It’s hard to believe I’m typing this, but today marks ten years since Ronnie James Dio left this earthly realm. At the time, I was a wee maniac at the tender age of 11 who lived on a steady diet of VH1 Classic’s Metal Mania and That Metal Show. My initial reaction to the news wasn’t sadness, but shock. His passing itself wasn’t shocking. Ronnie fought a valiant battle against the dragon that is stomach cancer. It was rather the thought of a world without him that was shocking.
The story of Ronnie James Dio is synonymous with the story of metal. His musical journey began in the late 1950s singing traditional pop music with Ronnie and the Red Caps. From there, he’d sing the blues with Elf. After nearly two decades of roughing it in the music industry, Ronnie’s break came in the form of fronting Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. What was merely supposed to be a side project for the enigmatic guitarist soon turned into a full blown endeavor. With Rainbow, Blackmore brought his most grandiose visions to life: visions that never would’ve been a reality with Deep Purple.
What Blackmore and Dio didn’t know was that in three albums, they’d lay down the groundwork for tens of thousands of bands to come. If the period of 1970 to 1975 which brought us Sabbath, Purple, Budgie, and others was “heavy metal: phase one”, Rainbow initiated phase two. Blackmore’s dark classical playing, coupled with Dio’s fantastical lyricism and voice that could move mountains, ushered in the age of power metal. “Stargazer”, “A Light in the Black”, “Man on the Silver Mountain”, “Kill the King”…need I go on?
Alas, this was only the beginning. By 1979, Dio would move on and reinvent the band who invented the very genre he reinvented (wrap your mind around that for a second), Black Sabbath. By this point, Sabbath was suffering the blowback of two maligned albums, exhausting tours, and hard drug abuse. Add to that the unceremonious departure of Ozzy Osbourne, and to say Sabbath was on life support would be an understatement. Dio delivered their much needed shot in the arm in the form of 1980’s Heaven and Hell.
I could only imagine Ritchie Blackmore’s fury upon first hearing Heaven and Hell. “Neon Knights”, “Die Young”, “Children of the Sea”…this COULD’VE been the next Rainbow album. But his loss was Tony Iommi’s gain. Sabbath rightfully reclaimed their throne as the kings of metal with a triumphant tour and the equally brilliant followup, Mob Rules (1981). With each progressing album, Ronnie’s lyrical observations became darker and more chilling, perhaps reaching a peak on “The Sign of the Southern Cross”. When listening to a Dio song, you’re no longer part of this world. We’re transported to his: One of dream and nightmare, heaven and hell, the dark that you’ll find in the back of your mind, and the light in the black.
By the time Dio exited Sabbath in 1982, metal had evolved once again. The genre which lurked in the underground shadows throughout the 70s had now gone mainstream! Bands like Scorpions, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden took America by storm, dominating rock radio and packing arenas. Leading this charge was none other than Ozzy Osbourne who in two years went from disgraced junkie washout to heavy metal madman, achieving even greater success solo than he did with Sabbath. Dio approached these changing times with an “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” attitude. Not only did he join them, he arguably surpassed them.
The tetralogy of Holy Diver (1983), The Last in Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), and Dream Evil (1987) have more rock radio hits than your average band could dream of in two lifetimes. No matter how “mainstream” his 80s output veered, Dio always maintained that dark edge which was often imitated, never duplicated. By now, bands that owed a debt to those Rainbow albums were popping up left and right. The likes of Sanctuary, Queensrÿche, Metal Church, Savatage, and countless others would’ve never been if Dio hadn’t set the stage for the traditional metal singer. Ian Gillan and David Byron may have invented metal vocals. Dio perfected them.
Over the last two decades of his life, Dio continued to release solo albums and reunited with Sabbath twice: First for Dehumanizer (1992) and finally for The Devil You Know (2009). The latter is regarded by myself and many as the greatest metal album of the 2000s, a masterpiece that stands head to head with Dio’s classic 70s and 80s works. And then, just as quickly as it had all began, it was over.
We can sit for hours and wonder what could have been. If Dio was alive today, I believe Sabbath would’ve never reunited with Ozzy. Why would they? 13 (2013) was a mediocre album at best and those last few years of touring felt forced. With Dio back in the fold, that urge to create and break new ground was back. I could go on and on and on. Instead, let’s be grateful for what was and what is.
The world has now been without its greatest voice for a decade…but you wouldn’t know it. As each year passes, Dio’s legacy grows. His messages of triumph, warning, introspection, and rock ‘n’ roll resonate with every human being that’s ever been moved to headbang, mosh, sing at the top of their lungs, and raise the horns. Ronnie James Dio is metal. Ronnie James Dio is rock ‘n’ roll. And to that I say, “Long live rock ‘n’ roll.”