It Goes On And On And On...

This week marks the two year anniversary for the passing of Ronnie James Dio. I never thought that I'd feel such loss over some musician that I've never even spoken to. Yet, as May 16th rolls around, I find myself paying tribute to the man by spending most of my day listening to the bands that he took center stage for...my daily playlist becomes a celebration of Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell. Two years after his death, it still saddens me to think that we will never see another studio album from one of the all-time Heavy Metal greats.

Through his final band, Heaven & Hell (A.K.A. Black Sabbath), we do get one last live album...their set from Wacken in July of 2009. A few months later it was announced that Ronnie was battling stomach cancer. Even though reports of his condition were positive, with continued talk of more live shows and a new Dio album continuing the story of his Magica LP, the Wacken show would prove to be his last recorded performance.

The album captures the greatness of Dio, as well as the rest of the Black Sabbath guys. New songs like Bible Black and Fear, flow seamlessly with classics like Children of the Sea and Die Young. At 67, Ronnie James Dio still had the voice and the energy to give the fans what they came for...and the man sounds absolutely possessed as he growls "I say fuck off, I'm going to burn in Hell with you". 67 years old. Damn. The man still had so much more to give.