In a minor shift of format, this Devil’s Dozen edition will focus not on the work of one band, but on the work of one man in several bands. That man? The man: Ronnie James Dio. Though Ronnie began his musical career in the late fifties, it was not until 1975 that he first performed music in the still-developing heavy metal genre, with former Deep Purple guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore’s then-new band Rainbow. With Rainbow Ronnie established himself as a gifted lyricist, composer and most of all as a singer of exceptional power and presence, whose star shone every bit as bright as Blackmore’s. After three studio albums with Rainbow, Dio went on to further build his metal legacy by revitalizing the languishing career of Black Sabbath with 1980’s Heaven and Hell, and 1981’s Mob Rules. Departing Sabbath acrimoniously in 1982, Dio then established his solo band and enjoyed great success in the eighties with classic albums such as Holy Diver and The Last in Line. Though Ronnie’s commercial fortunes would wax and wane over the succeeding decades, Dio never stopped recording or performing metal music, either with his solo band or on two more occasions as a member of some incarnation of Black Sabbath.
Though he was a man of diminutive stature, Dio owned every stage he ever set foot on and captured the hearts of the metal faithful with a voice best described as a force of nature. If it was not for fucking cancer, there is no doubt he would still be performing today. In salute to this metal titan, Last Rites is proud to present to you a Devil’s Dozen of Ronnie James Dio.
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KILL THE KING
[Rainbow – Long Live Rock n’ Roll, 1978]A tale of impending regicide blessed with one of Blackmore’s most neo-classical introductory motifs, “Kill The King” is the veritable definition of epic metal. Add to that one of the best main riffs in the halls of 70s hard rock, and you’ve got an instant classic. Some credit resides with Blackmore, of course — the solo is one of his finest moments — but “Kill The King” is an equally first-rate showcase for the inimitable pipes of Ronnie James, his godly tenor soaring atop the driving tempo. “Fly like the rainbow… Speed on and on and on…” Bombastic proto-metal for the win. [Andrew Edmunds]
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LONELY IS THE WORD
[Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell, 1980]“Lonely is the Word.” And lonely is the world that continues to rotate without the living presence behind that intensely magnificent voice. This is the sort of Sabbath tune that slowly drifts from the speakers and annihilates the listener with the stark realization that Ronnie James Dio was a true champion-sorcerer of his craft. But outside of that unmatched, brilliant croon, “Lonely Is the Word” also manages to weave in one of Iommi’s most classic, fiery and notable leads – a long lightning storm of exquisite fret-play that’s probably lead to enough arena lighters-held-high to ignite a thousand suns. [Michael Wuensch]
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FALLING OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
[Black Sabbath – Mob Rules, 1981]The fantasy world of Dio meets the doom and gloom of Black Sabbath head on – and it’s practically hidden near the end of their second outing together. The opening 2+ minutes of melancholy is broken by an urgent, crackling Iommi riff that itself signals that the end is near. The man himself personally delivers the bad news as only he can, while the band plays us right off to Armageddon. “Look out – there’s danger! / Nowhere to run! / It seems like desperate measures / but sometimes it has to be done.” Oh, and fuck you, J.D. Considine. [Dave Pirtle]
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RAINBOW IN THE DARK
[Dio – Holy Diver, 1983]As one who celebrates the entirety of the Dio catalog, I often find myself annoyed when “Rainbow in the Dark” is brought up in conversations about his work. Try harder! I want to scream. Get past the shiny diamonds and look for the hidden gems! Don’t mistake my frustration for disdain, though – there is no denying the sheer awesomeness of the track. From one of the most memorable keyboard lines in the history of metal to the fist-raising power of the chorus, it is arguably the quintessential cut from this phase of Dio’s career. [Dave Pirtle]
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NEON KNIGHTS
[Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell, 1980]This song brings back such fond memories of my youth, and I’ve always thought of it as having two versions. First, as the first song on Heaven And Hell, the first Black Sabbath album released with Dio, and second, the monstrous introductory song of the set list played on Live Evil, perhaps one of the best live albums ever recorded. Both albums date back to a time when I was in my pre-teens and just beginning to discover heavy metal; hence, my fondness for the song. The song itself is a wonderful introduction to Dio’s soaring, epic style of vocals; an introduction for me at the time as I only became familiar with Elf and Rainbow afterwards. As for the live version, the song is incredibly heavy and is probably the closest that Black Sabbath ever came to thrash metal with Tony Iommi’s fast riffing and the song’s slightly quicker pace than that of the studio version. The song also served as the encore for the live performances of Heaven And Hell, two of which I was fortunate to catch in Los Angeles before Dio’s untimely death. This song has a special place in my heart. [Dave Schalek]
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COUNTRY GIRL
[Black Sabbath – Mob Rules, 1981]I often get a bit of the ol’ crook-eye when I make it known that “Country Girl” stands as one of my absolute favorite Black Sabbath tunes. The relatively short four minutes that make up this mega-belter deliver all the principal Sabbath ingredients in spades: Strut, stamina, smokiness and splendor. The way things tromp from the gate atop that magnificent riff and Appice’s heavy clobbering; the swirling, overcast drift at the 1:30 mark; and the way that quick, golden Iommi lead cracks the clouds at 2:20 – that’s the stuff of Sabbath legend right there, folks. And of course, Ronnie James Dio’s sterling voice is as insanely robust as ever. Have you ever heard anyone belt out the words “morning sunshine” with more oomph? Nope. And you never will. [Michael Wuensch]
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CHILDREN OF THE SEA
[Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell, 1980]It’s 1979. An Ozzy-less Tony Iommi is bumming up and down LA’s Sunsets. He enters a joint dubbed The Rainbow. Like a serendipitous bowl of booger-sugar gold, he bumps into the elf himself, Ronnie James Dio. Sabbath and the Stargazer strike up a convo. Turns out, the two are still “in between.” Light bulbs. Sparks. Instant connection. Calls are made. A friendly jam is scheduled to test the waters. Iommi greets RJD with a block of concrete soon to be chipped into “Children of the Sea”‘s iconic wave. Dio pens a plutonium-grade poem, nails a particularly Dioan dramatic n’ dynamic vocal melody, and fills the sky as Black Sabbath‘s new moon. BS, miraculously, smells fresh once more. The first high tide of power metal rolls in shortly afterward, all due to the inexplicable quantum physics behind right place, right time. Luck, though? That car-karaoke “mmm-hmmm” favorite? That riff which would be genome-mapped as an essential building block for metal genres to come? No. Not luck. Great minds. Amazing minds. [Ian Chainey]
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THE LAST IN LINE
[Dio – The Last in Line, 1984]The title track from Dio‘s second album with his post-Sabbath band is deceptive in its simplicity. The “Stairway to Heaven”/”Dust in the Wind” acoustic opening is a quick feint that soon launches into a widescreen rock stomp. Whereas some of the keys on Holy Diver could get, shall we say, a little effusive (lookin’ at you, “Rainbow in the Dark”…), here the synth lines from newly on-boarded fulltime keyboardist Claude Schnell are understated and even a bit regal. Because the melody lines of the song are rather straightforward, and the range not particularly large, “The Last in Line” allows the listener to dig into just how much emotional texture Dio could wring out of minimal inputs. After a wonderful (and quite lengthy) Vivian Campbell solo spot circles the song back to its opening verse, the band takes a victory lap via slow fadeout, with Dio kicking out some effortlessly tasteful melismatics. We saw you shine, RJD, and all came away the better for it. [Danhammer Obstkrieg]
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MAN ON THE SILVER MOUNTAIN
[Rainbow – Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, 1975]After 25 seconds of Purple-esque vamping from Ritchie Blackmore, Dio opened his golden throat and the world changed. “Man On the Silver Mountain” wasn’t only Rainbow‘s opening salvo, it was the genesis of 35 years of Dionic excellence. What came before is crushed by the unstoppable wheel that time and again would lift Dio higher and higher. With all due respect to Elf (or “the shit Faces“, as a friend named them years ago), their style of blues rock never showed what that voice could truly do. The control, the build, the restraint and release, was finally all in place; the quivering rises, the dropping growl, the shivering break on the “silver” of the first chorus. This was the template, the ur-tune that shaped a legend. [Erik Highter]
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HOLY DIVER
[Dio – Holy Diver, 1983]Soon after I purchased Live Evil on double vinyl when I was a young teenager, the first solo album from Dio appeared. I distinctly remember Holy Diver for the first time on the shelves at my local K-Mart. Of course, I bought the album immediately and I remember being mesmerized by the cover art, which, for the time, had a dark sense of evil and foreboding. The song itself is slower and less heavy than what Dio had participated in during his time in Black Sabbath, but Vivian Campbell’s style of riffing proved to be a perfect match for Dio’s vocals. This album probably also kick starts power metal as a distinct genre, revealing the genre’s NWOBHM roots, and also comes at a time when thrash metal was getting established. [Dave Schalek]
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HEAVEN AND HELL
[Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell, 1980]“Sing me a song, you’re a singer…” Sporting one of Iommi’s best riffs, this titular track from Dio’s first outing with Sabbath proved without a doubt that the recently departed Ozzy wasn’t necessary to that legendary band’s success. From a moody midtempo gallop to a full-on rocker by the end, “Heaven And Hell” is the perfect combination of Dio’s fantastic lyricism and Sabbath‘s stomping groove, the two forming a greater whole through the synergy of metal gods united. One of the greatest songs of its era or of any, an undeniable classic, the legacy of which shall live on and on and on… [Andrew Edmunds]
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THE SIGN OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS
[Black Sabbath – Mob Rules, 1981]It may feature a massive, iconic Tony Iommi riff and wonderfully bubbly bass hook from Geezer Butler, but Mob Rules centerpiece “The Sign of the Southern Cross” is a full on showcase for the pipes. From the soft intro and barren verses through the mountainous chorus and somber bridge, Ronnie is given a stage on which to feature his voice, showing off his range of tones and emotion, all whilst serving the song and letting it breath. Dio always had this uncanny ability to make his singing work like some great, powerful, life-affirming musical instrument, the kind of sound that washes away worries and bathes the listener in hope. Towards the end of this tune, when he is belting out the line “Don’t live for pleasure / Make life your treasure,” it’s easy to see why. A simple, perfect song elevated to classic status by those who wrote and performed it, none less than the towering personality up front. [Zach Duvall]
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STARGAZER
[Rainbow – Rising, 1976]One of Dio’s greatest strengths was his ability to draw the listener into his musical world through vivid lyrical imagery, and “Stargazer” just might be the most vivid picture he ever painted. With this epic of epics, Dio puts you in the chains of a slave to a mad wizard obsessed with reaching a star. You can feel the “heat and rain”, the “whips and chains”, and more you feel the despair at nine years of wasted toil and wasted life, when the wizard attempts to fly from atop his cursed tower and instead ends up as “blood on the sand”. Not to slight the rest of Rainbow: Blackmore’s lumbering riff and harrowing, middle-eastern flavored solo, Tony Carey’s cinematic synth arrangement and a powerhouse performance from the Bain/Powell rhythm section combine provide Dio with some of the best music he’s ever had to work with, but Ronnie is the one that makes it all come alive. [Jeremy Morse]
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