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Mojo · 06-30-2010, 11:59 AM

As you all should know by now, its Heavy Metal week on MB this week. This last year, the rock and metal community lost one of its most loved performers and i felt it was only right that he be mentioned and celebrated. Also as i'm in a good mood, i'll give you all a little present.

Now, if i turn the clock back about ten years or so i am taken back to a time where I was far from a metal fan. If anything, i was a 15 year old strictly indie kid with a very narrow mind when it came to music. I figured that metal was far too fast, far too noisy and far too aggressive to be taken seriously. I figured that melody was non existant and had no clue how diverse the genre really could be. Developing an interest in heavy metal and beginning to understand what it was all about helped me to open my ears to all kinds of music from that point on and remains one of my favourite genres to this day.

Black Sabbath quickly became a favourite of mine, to the point they would become not only my favourite metal band but my favourite band in general. Formed in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill ward and charismatic frontman Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath played down-tuned, gritty, moody blues-rock and would become one of the first bands to be credited with the formation of the genre that would become recognised as heavy metal. With Osbourne they would release eight albums in eight years between 1970 and 1978 before imploding under the effects of heavy drug use, alcohol and a resulting slump in creativity. Osbourne was fired in 1979 and the future of the band was likely in doubt at this time.

However the daughter of the bands manager, Sharon Arden (later Sharon Osbourne) would suggest a replacement singer and Rainbow's Ronnie James Dio would join that same year to breathe new life into the band. The Black Sabbath line-up would often change and rotate from this point forward but between 1979 and 1982 the band released two albums, Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules before Ronnie would leave to pursue his own band, named Dio. The next time he would be a part of the band was for 1992s Dehumanizer, during which time Deep Purple's Ian Gillan and Glenn Hughes provided vocals for the records Born Again and Seventh Star, before Tony Martin would be installed for the next three.

The bands material with Ozzy Osbourne is generally considered the "real" Black Sabbath and I have to admit that when i first developed a love for the band, it took me a long time to look beyond these albums. But the material the band recorded with Ronnie James Dio really does stand on its own as fantastic metal music. Dio brought alot to the table that Ozzy Osbourne did not. Dio had a crucial creative input in the material he recorded with them and brought a whole new approach to the vocals. One of the most acclaimed heavy metal singers, he helped Sabbath to evolve their sound to the point they sound a very different band rather than a band attempting to continue in the very same direction with a new frontman.

Towards the end of his life, the Mob Rules and Dehumanizer era line-up of Dio, Iommi, Butler and drummer Vinny Apice would reform under the name Heaven and Hell and their sole studio album, The Devil You Know, would be Dio's final studio album. He lost a battle with stomach cancer in May this year.

Often overlooked, this is The Best of Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio.

Neon Knights
E5150
The Mob Rules
Master of Insanity
Falling of the Edge of the World
Lady Evil
Turn up the Night
I
Computer God
Shadow of the Wind
The Sign of the Southern Cross
Black Sabbath (Live)
Children of the Sea (Live)
The Turn of the Screw
Time Machine
Bible Black
Die Young
Heaven and Hell (Live)

RONNIE JAMES DIO - 1942 - 2010
R.I.P.

06-30-2010, 11:59 AM	#31 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	As you all should know by now, its Heavy Metal week on MB this week. This last year, the rock and metal community lost one of its most loved performers and i felt it was only right that he be mentioned and celebrated. Also as i'm in a good mood, i'll give you all a little present. Now, if i turn the clock back about ten years or so i am taken back to a time where I was far from a metal fan. If anything, i was a 15 year old strictly indie kid with a very narrow mind when it came to music. I figured that metal was far too fast, far too noisy and far too aggressive to be taken seriously. I figured that melody was non existant and had no clue how diverse the genre really could be. Developing an interest in heavy metal and beginning to understand what it was all about helped me to open my ears to all kinds of music from that point on and remains one of my favourite genres to this day. Black Sabbath quickly became a favourite of mine, to the point they would become not only my favourite metal band but my favourite band in general. Formed in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill ward and charismatic frontman Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath played down-tuned, gritty, moody blues-rock and would become one of the first bands to be credited with the formation of the genre that would become recognised as heavy metal. With Osbourne they would release eight albums in eight years between 1970 and 1978 before imploding under the effects of heavy drug use, alcohol and a resulting slump in creativity. Osbourne was fired in 1979 and the future of the band was likely in doubt at this time. However the daughter of the bands manager, Sharon Arden (later Sharon Osbourne) would suggest a replacement singer and Rainbow's Ronnie James Dio would join that same year to breathe new life into the band. The Black Sabbath line-up would often change and rotate from this point forward but between 1979 and 1982 the band released two albums, Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules before Ronnie would leave to pursue his own band, named Dio. The next time he would be a part of the band was for 1992s Dehumanizer, during which time Deep Purple's Ian Gillan and Glenn Hughes provided vocals for the records Born Again and Seventh Star, before Tony Martin would be installed for the next three. The bands material with Ozzy Osbourne is generally considered the "real" Black Sabbath and I have to admit that when i first developed a love for the band, it took me a long time to look beyond these albums. But the material the band recorded with Ronnie James Dio really does stand on its own as fantastic metal music. Dio brought alot to the table that Ozzy Osbourne did not. Dio had a crucial creative input in the material he recorded with them and brought a whole new approach to the vocals. One of the most acclaimed heavy metal singers, he helped Sabbath to evolve their sound to the point they sound a very different band rather than a band attempting to continue in the very same direction with a new frontman. Towards the end of his life, the Mob Rules and Dehumanizer era line-up of Dio, Iommi, Butler and drummer Vinny Apice would reform under the name Heaven and Hell and their sole studio album, The Devil You Know, would be Dio's final studio album. He lost a battle with stomach cancer in May this year. Often overlooked, this is The Best of Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio. Neon Knights E5150 The Mob Rules Master of Insanity Falling of the Edge of the World Lady Evil Turn up the Night I Computer God Shadow of the Wind The Sign of the Southern Cross Black Sabbath (Live) Children of the Sea (Live) The Turn of the Screw Time Machine Bible Black Die Young Heaven and Hell (Live) RONNIE JAMES DIO - 1942 - 2010 R.I.P. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust