The death of Ronnie James Dio – the man with the golden voice – this past Sunday from stomach cancer truly marks the end of an era in metal where an incredible voice could easily trump musical virtuosity in almost every way and be THE driving force that could either make or break a band when absent. Although many vocalists in the genre have managed to pull it off to a certain degree, very few of them have been able to withstand the test of time – especially as advancing age has set in. At age 67, saying that Dio’s voice reigned supreme as the king of longevity would still feel like a huge understatement to me, especially considering the man’s remarkable career, infinite influence, and undeniable role in being one of the forefathers of metal as we know it today.

My first introduction to RJD – or at least the first time I can remember – was around age 11 or 12, when I heard “Rainbow In The Dark” on the radio as a hormonal preteen getting ready for school one morning. It had everything I wanted in a metal song at the time – big and heavy riffs, a dark edge, great hooks, a shredding solo, and sinister operatic vocals that had metal written all over them. After another few years of listening to an abundance of excessive guitar wankery and bad hair metal (among other things), it wasn’t until my mid-teens that I fully discovered both the Ozzy and Dio-era Black Sabbath albums. Seemingly overnight, my addiction for wankery and hair metal disappeared and I was almost entirely consumed by listening to both band incarnations for a period of several months straight. I felt like I had finally found a band that encompassed everything that I never realized I loved about metal up until that point. I also found it hard to fathom how both eras, even though back-to-back, couldn’t sound more different from each other, even with 3/4 of the original line up still intact in the latter (at least on the Heaven and Hell album). While the Ozzy era ‘Sab four’ were more or less a band of equals with each member injecting as much influence as the next, the Dio era Sabbath was – whether intentional or not – a band largely based around Dio’s voice and use of melody while the other three took on slightly lesser roles than they had previously. It amazed me at how easily a vocalist’s talent and approach could completely transform a band who had already made their infinite mark in music history… and the amazement continues to this day.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and hearing him live four times – both solo and with Heaven and Hell – and was amazed every time at his ability to recreate live what he did in a recording studio some 20-30 years earlier, even as he was well into his 60s. What’s even more amazing is that, as Tony Iommi has attested to, he was never known to warm up before a show. As the old saying goes, “you either have it or you don’t.” Apparently, Dio had “it” firmly by the balls… and then some!

I just happened to be at a bar with some friends Sunday evening when I heard the sad news of Dio’s passing. Naturally, the first thing we all did was drink a shot of whiskey in his memory. We then proceeded to fill the jukebox with entire Holy Diver album (unfortunately, that was the only album they had available).

In the few days since, not much has changed – I’ve continued to mourn by listening to my entire Dio catalogue several times, as well as watching countless live youtube performances – both old and recent. It was only a few weeks ago that I was under the impression he was rallying from cancer and set to play some dates with Heaven and Hell this summer. Dammit, I miss RJD already…

Considering the huge outpouring of grief, condolences, and tributes from his friends, fans, and fellow musicians during the past few days, I am obviously not the only one drinking shots of whiskey and watching shitty-quality bootleg videos. Yes, this is truly the end on an era indeed…

RIP Ronnie

illustration by Ben Classman

Dio: Heaven and Hell

There’s no way this post does the justice it intends to, but while listening to the Type O Negative catalog on repeat after Thursday’s events, I realized how much I will miss Peter Steele. Like most fans, I got into Type O by listening to the legendary Bloody Kisses album, but it wasn’t “Black No. 1” or “Christian Woman” that drew me in, it was “We Hate Everyone“. Featuring yodeling, an intro full of vigorous double bass and a crushing, industrial breakdown all culminating into one of the slickest bridges ever, it was my indoctrination to Brooklyn’s “Drab Four”. I was hooked, and I followed their path ever since, seeing them live twice and buying all their albums and DVDs (In fact, the last CD I purchased in a store [and probably ever] was Dead Again in 2007). In high school, Kisses and October Rust were the ONLY metal albums you could play if the planets aligned and you were able to convince some girls to hang out with you. And when you did play them, they were always intrigued by the baritone crooner that sang about how messed up the relationships between men and women (and sometimes another woman) can be.

It’s ironic that my favorite album from the band is also the one that they hated the most: 1999’s World Coming Down. The band and Steele said they disagreed on the direction of the album and were ultimately unhappy with it, but it captured the frontman at his darkest time and offered an intensely personal viewpoint of a moment where he struggled mightily with relationships and addiction. The album is by far the darkest and most depressing of all of the Type O offerings, yet the writing, the flow of the songs, the melody and it’s execution remain fundamentally beautiful. As an artist, this is what Steele really did best; he was the master at creating the “heavy-metal pop” song. He often said his two biggest influences were The Beatles and Black Sabbath, and by combining the sonic layers and vocal melodies of Lennon and McCarthy with the dark tones and phrasing of a young Ozzy, he created a unique metal sound expertly tailored to his vocal style and the message Type O wanted to convey. He was obviously a man who fought many demons, and he poured all of his emotions and experiences into the words and music of the band. It is sad to think that just as he was getting those demons under control, his life ended.

Rest in peace Peter, you will be sorely missed.

Type O Negative: Too Late/Frozen

Type O Negative – We Hate Everyone:

Download audio file (We_Hate_Everyone.mp3)

Though, I didn’t know Mat on a personal level, the few times I chatted with him at shows, he seemed like a stand-up guy… and one who certainly knew how to bring the riff. He will be missed.

R.I.P. Brother