Dio Goes Medieval - Metal Never the Same

Of the many great moments in the very fine documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, one of the best is Ronnie James Dio explaining how he "perfected" the infamous Devil sign, "one of the most enduring symbols of Heavy Metal culture. Seems Ronnie's Italian grandmother, walking the streets of the New World, often flashed the sign to ward off the evil eye. Apparently the gesture left an enduring impact on the young Ronnie. And has since become synoymous with all that is loud and heavy. Lars Ulrich writes a fan's tribute to the legendary rocker here. LA Times obit here. Scene from the movie here...

Comments

[Lito S.]

I hate Lars with a passion. BUT his tribute was real beautiful.

I remember when a friend pulled out Rainbow's Long Live Rock & Roll, and the opening song Kill the King had me hooked from the first note.

Very bummed over this, but glad I saw DIO in 83 and he mixed his solo stuff with Sabbath & Rainbow material.

[Joe Hernandez-Kolski]

I was never the hugest DIO fan, although I rocked "Holy Diver" and "Last In Line" every so often. However, Ronnie James Dio seemed like such a genuine guy. The numerous documentaries and his recent appearance on "That Metal Show" really demonstrate how committed he was to his work. It really is a major blow to the metal community. It almost feels like the first major death due to circumstances related to old age. Do you think that's true? Cuz Randy Rhoads and Cliff Burton's deaths were sad yet unexpected. Are we moving into a phase of life where our rock idols are gonna start taking the stairway to heaven? (Cheesy, I know but I had to say it.)

Joe

[writing jobs]

he's creepy but i can compare him to aerosmith!