Today is a sad day for metal. It has been confirmed that Ronnie James Dio, Singer for Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Heaven and Hell, has lost his battle with stomach cancer.
As one of the most respected and talented singers in rock, he inspired many bands in a number of genres. Two of the albums that he featured on, Heaven & Hell by Black Sabbath and his solo album Holy Diver, are often considered to be some of the best albums ever recorded, and are certainy two of the most important heavy metal records ever made. As frontman for Black Sabbath, he was able to resurrect a band that was heading for the trash heap after the depature of Ozzy, and a series of other unsuccesful vocalists.
I first came across Dio a little while after experiencing Sabbath for the first time, when I was about 13/14. Although I always prefered the stuff they recorded with Ozzy Osbourne, Dio was far and away the better singer. I still consider Live Evil to be one of the greatest live albums of all time, and it's majorly because of him. Holy Diver, of course, speaks for itself. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends.
Influential, incredible and irreplaceable. That is Ronnie James Dio. RIP
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