NEW YORK (Sanctuary Records/ www.ronniejamesdio.com) - DIO – the legendary voice of a career that spans three decades, harnessing the incomparable power behind such
Black Sabbath and
Rainbow classics as 'Neon Nights,' 'The Mob Rules,' 'Heaven and Hell,' 'Man on the
Silver Mountain,' and 'Stargazer'. DIO – the enchanting solo band responsible for timeless rock masterpieces like 'Holy Diver,' 'Rainbow In The Dark,' 'The Last In Line,' 'Rock N Roll Children' and 'I Could Have Been A Dreamer.'
DIO – the musical brilliance - an archetype in the annals of hard rock, unmistakably enchanting and riveting. Ronnie
James Dio is more than a memorable entertainer; he is a force of nature.
September 7th sees DIO release arguably its most imaginative and thought-provoking release to date, Master of the Moon.
The band's debut for Sanctuary Records, DIO's music is as potent as ever, with each track crafted with the precision and force of a fervent shark attack. Master of the Moon is a rapturous one-two punch of volatile rock music, with each composition destined to become classic, alongside the man's vault of influential masterpieces. Ronnie muses to the freshness of the material, and the focus on realism rather than fantasy:
'With what was going on in the world around us, the album naturally became more realistic in theme. When I reunited with Black Sabbath for the Dehumanizer album after 12 years, everyone expected us to do another album like Heaven And Hell, and we ended up going in completely the opposite direction. I don't think it was a preconceived notion for us to do an album like Dehumanizer [with the new material], but you can definitely hear a lot of similar qualities inside of this one. I think circumstances and current events made us want to stray far from the fantasy elements, and the album became heavier.'
Assisting Ronnie on this journey of passion and tribulation are returning guitarist Craig Goldy, longtime drummer Simon Wright, keyboardist Scott Warren, and bassist Rudy Sarzo (a legend in his own right, having previously worked with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, and Quiet Riot). Sarzo replaces Jeff Pilson, who departed the band following the recording of Master of the Moon.
Ronnie explains the contributions of both bass players: 'Jeff played so well on this album, and he was very into the songs. He put his heart and soul into his performance because he genuinely liked the material. He was incredibly important to this project. Rudy is also something really special. He's so damn good at what he does; live he gives us a real sense of unity. He gives us everything we want; his showmanship is unparalleled. Rudy is just phenomenal, and I hope he will agree to perform on our next studio album as well.'
Not sufficient with musical brilliance, DIO is also an exceptional live act, with showmanship so memorable that a number of live home videos have been produced in the past to commemorate the mind-blowing performances. A new American tour is slated to commence October 1st, and Ronnie is visibly excited.
'We seem to have found the right combination of luck for this tour,' he enthuses. 'Europe was just unbelievable; it was such a joy every night to be on the stage. [For America], we're going to do some tracks from the new album to show the people what we've created; we'll do some things that we haven't done in years (some things that Rudy requested). We always try to give the live show a good cross section of the important parts of my career, obviously Sabbath and Rainbow and, of course, the body of work from Dio. It's just an amazing set of music; probably the best live set we've ever done.'
DIO's legendary status was recently confirmed by VH-1 Television, securing the No 1 Most Metal Moment for originating the now infamous "devil horns" hand gesture, as well as the No 3 position for orchestrating the Hear'N Aid charity album – a heavy metal conglomerate in the vein of 'We Are The World'.
A follow-up charity event is currently in the works. Ronnie explains, 'We already have one track in place for Hear'N Aid 2. We're going to utilize additional guitar players and singers, like we did last time. I think its important that we grab some of the younger people to get involved with this one, and there will obviously be some people from the past on it as well, schedules permitting.'
With a body of work spanning 30 years, it would seem obvious that the man compose a book about his experiences in the industry and the people's lives he's touched along the way. Ironically, he confesses. 'I'm a third finished with my autobiography. It's a real labor of love, as I have to really focus on doing it. It's actually a history of all the people that I've worked with. I did begin it from my own perspective, starting from when I learned to play the trumpet at 5 years-old, and went from there to my first bands.
However, it's not as extensive as you'd believe; I tried to take the most amusing points from my career as possible; it's not a tell-all or an examination of any of the bands I've been in.
It's the things that made them what they were and the more amusing incidents that happened along the way. I think that these amusing events tell more about a person's personality than if we get them on a couch and get inside their heads.'
Considered an elder statesman by many, and a living legend by even more, DIO's work is far from finished, with a limitless supply of new tricks up his sleeve. The world waits with baited breath.
