood. The concert was also released as a double live CD, but the owners of that product will immediately notice that the layout of the music is different. To make sense of the “Holy Diver” presentation, the first CD features that portion of the show, while CD2 features all the remaining songs. On the DVD, which is a single disk we get the entire show from start to finish just as it was performed had you attended one of these shows. If you did not purchase the CD, then here is a good way to make amends and fill a Metal need. Overall the show is very well done, but be aware that by this point Dio no longer does over the top visual shows.
Continue reading “Holy Diver Live” (DVD) by Dio