Two Lost Metal Titans...

It has been a morose, melancholy couple of days. The weather over here in Ohio is pretty shitty, but in reality, it reflects the mood I am in. I was very sad to hear of the passing of the great Ronnie James Dio yesterday morning. Apparently, he lost his battle to stomach cancer at the age of 67. His voice was unparalleled in the world of Metal, and he was famously known as the first Metal performer to use the "devil horns" hand gesture at concerts. This has influenced my life greatly, as I use that hand gesture all of the time. Haha.

Dio rose to prominence in the 70s with Rainbow, featuring former Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore. After Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath, Dio took over lead vocals, and they released some classic albums, like "Mob Rules" and "Heaven & Hell." Dio then started his solo career, which spawned his most memorable hits and videos. Songs like "Holy Diver," "We Rock," "Mystery," "The Last in Line," and "Rainbow in the Dark" were epic, thralling masterpieces of Metal awesomeness. The imagery he used in his songs were full of demons, dragons, and Heavy Metal thunder! Jack Black's "Folk Metal" band Tenacious D even paid tribute to him on their debut album with the song simply titled "Dio." In the song, they urged him to "pass the torch" of Metal onto them. Dio met the band years later, and told them he would not. Haha. He did, however, lend himself and his voice to their film "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny," in a very memorable scene. The legend of Dio will always live on, and his music will indeed live on in our hearts and souls. Rest in Peace, Dio...

Another Metal God passed away recently as well. Last April, Peter Steele of pioneering Goth Metal outfit Type O Negative, died of cardiac arrest at the age of 48. Known for their blistering rhythm section, their pitch black humor set them apart from their contemporaries. Their endless catalog of songs are bonafide classics. Songs like "Christian Woman," "Black No. 1," "Be My Druidess," "(We Were) Electrocute," "September Sun," "Dead Again," and countless others were loved by his many fans, including myself, and am quite disappointed that the band won't have any more albums. One of their particular albums got me through a really harsh break-up. Their debut album "Slow, Deep, and Hard" is such a monumentally great break-up album! It almost felt like a concept album. From being suspicious about being cheated on, to having murderous thoughts against the people involved, to torturing and killing the cheating lover, to eventually killing himself by album's end, it was one hell of an album!! And I listened to it constantly after my aforementioned break-up. Some catharsis was needed, and it was acheived... The power of music...

Consequently, we have all lost two significant voices in the world of Metal and in general. These guys are like my "Elvis Presley" and "Michael Jackson." (With all due respect) Their music will indeed live on in all of us. RIP Ronnie James Dio and Peter Steele... Here's some great videos to remind us of their genius.