On May 16, 2010 the the heavy metal world was shattered as we lost one of the greatest vocalists of all time, Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie was an extraordinary singer and songwriter achieving success as a solo artist and as lead vocalist with Rainbow and Black Sabbath but most importantly was loved by many as a kind and caring human being. With the help of his wife Wendy Dio, an all star group of musicians have come together to celebrate the man and his music with a tribute album, “Ronnie James Dio This Is Your Life.” Proceeds from the record will benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund which supports both cancer research and education.
“This Is Your Life” spans the entirety of Ronnie’s career and is very well done. Anthrax and Adrenaline Mob take on the Sabbath years with pulverizing performances of “Neon Knights” and “The Mob Rules.” Representing his solo records are “Holy Diver” by Killswitch Engage and Doro’s version of “Egypt (The Chains Are On).” An interesting inclusion is Tenacious D tackling the hit “The Last In Line” in their own unique way. Some of the best performances covered Ronnie’s years in Rainbow with the dreamy “Catch The Rainbow” featuring Glenn Hughes and the final lineup of Dio’s solo band and a guitar heavy version of “Man on the Silver Mountain” with Rob Halford taking on vocal duties. Not to be missed is the epic performance by Metallica with “Ronnie Rising Medley” which is a medley of four different Rainbow songs and clocks in at over nine minutes. Closing out the record is the legend himself with Dio’s beautiful and poignant “This Is Your Life” with Scott Warren on the piano.
“Ronnie James Dio This Is Your Life” is a necessity for every metalhead’s collection. It is not only a celebration of his life and a sad reminder of what the world has lost but is proof that Dio’s music will live on forever inspiring future generations of fans and keeping heavy metal alive. Perhaps we can all take a moment to reflect on our own lives and the words of Dio himself, “This Is Your Here, This Is Your Now, Let It Be Magical.”
