With a heavy heart and a frown on my face, I pay tribute to one of metal’s greatest voices, the one and only Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie succumbed to his cancer in the early hours of May 16, 2010. There is so much to say about Dio. He has forged a long legacy of music and he will always live through the wonderful music he gave to us all through his time with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell, and his solo band aptly named Dio. He has given us so much and it is heartbreaking that a man with so much talent and still so much to offer could be taken away too soon. His last album with his former Black Sabbath bandmates under the banner of Heaven & Hell was incredible. If you haven’t heard it, pick it up.

I had the pleasure of seeing Heaven & Hell during the Metal Masters tour with Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Testament. It was a truly epic evening. As soon as Heaven & Hell got onto the stage, it was truly magic. I felt it in a way that is hard to explain in words as it was just pure and utter emotion. If you were in Phoenix that summer evening, you got to see what I saw and it was the amazing Heaven & Hell on stage and they did literally bring out the monsoon that Judas Priest ended up rocking through. The sight of the black clouds coming in with Dio at the helm…man, it was incredible. I am truly sad that I won’t get to experience Ronnie James Dio again but I am thankful that I did have that opportunity and privilege.

I am taking this very sorrowful evening to post an impromptu edition of the Rock ‘N Roll Asylum because if anyone is deserving of a tribute it truly is Ronnie James Dio. I have put together a setlist of songs from all of his eras, whether it be in Elf, his teaming with Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow, him taking the reigns over in Black Sabbath, and then going out on his own as just Dio. Through all the years, Ronnie was always an amazing singer, an incredible lyricist, and an all around just awesome dude. Even at 67, I knew he had more to offer this world musically, but he didn’t leave us short at all. Fuck cancer. We’ll all miss you and I will definitely be missing you, my Italian brother. \m/ Thank you for everything.

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