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SHOCKING: 4 - What They Never Told You

ronnie james dio history black sabbath rainbow

Metal Hammer

“We wore silly hats, but in those days, you did silly things”: Listen to the doo-wop bands Ronnie James Dio sang in before becoming a metal star with Black Sabbath and Rainbow

Before Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, one of heavy metal’s most powerful voices sang in skiffle and doo-wop groups. This is what they sounded like…

Metal Hammer

“Anyone with an alternate viewpoint is liable to get burned at the stake”: Queensryche made an 80s metal classic with Operation: Mindcrime. Nearly 20 years later, they tried to match it with a sequel

The sequel to Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime was released in the US on April 4, 2006. This is how they made a follow up to a landmark album

Louder

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

"Everybody wanted to get in on the action. I wasn't letting that happen": Dio's first platinum album could have been very different

Unencumbered by the curse of the second album, The Last In Line became one of the most momentous metal albums of the 80s

Metal Hammer

New vocalists lasted five minutes and founder members quit amid the chaos: 1984 was an awful year for Black Sabbath, and by its end they were almost obliterated

Molotov cocktails and member mayhem: The chaotic story of Black Sabbabth's worst year

Metal Hammer

Black Sabbath announce details of long-awaited Tony Martin era box set and The Eternal Idol is nowhere to be seen

The new set will contain remastered versions of Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes, plus a new Tony Iommi mix of Forbidden

Metal Hammer

“What’s more satanic than a demon throwing a priest into the water, chained?!” Watch Jack Black react to classic album covers by Dio, Iron Maiden, Manowar and more

Watch Tenacious D singer, Hollywood star and ultimate metalhead Jack Black give his thoughts on artworks from some of our genre’s greatest legends

Metal Hammer

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Listen to Black Sabbath cover Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water, with Ian Gillan on vocals

During the 1983 Born Again tour, Black Sabbath acknowledged new singer Ian Gillan’s former band by performing Deep Purple’s signature song

Metal Hammer

"We should have been writing our own songs, but it was much better to listen to Abba": Ritchie Blackmore has named his favourite band of all time

Ritchie Blackmore opens up during a 40-minute online Q&A filmed at home in Long Island

Louder

“I have fond memories of sitting on Lemmy‘s lap after he’d come offstage, with his hair in a white towel turban”: Rob Halford says Judas Priest‘s new album has a tribute to Lemmy and Ronnie James Dio

New Judas Priest song Giants In The Sky from upcoming album Invincible Shield pays tribute to Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio and other great rock icons

Metal Hammer

"But oh my God, he's just awesome. Power, resonance, tone... fabulous": Bruce Dickinson names some of his favourite singers

Iron Maiden man Bruce Dickinson talks about his favourite vocalists in the lead-up to the release of new solo album The Mandrake Project

Metal Hammer

10 heavy metal solo careers that fell completely flat

Not everyone can be Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie James Dio…

Metal Hammer

"It was a very magical time. The right people came together at the right moment": Ronnie James Dio's track-by-track guide to Dio's classic Holy Diver

Many believed Ronnie James Dio was finished when he quit Black Sabbath, but he proved the doubters wrong with an all-time classic

Metal Hammer

In 1979, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow began making their fourth album, Down To Earth. Cue pranks, tantrums, line-up changes, bad vibes and really bad hair days

"I didn’t look like them and I wasn't into their music" - Graham Bonnet on being offered the job of Rainbow singer

Louder

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Metal Hammer

"Yes, we all want to bang our heads at Christmas, but we also want to sit down with a cup of tea and a mince pie and have a bit of a chillout": Rob Halford's 8 favourite Christmas songs

Metal God Rob Halford salutes the most wonderful time of the year, as he selects his eight favourite Christmas songs

Metal Hammer

"As metal staggered to its feet and limped out of the 80s, it was on the cusp of becoming stronger than ever before": How heavy metal got its mojo back

Big hair and bad spandex almost killed any credibility metal had in the 1980s. But metal not only survived, it also came back bigger and stronger than ever

MusicRadar

Our 15 favourite metal and heavy rock guitar moments of 2023: featuring Wolfgang Van Halen, Nita Strauss, Nuno Bettencourt, Paul Gilbert, Metallica, Periphery and more

Including the guitar solo of the year

Metal Hammer

"It was the most scary thing any of us had ever been through." Ronnie James Dio on the "evil spirit" that apparently sabotaged Rainbow and ended up pushing his wife down the stairs

While recording in a haunted château, Ronnie James Dio believed he'd accidentally summoned a "really evil spirit" that caused chaos during their sessions

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Metal Hammer

"I'll be honest here – I think they blew us off stage every single night": what happened when AC/DC went on tour with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

In 1976 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow embarked on the Rising tour of Europe with a young band from Australia in tow: Ronnie James Dio was watching them very closely

Louder

“I just can’t believe this is really happening”: watch Ronnie James Dio unleash his vocals on a Tenacious D song

The former Black Sabbath and Rainbow man belted it out for Tenacious D's Kickapoo track

Metal Hammer

"I’m not so lonely now, there are other girls to talk with and exchange tips and tricks on how to survive a tour!" Heavy metal Queen Doro on a career in rock, near-death experiences and, erm, fighting ducks

We interviewed living metal legend Doro Pesch using questions from her biggest fans

Metal Hammer

The 10 greatest solo albums in heavy metal history

Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne have all proven you don’t need to be in a band to make top-notch heavy metal

Metal Hammer

The 11 greatest final shows in heavy metal history

From Black Sabbath to Metallica’s Cliff Burton, these excellent gigs also proved to be bittersweet goodbyes

Metal Hammer

The 10 greatest guest spots in heavy metal history

From Bruce Dickinson teaming with Rob Halford to Dave Grohl’s Probot album, here are the times big names made great metal songs even greater

Guitar World

Positive Grid continues its signature Spark Mini spree with a Paul Gilbert amp – and it's joined by custom presets of his “most iconic tones”

Only 100 units will be made, and each will bear the virtuoso's signature and the dragon emblem from his Ronnie James Dio tribute album

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